Brown rocks

[swammy]

Ok, I have had my fish tank(s) for a little while now...but never had this problem, or heard of it at that matter. My first tank, I put white gravel rocks for the bed. Now, my gravel is turning brown in certain spots. Does anyone know why this is?? I tried doing a search using keywords 'brown' and 'gravel', but came up with nothing. Am I the only one this has happened to?? Grrrrrrrrrrrr, these fish are DIFFICULT!!

I appreciate all of your replies in advance!

 

[swammy]

Whit gravel?? what was I thinking !? I meant WHITE gravel, lol. Sorry....just got off a long day at work. Anyways...typos aside, please help me!!

 

[kribs mate]

is it quite a new tank? brown algae is pretty common in new tanks and usually goes on it own after a while.

 

[swammy]

kribs mate Posted on Apr 12 2004, 09:45 PM
is it quite a new tank? brown algae is pretty common in new tanks and usually goes on it own after a while.

well, new is relative....seems to me like forever, but the tank has been going for about 2 months now. So to answer your question, yes it is new. I was unaware of the fact that algae came in any other color than green. Ignorant of me, yes...but seems that algae can come in many colors!! I did not know that!! Well then, it seems that I should ask a different question : Will it go away?? thanks again for your replies!

 

[BIGMAC]

Ok, I have had my fish tank(s) for a little while now...but never had this problem, or heard of it at that matter. My first tank, I put white gravel rocks for the bed. Now, my gravel is turning brown in certain spots. Does anyone know why this is?? I tried doing a search using keywords 'brown' and 'gravel', but came up with nothing. Am I the only one this has happened to?? Grrrrrrrrrrrr, these fish are DIFFICULT!!

I appreciate all of your replies in advance!

I have the same problem in my 10 gall tank that has white gravel or it was white it looke awfull now even some of the plant leaves have a brown coating on.

 

[kribs mate]

i would wait and see if it goes on its own first before you try to cure it..like i said its common in new tanks.

just wipe or scrub it off for now. if it persists after your tank matures its likely to be caused from possibly overfeeding, high nitrates, inadequate lighting or low oxygen levels.

 

[swammy]

shall i buy an algae eater? If so...any recommendations that would fit with the fish I already have?

 

[kribs mate]

i wouldnt get an algae eater just to take care of this brown algae. unless you want one that is. a bristle nose would be ok in your tank but do you realise how big that tinfoil barb is going to grow?

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Not very many algae eaters eat diatom (brown) algae, so if you do get one make sure it is the right kind. Bristlenose is one.

However, also make sure that you are not overfeeding, that never helps and is an extremely common problem.

 

[pendragon]

You may indeed have brown algae, but your gravel is eventually going to get dirty and discolor - at least to some degree - over time, regardless. Just the same way that your household floor gets dirty and dingy with use, so will your aquarium substrate. Regular vacuuming of your gravel will go a long way towards resisting it, but with white gravel all the "nasties" (fish poo, uneaten food, dirt, algae, etc.) are going to be very visible.

White gravel is kind of like a sexy white sports car - boy, it looked great on the dealer's lot, but eventually you resign yourself to either cleaning it every three days or driving it dirty.

Honestly, I think with white gravel, ultimately, there's only so much you can do to keep it nice and clean. It's not going to stay sparkling white forever, and there's not much to be done about that.

pendragon!

 

[Rhonda]

I had this happen with some of my gravel and I too thought that it was an algea problem. But imagine my supprise when I removed some of it and noticed that it was the color coating coming off and revealing the natural gravel color underneath. I eventually changed all my gravel to te natural type and it looks even better than the white.

 

[swammy]

Awesome analogy, pendragon. I love the way the white gravel looks in my tank, but you are right...I notice all kinds of crap sitting on the tank bottom. Hmm... Well maybe if I got a black/blue combo that would look nice too. I don't even know if they sell black gravel, I need to go check. Anyways, thanks. Oh, and to reply to you rhonda, you might be right. I will check when I get home from work (I'm at work right now, I should be working but I wanted to see how my posts are doing). I did eventually go to petsmart last night and got recommended some Otocynclus (spelling?). I bought 2 of them (at $1.49 each), and hopefully they will do their jobs. I thought about a pleco, but heard that they get lazy in their older age and stop eating algae. Anyhow, I have got to get back to work now. Thanks for the replies, and keep em coming if you got some good advice/info. Enjoy yourselves!