Brown Layer Of Algae

[andyboy!!]

Hi

I am getting a thin 'layer' of brown algae over most of my tank. It started on the sand, and now is going on my rocks\wood and other apparatus etc.

If you rub it it comes away very easily and is like a very thin veil of algae.

My lamp is on 12 hours a day.

Does anyone know what causes this?

I have a 2ft tank with 6 danios in it at.

Cheers
Andy.

 

[dyson83]

best way to clear it is gravel cleans a couple off times a week dont take to much water out both times just the once it will eventually clear.

 

[Tommo]

You do not need 12 hours of light a day, this will dramatically increase algae, if your tank is in direct sunlight this will also contribute.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Brown algae does not care how much light you have...in fact in thrives in lower light tanks.

"Brown algae" is actually a diatom. The use the silicates that leech out of the glass in new tanks to build little crystalline shells around themselves. Just about every new tank gets them, and they eventually go away.

Really there isn't a whole lot you can do about them, except clean them off, or get an algae eating fish that will eat them like Otos. Not all algae eaters will eat brown algae, and Otos must be given vegetables and algae wafers after they have eaten the algae in your tank or else they will starve.

 

[doresy]

Yup, I get this brown stuff over everything too. Plants and decs, even all over the 3D background

I have tried low light, high light, Ottos and scrubbing but still it's there. This tank is hardly new, cycled over 8 months ago!

I posted same post a while back and still waiting for a miricle

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Can take over a year to go away. >< I only bought a few otos (because they had just came in and I was paranoid of deaths), and they can't keep up with the stuff. Maybe a blessing in disguise since I haven't been able to get my otos to touch algae wafers or any vegetables I put in the tank yet.

 

[Specter]

I've found that having some fast growing plants and an algae eater help to keep the stuff under control in my planted 20gal long turtle/fish tank. Usually it will develop on the larger rocks and decorations you have in your tank first. Usually I'll take the larger stuff out and wash it off then put it back in -if you scrub it off in your tank it can cloud it for a while and disperse it. If you've got a lot of sunlight during the day in the room, the stuff can form pretty quickly -takes my turtle/fish tank about 5 days after scrubbing the junk off to grow back.

Believe it's caused by excess phosphates in the water system.