Brown Algae

[guppymonkey]

I have had a problem with brown algae almost as long as I have had the tank. It grows on everything. I have cleaned it off the sides of the tank and off the plastic plants and tried to get it off the live plants multiple times. But it keeps coming back! I have changed the light I have to a newer bulb because I thought that was the problem but that didn't help either. I also reduced the amount I was feeding the fish because I was told that can cause brown algae build up. Is it just because I don't have enough light on the tank? For some reason I can't find 24" bulbs in more than 20 watts so I don't know how to get more light on the tank.

 

[Alien Anna]

I know the problem because my Juwel tanks are designed to hold very little light. I have bought some Arcadia units and attached lights via lighting clips to the inside lid of the hoods. You could probably at least double the light in that tank.

Also, get some reflectors for your lights if you haven't already. In theory this should double the light.

 

[ginamoore]

yep it is your lights for sure. you may just need new bulbs. mine went bad in my saltwater tank and everything turned brown. i replaced the lights and everything went back to normal.

 

[Sinuhe]

What kind of a light fixture do you have in your tank? Maybe you can replace it with one that holds 2 tubes instead of 1. I have 2 on my biggest tank, but it's still not quite enough. The tank is of a difficult length, and the tubes are quite a bit shorter than the tank.

 

[Moe]

I had a problem with brown algae in my daughter's 10G it was all over the glass, plastic plants and the gravel was completly brown. She got 3 apple snails and within 2 weeks the algae was gone.

 

[guppymonkey]

I just went to my LFS last night to look at better lights. ARGH! They are so expensive. Why does it cost so much?!! The ones I was look at (to get the correct amount of light my tank needs instead of the stupid 20 watt bulbs) were upwards of a hundred dollars for fixture and light!

 

[Juggernaut22988]

If the problem wont go away, just wipe the algae off weekly

That is what I do to my basement tank (very little light)

 

[smb]

I just went to my LFS last night to look at better lights. ARGH! They are so expensive. Why does it cost so much?!! The ones I was look at (to get the correct amount of light my tank needs instead of the stupid 20 watt bulbs) were upwards of a hundred dollars for fixture and light!

Buy all of your lights at your hardware store. That's what I do and it's much cheaper.

 

[fishdude]

so snails could clean away brown algae. Is there any catfish that does it? Is brown any different from green?

 

[Juggernaut22988]

MORE LIGHT!!!!!

Algae eater do the same as snails but might be too aggressive