What Is This Stuff?

[biokid101]

in my 5 gallon tank there is this brown stuff that is spreading thru the tank..its like dirt or something..what is it and how can i clean it off?
the 5 gal is occupied by 5 adult guppies(3 male, 2 female) and about 25 fry..

 

[minxfishy]

Brown algae (diatoms). Very common in newly set up tanks, easily wipes off the surface/ornaments etc and does eventually go away. Long periods of light can cause it to be more persistant.

 

[Truck]

Yeah it's diatoms, caused by ammonia, I'm guessing that you've just cycled your tank?

 

[biokid101]

yea ur right ive had it up since christmas but i started to put in guppies about 2 weeks later slowly...then i suddenly lost 4 guppies and a cory then i bought 3 more last friday and they r all fine execpt i lost a cory yesterday..what should i use to take off the brown algea?

also thanks for the answer guys

 

[Truck]

Just use a credit card to scrape it away.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi biokid101

It's not the brown algae that's causing your fish the problem, it's the ammonia that caused it. Better test your water to avoid more problems in the future. If there is any ammonia or nitrates showing, post about it in the "Your New Freshwater Tank" section and you will get some help with getting the tank cycled.

 

[biokid101]

ill try a card to scrape it away.. if it was ammonia wouldnt my fry have died to?..they r 5 weeks old and some were just born last week and i have 2 week old swordtail fry in there from my 36 gallon tank.

would cories be able to eat this? i have one cory in the tank. my guppy fry like picking at the brown stuff to.

 

[Truck]

The Ammonia that causes it is undetectable by our test kits, and is in trace amounts.

 

[biokid101]

well i did a test last week and it was all fine ammonia was at 0 and so was nitrate. but anyway how long does it take for the brown stuff to go away?

 

[Inchworm]

would cories be able to eat this? i have one cory in the tank.

No, corys won't eat it but otos and BN plecos will. If you have enough room, please think about getting another cory for your tank. Corys are not happy by themselves.

 

[Truck]

If you increase water circulation it should be gone within a few weeks.

 

[biokid101]

SO THATS WHY MY CORIES KEEP DYING!! i have to partner them up!! see i have a divider in my tank and its one side for the adults and one side for the fry and i had one cory on each side so now i see why my cories keep dying!! thank u so much..

i have a 5 gal how big does a BN grow?

the fiter is on the adult side of the tank so one the babies side there is no circulation

 

[mr130gallon]

BNs grow around 4-6 inches, i would think to big for a 5 gal.

 

[biokid101]

yea ur right....how bout some snails? what kind of snails would be good for a 5 gallon?

 

[biokid101]

where should i start a thread about snails?