Brown Algae - Diatomes?

[korok]

I have a brown algae that has appeared on the plastic plants and gravel of my 20g tank.

The tank is 8 months old but this has only appeared over the last three weeks. I did have a complete clean out of the tank about six weeks ago when I removed everything and completely cleaned it all.

Is this diatomes? I was under the impression this mainly occured in new tanks because of the silicate they use to seal the tank. But could my major clean out have brought it on?

How can I get rid of it, its making my tank look horrible.

 

[fourthtimelucky]

It does look like diatom algae. Kind of weird that it's in an established tank, but I guess if by a thorough clean you mean CLEAN then that could have caused it, if the biofilm was removed from all the tank surfaces, ornaments, substrate etc that would give the algae a foothold. I wasn't aware that silicate had anything to do with it.

It should calm down in a couple of weeks. You could try chucking in a few moss balls / java moss as these will out-compete the algae for the nutrients & don't require any particular looking after. Or you could try a blackout. Have never done one myself but if you do a search then there should be info about how long for.

Hope this helps!

PS nice betta!

 

[korok]

It does look like diatom algae. Kind of weird that it's in an established tank, but I guess if by a thorough clean you mean CLEAN then that could have caused it, if the biofilm was removed from all the tank surfaces, ornaments, substrate etc that would give the algae a foothold. I wasn't aware that silicate had anything to do with it.

It should calm down in a couple of weeks. You could try chucking in a few moss balls / java moss as these will out-compete the algae for the nutrients & don't require any particular looking after. Or you could try a blackout. Have never done one myself but if you do a search then there should be info about how long for.

Hope this helps!

PS nice betta!

Thanks, suspected it was diatom but have never had it before. It was a thorough clean - bleached tank, rinsed filter in tank water, removed all gravel and cleaned in running water, same with ornaments. Guess this could be the reason then.

Will look at a blackout, hopefully it will clear up soon.

And yes, my betta is lovely

Thanks

 

[invader]

Diatom algae is common in newly established tanks and tanks that are going through cycling. By cleaning out your tank so thoroughly, you most likely created a mini cycle, which fueled the growth of this algae. Full stripdowns of tanks are not really recommended, unless there is a disease that has whiped the tank out. Regular maintinence of water changes and filter cleaning (with tank water only) will keep your tank looking nice and also keep the risk of mini cycling at bay.