i have gotten rid of my green spot algae, and slowled the black beard algae a good deal but the brown algae is FLOURISHING! what can i do? it looks hideous. im almost at the point of giving up on plants. i never had algae before i planted the tank. please help.
brown algae taking over....what do i do
- Thread starter jujubee
- Start date
Brown algae (actually diatoms) is pretty common in newly set up tanks. It should clear up on its own within a week or two. I've read that it occurs as a result of excess silicates in the water.
I added a couple of amano shrimp to my tank when I had it and they did a fantastic job on it.
I added a couple of amano shrimp to my tank when I had it and they did a fantastic job on it.
I had a similar problem with my big tank- the diatoms flourished for nearly a month before the population slacked off. Just be patient, and keep up with your water changes. Vac out the algae frequently, so that the silicates in the dead cells won't be recycled.
On the other hand, increasing the water change schedule certainly won't hurt if you have the time to do it.
Just wanna share my experience as I had been combating against diatoms for about 6 months before I could put an end to it (no expert at all). As I have noted down on my case:
1). Disturbing the substrate a lot
2). Low light + adding CO2
3). Using of extra terrestrial objects such as metal (in my case, copper)
4). I am not sure about excess nutrients - I also added fast growing plants.
and my solutions to that:
1) Took out the extra object I added
2) Upgraded my light
3) Did the cleaning - filter and other accessories
4) Water change - Did mid week w/c
5) sucker mouth - I found Chinese Algae eaters to be very effective while they dont damage the plants
It was very hard for me to find the real cause.
1). Disturbing the substrate a lot
2). Low light + adding CO2
3). Using of extra terrestrial objects such as metal (in my case, copper)
4). I am not sure about excess nutrients - I also added fast growing plants.
and my solutions to that:
1) Took out the extra object I added
2) Upgraded my light
3) Did the cleaning - filter and other accessories
4) Water change - Did mid week w/c
5) sucker mouth - I found Chinese Algae eaters to be very effective while they dont damage the plants
It was very hard for me to find the real cause.