Algae

[goheels1]

my question is this...i noticed approx a few weeks ago, brown algae starting to grow in the tank. actually, it looks like rust. now in the past two weeks, it seems to be growing at an alarming rate. what could be causing this? plus, i always thought algae was green.

i have a mixture of white and blue gravel but its only growing on the white gravel. not sure why. any suggestions on how to get rid of this? i can scrape off the sides of the tank but i can't get it off the gravel. i don't like the Plecostomus but not sure if they eat that type of algae anyway. i think i have a siamese algae eater but it's small and can't eat all that. plus it appears like it's not eating it. as far as lighting, i have it set on a timer for about 4-6hrs a day. been set at that time for about a month or more. appreciate any help. don't like my tank looking like a rusty old can.

 

[homebunnyj]

How long has your tank been set up? How long has it been since you changed your fluorescent tubes?

 

[goheels1]

i set the tank up 7/5/09 but it was given to me by a friend. not sure how long they had the fluorescent tubes but i know at least since this past Dec.

 

[no.1chuy]

if you think the tubes are over a year old you should chage them. as time passes they dont give out the same light even if it looks the same to us but i think thats only applys if you have plants. do you have plants? could it be black beard alge also called black brush alge try looking up a pic online to id the alge. one of its causes is high phosphate levels try doing a large water change.

 

[goheels1]

i saw pixs of BBA and that's not what i have. the algae i have looks like rust. and yes, i have plants in my tank; the ones listed in my signature. they are not that big. i have mostly fake plants. there is one pix attached of the live plant i have.

im still sort of new to all this so my other question is...what does old fluorescent tubes have to do with this? no.1chuy said it may not give out the same light. i'm not sure how that effects the algae growing. can you or someone else explain? thanks.

i need help in getting rid of this stuff. it looks dirty; and it does not appear hairy looking like most algae. its HORRIBLE looking. look at my lil nemo & orchard. help!

 

[OrangeCones]

Algae is a plant, and needs light and nutrients to grow. If you do not have plants growing well enough to outcompete algae, algae will take hold if its minimum requirements are met. With the fish you have in your sig and the size tank, I would guess its excess nutrients. Do you have a test kit to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? The rust/brown algae grows best in dimmer light and high nitrates and/or phosphates, from what I've read. Changing the light out may get rid of it, but if the issue is nutrients then another form of algae will take its place.

If I were you, I'd do large daily water changes until it subsides.

 

[homebunnyj]

Brown (diatom) algae grows in light that is too low. I need to change out my light tubes in my 55; the left one is older than the right one, and both are at least nine-ten months old.

I would post pics, but I'm embarrassed. The two sides are like a before-and-after; the left side has brown algae growing, and the right side doesn't... all the proof I need that old light tubes emitting less light promote the growth of brown algae. I'm telling ya, I'm sitting here looking right at proof that old light tubes contribute to brown algae outbreaks.

Actually, you need to change out your light tubes every eight or nine months, not a year. Look for daylight tubes with a K rating of 5500-6500 (? Someone correct me if that's wrong). This is best for your plant growth, and usually cheaper than 'gro-lights'.

Weekly water changes are also important to controlling brown algae, as excess silicates (from tap water and possibly leaching from new gravel) and nitrates* contribute to its growth as well. Also, bumping up circulation by adding a powerhead or maybe another filter will increase the oxygen in your tank, thus eliminating any low-oxygen problem that may also be adding to the outbreak. However, considering when the tank was set up, it is also a stage that most tanks go through. If you replace your light tubes and continue to keep up with water changes, it will clear up.

Also, otocinclus catfish love this stuff. It's very gratifying to see them munching all the brown algae off the glass, ornaments, and plant leaves. It's probably on your blue gravel as well, just not as visible. Otos are somewhat sensitive to water conditions, so acclimate them carefully and watch your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Once the brown algae is gone you can feed them algae wafers and green veggies.

ETA:
*Silicates, as well as phosphates, nitrates, and other substances, can build up in a tank if you 'top off' your water in lieu of water changes. Topping off is something I only do if I'm expecting company in ten minutes, being sure to do a proper water change shortly afterwards.

Also, be sure not to overfeed and to vacuum your substrate really well.

 

[LAVMAN]

i just wanna throw my question in. i have blue green algae and a bit of fuzz algae. now i am new to fish keeping but i thought algae is a good thing(under control of course)

 

[goheels1]

to answer orangecones, i do have a test kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. 0 for ammonia & nitrite..10ppm for nitrate. does that mean anything?

i have been doing weekly water changes. seems like by the end of the week, it has grown even more. in addition to poss of needing new lighting, would the nitrate be doing this or is it not enough to have the algae growing so fast? as far as circulation, i have a bubble wand in the tank.

i hope having algae is not a good thing b/c i don't like it...no matter what color

 

[OrangeCones]

to answer orangecones, i do have a test kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. 0 for ammonia & nitrite..10ppm for nitrate. does that mean anything?

i have been doing weekly water changes. seems like by the end of the week, it has grown even more. in addition to poss of needing new lighting, would the nitrate be doing this or is it not enough to have the algae growing so fast? as far as circulation, i have a bubble wand in the tank.

i hope having algae is not a good thing b/c i don't like it...no matter what color

Your nitrates are not way high, that is good.

I would do daily 50% water changes with water the same temperature and dechlorinated before adding it. You would likely see a decrease in the algae within a week.

The bubble wand is off-gassing any CO2 you have in the tank, and likely slowing down the growth of the plants you do want. Fast growing floating plants may do ok for you, since they can get the CO2 from the air directly.

 

[LAVMAN]

i think in small amounts it add a natural look.

 

[goheels1]

as i think about it, i think you're right...it does have a natural look but only SMALL amts.

 

[MrParker]

i might say i disagree. well it might look "natural" but i dunno about you guys, but i don't want my tank looking like the bottom of a local freshwater river

 

[goheels1]

i don't either mrparker. i just agree it does have a natural look...however i don't like a lot of it in any tank and as far as my tank...i want NONE! especially that brown/rust looking stuff.

just did a water change today & will look into new lighting this week as others suggested to see if this stuff can't get lost .

 

[MrParker]

yea, the painful part is waiting for it to go away. I had a burst of the brown nasty all over the top layer of my sand substrate before i had the time to stock it with plants or aquascape it, i thought about just planting it and letting the otos and plants take care of it. But it irritated me so much, i just siphoned off the top layer of sand and the algae with it haha.

 

[Newman]

I think oto's might fix that algae up. If it really is brown algae and not spot algae.

 

[LAVMAN]

so having algae is a bad thing? i dont mind the look but i only have a small amount should i get rid of it??

 

[Newman]

as long as its not out of control and you like looking at it, its good to have.

 

[LAVMAN]

as long as its not out of control and you like looking at it, its good to have.

ok . i wouldnt like the brown stuff either. where my algae is is on a rock that had green and brownish painted on it for a "natural" look so now it just has real algae now not just green paint. lol*thumbsups