how did you cycle your tank? my guess is that with the low levels of rock and weak (freshwater) filtration, your tank may well have taken 6 months to fully cycle... that being said an outbreak of brown scum is normal and a decent cleanup crew will solve the issue -with a good water change!
how did you cycle your tank? do you have a cleanup crew? what kind of critters? how often do you do water changes? what is your lighting like? how long do you keep the lights on? is your tank near a window?
also, i think RO units are great, but I don't have one. before you jump out and buy an RO unit, have your tap water tested at your LFS. In the meantime I'd take the suggestion above and use bottled water from the supermarket.....
if you tap water does have issues, then weight the options between bottled water and an RO unit.
how did you cycle your tank? do you have a cleanup crew? what kind of critters? how often do you do water changes? what is your lighting like? how long do you keep the lights on? is your tank near a window?
also, i think RO units are great, but I don't have one. before you jump out and buy an RO unit, have your tap water tested at your LFS. In the meantime I'd take the suggestion above and use bottled water from the supermarket.....
if you tap water does have issues, then weight the options between bottled water and an RO unit.
