Brown Algae

[SLIM]

Hi everyone

I have a fully cycled 260l tank which has been up and running now for about 3 months. I have about 5 real plants which I feed tetra plantamin.

For 3 weeks now iv had a brown algae explotion go off it my tank.
Its everywhere! Deep in the gravel, on rocks, glass and the plants are absolutely covered. Iv been doing plenty of water changes and scrubbing it all off but 2 days later its everywhere again. Im fighting a losing battle.

Iv done loads of research online on how to get rid of it but everything I read seems to be completely different. Every artical contradicts the last.

Iv read not enough light causes it, too much light causes it, high nitrates and phosphates causes it, then I was told its not phosphates but tiny traces of undectable ammonia. Iv been told overfeeding causes it which I dont do, not enough water circulation. Im starting to wonder if anybody actually knows the actual cause and cure. I just want it gone.

Iv also read that cures can be to add more plants. But I dont want to spend loads on plants just for them to get covered in this horrid stuff too. Iv read that people have successfully treated brown algae with API PHOS ZORB in their filter which will remove all phosphates which apparently is what brown algae thrives on.

Out of interest, I bought a phosphate test kit. My reading was only 1ppm so surely it cant be that. Im tempted to give phos zorb a go but im worried it will kill my plants as plants need phosphates

Ahhhhhhh its such a headache.

There must be an easy solution.

Has anyone actually have experience with this stuff and actually won the battle?

Iv been told today by my lfs to lower my lighting down to 5-6 hours a day. I have mine on for 10 hours a day. To be honest tho, whats the point in keeping fish if u can see them because the light is off most of the time.

There must be another way

Pleeeeeeease help me.

The lighting im using is 2X39w T5's for 260L. Thanx for any advice

 

[Caprichoso]

I won the battle....by waiting it out. Brown algae (diatoms) are very normal in a new set up. I had a new tank set up and all was fine for the first two months and then suddenly, it was there. It was on EVERYTHING! Plants were suffocating from it, the glass looked horrid. I just kept doing regular water changes and making sure the curtains were drawn and all of a sudden it was dying off. And the die off happens fast, leaving a whitish flaky substance that the fish picked off. I would however suggest that you try to manually rub it off of any plants you can. I was able to get through it without too much plant damage but I was very diligent about wiping it off. I had to suffer with it for about 3 weeks before it died off.

Good luck!

 

[Geoff-]

Interesting. I have carried over old cycled media to a new 90L tank with new sand substrate. I have a diatom bloom that has coincided with me removing a bag of biochem zorb from the filter. I have added it back in to see if it now knocks the algae back out.

 

[StandbySetting]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/356787-gravel-for-sand/
What you need to do is in this thread.

Adding phoszorb is doing nothing about treating the root cause of the algae, it's just burning a hole in your pocket for no reasonable reason.

Increase your circulation and decrease your lighting, it's all that needs to be done to get rid of this algae, more plants would help too.

 

[SLIM]

Problem solved. All algae is now gone

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Problem solved. All algae is now gone

Well... What did you do to make it go away?

 

[SLIM]

Problem solved. All algae is now gone

Well... What did you do to make it go away?

Bought a pleco lol tank has never looked so clean!
Dont worry, now the algae is gone im feeding him algae waffers and cucumber.

 

[FishyWishie]

Good to hear however I would also bear in mind the advice regarding photoperiod/lighting hours the plec eating it is great but there may still be an underlying issue as to why your getting algae in the first place.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Problem solved. All algae is now gone

Well... What did you do to make it go away?

Bought a pleco lol tank has never looked so clean!
Dont worry, now the algae is gone im feeding him algae waffers and cucumber.

Forgive my density, but the pleco ate all the algae in 3 days? Somehow I think that there must be other factors involved in addition to the pleco.

 

[SLIM]

Problem solved. All algae is now gone

Well... What did you do to make it go away?

Bought a pleco lol tank has never looked so clean!
Dont worry, now the algae is gone im feeding him algae waffers and cucumber.

Forgive my density, but the pleco ate all the algae in 3 days? Somehow I think that there must be other factors involved in addition to the pleco.

Well I bought 2 plecos to be exact. I didnt just get them for the algae, I had always planned on keeping them.
And believe it or not it was them and them alone who cleared it all up. There are still very small traces of brown algae but not noticable at all. First they cleaned of the plant leaves, then moved onto the rocks and gravel, then finally cleaned the glass.
And it took more like 5 or 6 days. I had actually bought the plecos before adding this post but because they didnt really touch the algae in the first few days, I decided to put this post up to find alternative messures of controlling the algae.
Once they settled in tho they ate constantly on the algae til it was gone.

 

[SLIM]

Good to hear however I would also bear in mind the advice regarding photoperiod/lighting hours the plec eating it is great but there may still be an underlying issue as to why your getting algae in the first place.

I think its just a case of it being a new aquarium.
Its very common for new setups.
Now I have the pleco I kinda want to encourage algae now so they have a natural food source.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well I bought 2 plecos to be exact. I didnt just get them for the algae, I had always planned on keeping them.
And believe it or not it was them and them alone who cleared it all up. There are still very small traces of brown algae but not noticable at all. First they cleaned of the plant leaves, then moved onto the rocks and gravel, then finally cleaned the glass.
And it took more like 5 or 6 days. I had actually bought the plecos before adding this post but because they didnt really touch the algae in the first few days, I decided to put this post up to find alternative messures of controlling the algae.
Once they settled in tho they ate constantly on the algae til it was gone.

That's good to hear, as I will be getting a new tank very soon. If plecos can fix the problem, then I can perhaps nip it in the bud by not allowing it to get established. What size are the plecos?

 

[aaronnorth]

Good to hear however I would also bear in mind the advice regarding photoperiod/lighting hours the plec eating it is great but there may still be an underlying issue as to why your getting algae in the first place.

I think its just a case of it being a new aquarium.
Its very common for new setups.
Now I have the pleco I kinda want to encourage algae now so they have a natural food source.

Stick a smoothed rock/ large pebble in some water and leave on the windowsil... free algae! I don't hold any responsibilty for you reintroducing or introducing a new algae species back into your tank though!
Plecs only eat certain types (and that again depends on the species of plec). What species have you got out of interest?

Thanks, Aaron

 

[SLIM]

Well I bought 2 plecos to be exact. I didnt just get them for the algae, I had always planned on keeping them.
And believe it or not it was them and them alone who cleared it all up. There are still very small traces of brown algae but not noticable at all. First they cleaned of the plant leaves, then moved onto the rocks and gravel, then finally cleaned the glass.
And it took more like 5 or 6 days. I had actually bought the plecos before adding this post but because they didnt really touch the algae in the first few days, I decided to put this post up to find alternative messures of controlling the algae.
Once they settled in tho they ate constantly on the algae til it was gone.

That's good to hear, as I will be getting a new tank very soon. If plecos can fix the problem, then I can perhaps nip it in the bud by not allowing it to get established. What size are the plecos?

They are small, only about an inch n a half-maybe 2 inches MAX. But they both cleaned my 260L very quickly.

 

[aaronnorth]

Well I bought 2 plecos to be exact. I didnt just get them for the algae, I had always planned on keeping them.
And believe it or not it was them and them alone who cleared it all up. There are still very small traces of brown algae but not noticable at all. First they cleaned of the plant leaves, then moved onto the rocks and gravel, then finally cleaned the glass.
And it took more like 5 or 6 days. I had actually bought the plecos before adding this post but because they didnt really touch the algae in the first few days, I decided to put this post up to find alternative messures of controlling the algae.
Once they settled in tho they ate constantly on the algae til it was gone.

That's good to hear, as I will be getting a new tank very soon. If plecos can fix the problem, then I can perhaps nip it in the bud by not allowing it to get established. What size are the plecos?

They are small, only about an inch n a half. But they both cleaned my 260L very quickly.

Do you know the species?