How to get rid of brown algae once and for all?

V

vaindioux

AC Members
May 3, 2008
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Hi

My fish tank has brown algae. It is not located in full sun, I do not overfeed but the brown algae keeps creeping up on the glass and decorations. Every week I have to do some heavy scrubbing, I m tired of it.
Can anyone recommend a chemical that would get rid of it for good.

Thanks

Patrick
 
I don't usually recommend chemicals to deal with things. I'm not really knowledgeable about algae, as I've rarely had problems with it. If I'm not mistaken, brown algae is from low light conditions? Could be wrong there. What are your nitrate levels? Algae needs food to grow, and keeping nitrates in check will help a bunch.
 
hi

My nitrates are 0.5ppm how is that? As far as light, I haven't changed my bulbs in years but they still light the tank quite well, shall I replace them?

Thanks
 
Pic? I would scrub, clean your filter, reduce feeding, reduce lighting, and do daily WCs until It's gone.

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Fishfan

Scrubbing is all I have been doing along with vacuuming gravel and doing 40% weekly water changes, it's not the solutions but thanks. I prefer the suggestion of too low of a light level, can anyone confirm I need newer bulbs to increase light, my bulbs are years old. What about my 0.5ppm nitrate level, how is that?

Patrick
 
0.5 is actually very low. are you showing any ammonia or nitrite? I may be addressing a different issue here, but my tap water has that much nitrate.

As for the lighting, like I said I'm not experienced enough on algae to say thats the case. I just finished reading a book from the 1960's on aquarium lighting that said brown algae means too low light, and green algae means too little light. However there are a few outdated principles in the book, so I don't know if this is actually true. FWIW, I would agree that scrape/scrub, water change and clean filter is the best course of action.
 
Direct dosing of excel or peroxide may well remove or kill the algae.

But knowing what kind of algae it is will likely indicate what imbalance may be causing it and point toward a solution.

Knowing more about the tank would help too. Dimensions, details about lighting, planted? Anything you add to the tank.
And pics.

There's not much you can tell about something from color alone.

As for the light being the issue... Its possible but is normally a problem in a planted tank where nutrients are added and the light makes the plants less able to use the nutrients than the algae.
 
dougall said:
As for the light being the issue... Its possible but is normally a problem in a planted tank where nutrients are added and the light makes the plants less able to use the nutrients than the algae.
Click to expand...
This makes a lot of sense in regards to the book I read. It seemed at the time it was written live plants were the only option, and quite likely considered a needed part as much as a filter and heater.
 
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