Weird brown stuff

[Timster]

My 20 gal tank has been up for 11 days(cycling with fish) now and im noticing my filter cartridge has turned all brown!
and the inside of the filter is full of brown algae. This is the only algae I have. And it smells... any solutions?

Oh I dont have any plants...so it cant be them.

 

[SoulFish]

bacteria and algae build up, its normal and aslong as the filter doesnt start back flowing it is fine

 

[Timster]

But it stinks...

 

[SoulFish]

thats probably the cycle, and fish tanks do have an unpleasent smell, my bedroom has a 10,20,30 and a 55 gallon tank, its not a pleasent thing until youve been in it a few minutes and gotten used to hte smell

my room smells like a LFS

 

[Paul]

A fish tank should not smell. A faint odor, but not stink. Yours proably smells from the cycling process, or an over abundance of decaying food or your water prams my be off. Clean or replace your filter media and do a water change. how much and how often do you feed your fish? Plants would actually help cut down on your algae problem. Plants absorb excess nutrients in your water along with excess amonia caused by the cycling process.

 

[Matt Nace]

I agree that it is most likely left over food. Make sure you don't leave your filter on to feed. Also, from the sounds of it, I would cut back on the amount of food put in, or the number of times fed.

 

[Timster]

ok thanks everyone