What does this brown algae mean?

[SHAFTMAN]

I have had my 29 gallon tank set up for 2 months now and I have a Green Lemon Spotted Pleco, 2 Koi Angels, and 3 Blue Gouramis in it and I am having a takeover of Brown Algae in my tank....I read online somewhere it is Diatom....I have been cleaning it off my decor and plants daily but it just comes back the following day or 2...........Does this have anything to do with my cycle almost being complete........I dont have any nitrites and very little if any ammonia..under .25.......and maybe just a tiny bit of nitrates....Iam using a ASI master kit so its hard to give exact readings...But the fish seem happy and the water quality seems to be good....Iam doing water changes either daily or every two days just so my fish dont have to breath ammonia....But when I tested my water today the ammonia was still at 0 and it has been two days....and I keep my lights on for about 8 to 9 hours a day....and I also have one of those hydor volcanoes for aeration....If someone can please help tell me what the issue is with the brown algae and if it has to do with my tank maybe being close to cycling it would be appreciated

 

[epond83]

If you have had it running for two months and nothing has gone wrong you should be cycled. If you have 0 ammonia and nitrites, and nritrate is showing up then you are cycled. Your actual number would help here

From what i rememeber brown algae is usually from over feeding, how long does it take your fish to eat all the food you give them? and how often do you do this?

 

[SHAFTMAN]

it takes just a few minutes for them to eat the food....and I have been feeding them small portions in the morning then again at night....I also stick a slice of cucumber in the tank every other day for the pleco to get......If I forget to stick it in there the second day the pleco actually just sits on top of his cave that he usually always hides in until I give him the cucumber as if he knows it coming......I have been giving them a mixture of blood worms, color flakes, brine shrimp and small cichlid pellets...not all on the same day of course
ps.....the nitrate reading is very yellowish with a very slight tint of orange...so its maybe just alittle over 0 on my asi master kit

 

[epond83]

You could cut back on feeding maybe, food manufactures reconmend way over feeding (go figure) My fish get enough that it is gone in 2 mintues or so about every other day and on sundays they get a bloodworm cube, they have been feed this way for about 2 years, all healthy and strong. They are pretty energetic when they get food so they are pretty effecient at gettiing it all

 

[homebunnyj]

Most tanks go through a stage of brown algae at around this point. It certainly isn't unusual. Feed no more than once a day, vacuum well. Keep up with the water changes.
Are your light tubes more than eight or nine months old? If so, replace them, as poor light can also contribute to the problem. Does your tank get a lot of daylight?

Otocinclus catfish eat brown algae. You could pick up two or three of them. They do best in well-maintained tanks with lots of water changes. After the algae is gone they'll eat cucumber, zucchini, algae wafers.

 

[SHAFTMAN]

The light tube has only had over 2 months of use....But the tank has been sitting for a about a year in the box.....

 

[beckyd]

I have brown algae too. I read somewhere that this is what you get if your water is quite hard, which mine is. I have one tank that is next to a window. That one has the quantity issue, although the brown algae is what I get in all my tanks. I just got some snails that are plowing through it. Unfortunately, I don't really know what they are. A friend gave them to me. They're cleaning up though!

 

[homebunnyj]

Beckyd, the daylight is exacerbating your brown algae problem.

I have a tank near a window, and I placed a piece of black foamcore on the end of the tank to block the daylight. It helps.

 

[Newman]

like mentioned, i'd do the oto treatment. they really like this stuff (but prefer soft green alga more)

 

[SHAFTMAN]

otos?

Will Otos get along with discus? Or will they try to suck their slime? Because Iam gonna put Discus back in the tank in about a month...I had 3 leopard skins in their to begin with but do to the ammonia spike I was getting I decided to sell them untill my water became more stable and fully cycled..'THE NITRIFYING JUNK IN THE BOTTLE NEVER WORKED!!!!"...Now I think Iam getting close to that point and will probably give the angels and gouramis to one of my friends and put some Discus back in there with my green lemon spotted pleco........They say this pleco is not as aggressive as some of the other ones and should be ok with discus......he is one of the L2 variety
But unsure about the otos....I just dont wanna buy anymore fish that I will end up giving away in a month or two.

 

[epond83]

Oto's are a small and probably the lest arrgerssive fish i've seen. they remind me of tad poles

Get about 3 and do a good job at acclimating them, they can be very sensitive so it would be best to drip acclimate them.

 

[Newman]

theres about a 1% chance that an oto is ever going to attach to a discus' side. and thats only if its really starving, and theres no algae or veggies in the tank for weeks.

 

[Stillness]

I've always found otos to be extremely effective algae cleaners, and they look quite nice! I'd most certainly go w/ otos. They come fairly starved from the pet stores so the first few weeks are critical in terms of fatting them up to ensure their health. I wouldn't worry about them attaching to your discus either, just keep them well fed with veggies after they finish off the algae.

Side note: Discus in a 29g? I think that might be a little small, especially b/c of their pristine water requirements.

 

[SHAFTMAN]

Iam gonna go with 2 discus in there....I have powerful filtration and with 1 or 2 water changes a week I should be fine

 

[Newman]

2 discus in a 29 gallon? be sure to have a much bigger tank ready after a year, or even less. if you see tham grow about an inch or two, you should move them. They should also be in groups of at least 5, so a bigger tank would make sense...

 

[Stillness]

2 discus in a 29 gallon? be sure to have a much bigger tank ready after a year, or even less. if you see tham grow about an inch or two, you should move them. They should also be in groups of at least 5, so a bigger tank would make sense...

x2. If you don't get them out of there soon, you could potentially stunt their growth. I wouldn't recommend this at all.