# Brown algea on rock and glass -High phosphate level



## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

Any suggestions - have vacuumed some of the gravel, done 2 water changes this week and I have cleaned 1 of the 2 filters. 

Is there anything else i would be doing to stop this ugly aglea from growing???? Cut the amount of light?

I have also decrease the amount of food going into the tank. 

This is in a 100gallon tank.


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

Same problem in my 110 gallon cichlid tank. I cut back light, food, increased WC...luckily someone bought some of my fish so I had an excuse to rescape the tank - I just ended up cleaning the rocks off. I scrape algae every weekly WC..so I'm echoing your cry for help! 

Rich


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I'm no algae expert but brown algae growing on the glass and on the surface of rocks etc is a diatom bloom. Similar to the below picture.









What are diatoms you ask?
Diatom is a very common type of algae which occurs most of the time towards the end of a tanks' cycling period. It is typically tan or brown in colour.

What causes it?
"Causes of diatoms
Virtually all new aquariums will go through a diatom bloom, which is nothing to worry about. Once they've reduced the excess nutrients they thrive on - particularly silicates - they will die back and other algae will move in unless limited by plant growth. In more mature aquariums, the cause of diatom blooms may be excessive nitrate and other nutrients, a lack of light - which diatoms don't really require but which will stunt other competing plant growth - or insufficient oxygen."

How can I do to get rid of it?
"Treatment - In a new tank, just wait until the bloom passes. In an older tank, do a clean-up and several large water changes to reduce the nutrient load. You may need to treat your tapwater if the problem is persistent. As with all algae solutions, heavy plant growth will out-compete diatoms - you'll need to provide sufficient lighting and the correct micronutrients for plants. Some fish and snails will browse on diatoms, but only a full environmental clean-up will suppress them if they occur in mature tanks."
Source: Algae control in a freshwater aquarium

Other resources:
Brown Algae, Diatoms In Freshwater Tanks

It's not that bad of a problem and can be easily resolved. Once your tank matures and the cycling stabilizes, the re-occurrence decreases. Just keep up with water changes, ensure you don't overfeed and have left over food (which causes an increase in phosphates), and you're all set.

Good luck.


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## Jaguar (Oct 19, 2011)

Is it soft/slimy, and easy to vac up? Sounds like diatom algae, which is pretty common in establishing tanks. It actually thrives in low light, and feeds on silicates, so you might want to give your water a test for that. Otherwise keep up vacuuming it and it will go away eventually. Algae eaters like snails and Otos love the stuff too.

ETA: I must type slow


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## Discus (Apr 23, 2010)

Be careful what you wish for the brown algae is way way easier to clean than the more common green algae. Plecos seemed to like it more to. Once algae is in the biology of the tank the only thing you can do prety sure is start from scratch but first of all remove all the filters and sterilize everything. So basically your stuck with it trust me its will be easier to just keep it. Unless you want to spend a day off from work cleaning a tank and than having to start the tank off from day 1.


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## Slopster (Mar 14, 2011)

lidder_b said:


> Any suggestions - have vacuumed some of the gravel, done 2 water changes this week and I have cleaned 1 of the 2 filters.
> 
> Is there anything else i would be doing to stop this ugly aglea from growing???? Cut the amount of light?
> 
> ...


Brown Algea=not enough light
Green Algea=too much Light
If you want to talk to a real expert on getting it under control, give Noodles 11114 a call you can find him in the sponser section under African rift aquatics give him a call and ask for Eric Talson, talk to Eric this guy knows his stuff, you won't be dissapointed.

Cheers.


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## Gregzz4 (Jun 25, 2010)

Not to argue with Slopster...

Brown algae isn't _always_ due to low light
I can't explain it but have had it with over 3.5watts/gallon

How old is this setup?


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## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

I will continue to do the water changes and i think i need to take out all the rocks and vacuum hopefully that takes care of that and hopefully the fish are not harmed by this. The agea is slimy on the rock but in some areas it looks like it has hair filaments (this is only the case where the power head is blasting at a rock)


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## Gregzz4 (Jun 25, 2010)

Gregzz4 said:


> How old is this setup?


And the answer is....


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## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

The set up is about 2.5 years old.


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

I also have noticed some brown algea growing in my 120 gal cichlid tank in the last month or so. Although I do a weekly w/c and gravel cleaning there are bound to be some hard to reach areas under the rocks etc where some debris may acumulate. I found that by removing the rocks and doing a thorough vacum cleaning this solved my problem. The last time I did this I was amazed at the amount of debris I found. Although this will upset the territories that are in place the fish will set new boundaries once again.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Beyond a new cycling tank, please keep in mind that there is also OTS (old tank syndrome). Happens to the best of us when the tank is poorly-maintained

Sources:
Old Tank Syndrome in the aquarium, What is it, and what do we do about it?
Old Tank Syndrome - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki


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## Gregzz4 (Jun 25, 2010)

Since this is not a new (or old) tank, some things you may want to check are;
Have the bulbs outlived their usefulness?
Is there an 8-12 hour photoperiod? As I stated in an earlier response, the tank has nearly 4wpg (2w for 12hrs with the second 2w for 6hrs midday).
The reason I point to this again is the fact that I had brown algae, even in a very well lit tank.

Is there silica in the tank from either sand or tap-water?

Next, test for;
Nitrates and Phosphates for sure. And if you have access to Iron and Silicate kits this will eliminate other possibilites. I bought these kits last year as I wanted the peace of mind knowing those weren't the issues.

I do know that the tank I had issues with, once balanced, never had a recurrence.
With 25-50% water changes every 2 weeks, Nitrates stayed below 10 (sometimes as low as 5) and Phosphates never went above 0.5. And this I only tested right before the WC.
In retrospect, I believe this solved my issue.
So IMO, regardless of your stocking level, if you can acheive these stable readings, it may help or solve your issue.

BTW, being this is in the school, who is monitoring the feedings?
I was feeding lghtly twice daily w/flake and maybe once a week w/frozen.


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## noodles11114 (May 21, 2010)

*brown algae*

brown algae and not enough light leaving the lights on longer so the brown changes to green most fish prefer the green also the light can be restrcted by adirty glass top or the age of the bulb hope this helps aoso check the phasphates


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## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks guys. I have been doing regular water changes 50% every week and this week 2 water changes. 

I am going to increase the light and also take the rocks out and vacuum the gravel (the vacuum parts has been neglected)

The other part of the problem might be too much food. This tank is at school there might be other people feed when i am gone. I need to hide the food. The cichlids always beg for food so students and other people always ask if i fed them enough. I myself tend to give in to their begging.


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## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

did the water changes and increased light now the the black/brown aglea is coming off the rocks in junk. It is taking over


should i just take the fish out and bleach the whole system?

would rubermaid container be fine to hold the fish for a few day?


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

What results are coming up on your water tests? PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate/GH/KH? Before you go taking everything down, figure out where you stand sort of speak.Where exactly does this aquarium sit when its at the school? What kind of filtration system are you using on this? In adequate water movement through out the system,could leave stagnant spots for this type of algae to grow.


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## lidder_b (Apr 30, 2010)

will do water tests on it again today.....but filteration is not a problem.I have 1 fx5, fluval 405, 404 or something like that powerhead, and air stone. 

the tank does get some sunlight when the blinds are open but it has been the same area for the last 2.5 year did not have that problem. Started happening when i put that used fluval on. I did not bleach it so i wonder if i got this brown black algea from that filter


I have gone down to 11 fish from over 20. 

Phosphate were hight last week.


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