Brown Algae
- Thread starter sdave
- Start date
is it on the walls or plants? Algae isn't bad in itself they just tend to compete for nutrients in the tank that plants and fish my use. A lot of people recommend the catfish otocinclus or some form of pleco to take care of it.
Algae, from my understanding, will bloom if there are nutrients they can take advantage of or if there is too much light. High nitrate and ammonia levels combined with long hours of light will cause them to grow.
Is your tank done cycling? Can you tell us your water levels and what fish are in there? Also the size if your tank and how many hours the lights are on for?
Algae, from my understanding, will bloom if there are nutrients they can take advantage of or if there is too much light. High nitrate and ammonia levels combined with long hours of light will cause them to grow.
Is your tank done cycling? Can you tell us your water levels and what fish are in there? Also the size if your tank and how many hours the lights are on for?
Brown Algae's also really really common in newly established tanks (under 6 months old) as the nurtients and things settle.
Usually it can be very easily cleaned off the glass and decorations but keeping it off your plants if you have real ones might be a whole nother story. I got Ottos in hopes they would solve this problem but what do you know I got the only ottos known to man kind who don't eat aglae!
Usually it can be very easily cleaned off the glass and decorations but keeping it off your plants if you have real ones might be a whole nother story. I got Ottos in hopes they would solve this problem but what do you know I got the only ottos known to man kind who don't eat aglae!
Thanks yes I have been running light longer than normal had some guest for the past few weeks just showing it off a bit. As for the cycle part it should I would think its done tanks been set up 3 months now , my amonia levels coontinue to remain at a stressfull level acording to test strip hardness is up there cant remember the other I am at work now have to check when I get home.I do have one live plant something like wendtii i think it has some algae on it and the tank side have some small dabs was starting to see white looking hairs on glass cleanwed filter have not showwed up as of yet. my tank is 72 gallons and I am running a magnum 350 canister filter was told by fish store that a wet/dry trickle filter would have been the ticket.So I built my own out of my old 20 gallon tank (pics to come) do not have it installed yet still needs a few touchs. I will use the old filter as a water polishing filter It came with that filetr any way so might as well use it
Ottos will die in a tank with ammonia or nitrite. THey're very frail fish.
You're having algae because your tank is not yet fully cycled. Check out all the information on the beginners thread stickes (and Miss Fishy's signature). As you have fish in your tank you need to begin doing daily water changes and water testing until your ammonia and nitrites are at 0. I also HIGHLY recommend Prime as a water conditioner as it detoxes the ammonia and nitrites some what. CHeck out Dwarf Gourami's thread too about his fish in cycle.
Have you changed out your filter media (or rinced it off in tap water?) or removed gravel from your tank? It sounds like you've lost your benificial bacteria. That said it took DG 7 weeks to cycle his tank fish in and he took all the short cuts. It can take up to 10 weeks I"ve read.
You're having algae because your tank is not yet fully cycled. Check out all the information on the beginners thread stickes (and Miss Fishy's signature). As you have fish in your tank you need to begin doing daily water changes and water testing until your ammonia and nitrites are at 0. I also HIGHLY recommend Prime as a water conditioner as it detoxes the ammonia and nitrites some what. CHeck out Dwarf Gourami's thread too about his fish in cycle.
Have you changed out your filter media (or rinced it off in tap water?) or removed gravel from your tank? It sounds like you've lost your benificial bacteria. That said it took DG 7 weeks to cycle his tank fish in and he took all the short cuts. It can take up to 10 weeks I"ve read.
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lol, Tab I can't keep up with you! At 3 months I would think your ammonia should be stable, as in 0ppm. When you add tap water is it already treated to remove the chlorine or are you treating your tank water to remove chlorine before you add the tap water?
Tab, it would seem that we both have the oto's who don't like brown algae =( I added an oto and two plants with brown algae into a breeding tank and they didn't eat much of it ... maybe if I added a dozen, lol.
Sdave, let us know your numbers and we'll better be able to assist.
Tab, it would seem that we both have the oto's who don't like brown algae =( I added an oto and two plants with brown algae into a breeding tank and they didn't eat much of it ... maybe if I added a dozen, lol.
Sdave, let us know your numbers and we'll better be able to assist.
LOL
If there's any ammonia in the tank he's going through some sort of bioload increase that's spuring a mini cycle. The most common cause of this (in my albeit limited experience) is the removal of established media and the good bacteria with it - like if you rinse your filter under tap water and kill all the bacteria on it that would normally eat the ammonia, or removed all your gravel or some thing like that which would restart or prologue your cycle.
I did just that when I cycled my 10 G - ran my filter under tap water about 4 weeks in and lost basically all progress made thus far.
If that's not the case then there has to be some cause of the ammonia spiking so high suddenly - like massive over feeding, sudden addition of way too many fish at once, or a dead fish lurking some where in the tank - all of which will cause mini cycles as the ammonia load far outpaces the ability of the bacteria to cope with it.
If there's any ammonia in the tank he's going through some sort of bioload increase that's spuring a mini cycle. The most common cause of this (in my albeit limited experience) is the removal of established media and the good bacteria with it - like if you rinse your filter under tap water and kill all the bacteria on it that would normally eat the ammonia, or removed all your gravel or some thing like that which would restart or prologue your cycle.
I did just that when I cycled my 10 G - ran my filter under tap water about 4 weeks in and lost basically all progress made thus far.
If that's not the case then there has to be some cause of the ammonia spiking so high suddenly - like massive over feeding, sudden addition of way too many fish at once, or a dead fish lurking some where in the tank - all of which will cause mini cycles as the ammonia load far outpaces the ability of the bacteria to cope with it.
You need to do WAY larger water changes. You need to do 50% every other day until you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and then you should be doing at least 25% a week regularly (about 18 to 20 gallons), vacuming 1/2 of your gravel every week when you do.
Once you have that under control if you still have brown algae then you can look at eliminating other factors but getting a handle on your pollutants will help a lot.
Once you have that under control if you still have brown algae then you can look at eliminating other factors but getting a handle on your pollutants will help a lot.
TabMorte, saturday night Idid rinse the filter off and boy does it sound like i messed up did not use treated water good call but my problems with the ammonia level was present before .I have 18 fishin the tank now,had them introduced about a month after starting tank added them 6 at a time overca few weeks still have them all as for the plant it looks kinda well not like when I bought it. do any of you think that the wet/dry filter with bio balls will help the tank out.
Yeah rinsing off the filter in untreated tap water could be part of the problem. And I know it's a lot of water but it's important to get ride of the toxins in your water. Fortunitely you've got the Prime in there and that will help but it's only a temperary fix for the problem.
Personally I strive to keep Nitrates under 15ppm, any more then that it's time for a water change (in my 10G with the bioload I have I test it twice a week and change as needed). Your Algae problem's likely linked to your high nitrates which is a side effect of the ammonia and nitrites being in the tank. So... water change water change water change is the only way to get it under control. I recommend with a tank that big investing in either a python or a wack of 5G painters buckets.
Personally I strive to keep Nitrates under 15ppm, any more then that it's time for a water change (in my 10G with the bioload I have I test it twice a week and change as needed). Your Algae problem's likely linked to your high nitrates which is a side effect of the ammonia and nitrites being in the tank. So... water change water change water change is the only way to get it under control. I recommend with a tank that big investing in either a python or a wack of 5G painters buckets.
Hmmm. Tab, I just read your comment about ottos dying off with any ammonia/nitrites. Interesting.
I never "cycled" my tank so to speak, had a piece of driftwood from an established tank at lfs, treated all water with prime and followed the directions on a bottle of stability. Never had nitrites and ammonia never went over .50 ppm. I've had an otto since the beginning with no issues. But I did lose some pygmy corys, whether from a bad batch from lfs, or low levels of ammonia. Never had any issues with algae either. Perhaps I've been lucky... =)
sdave, I love the tank! I'd love to have a fish tank in a wall! A really big fish tank!
I never "cycled" my tank so to speak, had a piece of driftwood from an established tank at lfs, treated all water with prime and followed the directions on a bottle of stability. Never had nitrites and ammonia never went over .50 ppm. I've had an otto since the beginning with no issues. But I did lose some pygmy corys, whether from a bad batch from lfs, or low levels of ammonia. Never had any issues with algae either. Perhaps I've been lucky... =)
sdave, I love the tank! I'd love to have a fish tank in a wall! A really big fish tank!
Ottos are very sensitive fish because they're almost all wild caught and shipped from south america. Many have a great deal of trouble acclimating to new tanks and it's advised they only be introduced int established aquariums because of the stress and strain they've endured in shipping weaking their immune systems.
You're very lucky!
You're very lucky!