Hi,
Not long ago I was reading one of the recent threads about identifying algae (can't seem to find it now) and someone mentionned that new tanks sometimes get a brown growth over the rocks and plants that is NOT algae. If someone with experience and knowledge of this substance could shed some light on it I would really appreciate it! I have been watching the threads on algae as I have been dealing with this problem for about 2 months now and haven't been able to figure it out. It seems to me that this brown stuff is what I have. Tank is only 7 months old, planted, low light with 3 corys and until recently 2 SAEs which made no impact on the 'stuff'. I do get some mild spot algae on the glass which I scrub off when I do water changes but no other significant 'green' stuff.
Any thoughts??? :-\
That brown stuff actually is algae: brown algae :) no kidding. But maybe you can add a pic to confirm ...
Its quite common to have these algae in the first weeks after setting up a tank. It usually is a side effect of balancing the tank. If you give it some time with normal maintenance these algae will disappear on their own. If you want to speed it up add a couple of Otocinclus. A cleaning crew of 3+ will banish this stuff quickly.
Quote from: PrincessFish on September 04, 2007, 09:37:26 PM
Hi,
Not long ago I was reading one of the recent threads about identifying algae (can't seem to find it now) and someone mentionned that new tanks sometimes get a brown growth over the rocks and plants that is NOT algae. If someone with experience and knowledge of this substance could shed some light on it I would really appreciate it! I have been watching the threads on algae as I have been dealing with this problem for about 2 months now and haven't been able to figure it out. It seems to me that this brown stuff is what I have. Tank is only 7 months old, planted, low light with 3 corys and until recently 2 SAEs which made no impact on the 'stuff'. I do get some mild spot algae on the glass which I scrub off when I do water changes but no other significant 'green' stuff.
Any thoughts??? :-\
At 7 mths , it would appear you have a water quality issue, what are you using for your substrate. Do a google for
Diatoms in the aquarium , lots of info dealing with it.
Regards
My brown stuff doesn't look like any of the pics I see about the diatom algae - there is no edge to it. At first I thought it was dust from the substrate - which is Flourite - because it just covers everything quite equally but there is absolutely none on the glass and there is no green anywhere on the brown. I have MTSnails too which move over the areas but make very little if any impact on this stuff. My lighting was on about 8 hours/day but I have reduced it for the past month to 5-6 hours/day (maybe not enough??) and my water parameters are pretty good with the exception of some phosphates which I think came from overfeeding but for the past month I have significantly reduced feeding and on top of that instituted a day per week of no food at all. I do realize that whatever it is was likely feeding on the phosphates. I change about 25% of the water every 1 or 2 weeks and at the same time replace half of the floss. I don't have any carbon - just sponge, disks and floss. My parameters have been very stable - approximately the following - ammonia and nitrites = 0, nitrates ~ 8 and never over 10, phosphates ~ 0.5 to 0.75 and never over 1)
Do you think I should get some phosphate removers? I'd really rather not add fish unless I have to. Thanks!
It still sounds like diatoms to me.
5-6 hours of lighting is really low, most planted tanks get 12. Are you fertilizing your plants?
If it rubs off like dust it is surely diatoms and those are not true algae. There is much discussion about them taking advantage of silica that is present in new setups. Once they deplete the excess silica they are not so prevalent.
I have had Black Beard Algae that was red/brown colonize rocks but it has a fuzzy look and does not rub off.
True Brown/red algae only inhabit Saltwater and are rather rare macro algae that get eaten by fish pretty quickly.
It does not rub off very easily, I have to use the scrubber that I use on the tank walls. You know, the ones that are like pot scrubbers. I will try to get a pic tonight and post it and you'll be able to see that on one of my plants which has broad leaves I have scrubbed off some parts but been unable to get more because trying to do it with one hand while holding the leaf and the scrubber with the same hand is very difficult! I do fertilize and vary the fertilizers I use and used to leave the lights on about 10 hours but thought that reducing would help (that is when I believed that it was algae). Maybe I was wrong?? I have considered a 4-day blackout too if all else fails!
After I make my daughter's lunch I will try to get a pic and post :)
Sorry, I've taken some photos but can't seem to figure out how to post them with this darn new Vista software everything has changed!!
Quote from: PrincessFish on September 05, 2007, 09:37:22 PM
Sorry, I've taken some photos but can't seem to figure out how to post them with this darn new Vista software everything has changed!!
if you write a post click on additional options to upload your pics