# help with brown algae on plants, substrate, glass



## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

I'm hoping someone can give some advice on how to get the brown algae I'm starting to get on my tank under control. It's newly set up (running two weeks now) 29 gallon but I took all my water over from my six gallon and I also floated my biowheel from the old tank, my old filter from the old tank, and bagged at least 1/3 of the old substrate and put it in the new tank to hopefully kickstart the bacteria in the new tank. I have eco complete substrate in the new tank and driftwood from the old tank covered in java fern. I right now have a 36 watt 6700K cfl running on the tank for about 10 1/2 hours a day and I have a light fish load in the tank with moderate plant load in there. The brown algae is starting to show up on the hairgrass, the small cryptos, on the glass and some on the substrate (although it's harder to see there since it's black eco complete). I currently don't have CO2 in the tank yet but I do add in Excel almost every other day per bottle recommendations. All water conditions seem normal and PH is on the higher side at 7.8 but I believe that's what the water runs around here for the most part. Please help!


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

as a follow up question too, how do you gravel vac the eco complete substrate when it's so fine? It seems to suck up in the vac. My old tank had small gravel substrate and that was never a problem. I'm new to this eco complete substrate so I don't quite know how to properly vac it. maybe in a moderate planted tank with light fish load you don't really???


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

here's a pic of the tank. I'd like to make it a nice planted tank and get another piece of driftwood with some height and get the rear plants to grow up and block the back. But first I need to get this brown algae under control!


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## pantherspawn (Dec 21, 2011)

As far as vacuuming the substrate, you kinda do a hover and swirl above the substrate. Little circular motions to get the waste to float a bit. As far as the algae, you sure it's not diatoms? If it's diatoms, it will either go away on its own (common in new tanks), or you can put some ottos or similar clean up crew in there to take care of it.


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

pantherspawn said:


> As far as vacuuming the substrate, you kinda do a hover and swirl above the substrate. Little circular motions to get the waste to float a bit. As far as the algae, you sure it's not diatoms? If it's diatoms, it will either go away on its own (common in new tanks), or you can put some ottos or similar clean up crew in there to take care of it.


 
thanks for the tips on the vac. I was trying that the other day with some success but then I started thinking maybe there was another way or maybe when you have a heavier planted tank with eco complete and light fish loads maybe for some reason you don't vac the substrate...

For the diatoms, how would I know if it is? On the algae cleanup crew, I do have an Oto in there already but I only have one since he came over from the original tank. I was about to buy some nerrite snails and red cardinal shrimp to help out but I wanted to figure out what was causing it before I just tried to keep it at bay.


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

I think it probably is diatoms now that I read upon them/it again. I haven't had a new tank cycle in so long... I guess the only thing now is I wonder if I should run my second bulb on the tank too since what I read so lower light conditions can cause them too. I have a second 10000K bulb that I had turned off when I saw the algae starting because I thought was causing it with too much light. But it's been off for two days and I'm still seeing more...

Maybe I need to order those snails and shrimp ASAP.... and/or get another Oto...


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## pantherspawn (Dec 21, 2011)

I would get a few ottos mainly cause they prefer groups. I personally don't vacuum my substrate in my heavy planted tank except for occasionally by the filter intake. The plants take care of the rest. But if you go that route you need to make sure that the nitrates aren't building up with the waste and that you have good ecology in place. Diatoms are more of a bacteria that eat the silicone etc in a new tank. They are pretty much harmless, just an eyesore. So run your tank as you normally would.


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

thanks. you're probably right. I'm still in the mindset of a 6 gallon tank and one otto being more than enough. I guess I'll try turning the second bulb back on again since maybe it's not a light thing. how long do you run your two bulbs on your tank? And what's your opinion of the 10,000K other bulb I have? I was thinking two slightly different wavelength bulbs would be better but maybe it should be two 6700K bulbs at 36 watts each.


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## pantherspawn (Dec 21, 2011)

The 10k is fine, gives a bit better color to the fish than the 6700. I run mine for 7 hours per day. But had to adjust it a few times to get that time. I also run two 65 watt bulbs over, so it's a bit more light. You will need to tinker with the timing to find what's right for your plants and your tank. It's a work in progress, you'll make errors along the way, we all do. Learn from it and eventually you'll be able to tell the condition of your tank and fish just by sight alone without testing etc.


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

so the brown algae is still there and coming back but now I've started to add hair algae on the plants. I've done little water changes after cleaning the glass and I've lightly gravel vac'd the substrate to keep trying to get the stuff out. I just did a 10% water change today. I turned up the 10000K bulb time to seven hours on top of the 10 that the 6700K bulb runs because I was thinking that maybe I didn't have enough light on and that was helping the brown algae. But now I'm seeing the hair algae growing on the cryptos and stuff that wasn't there last week. Nitrates/trites are good. I don't have CO2. 
Can the lack of CO2 really be causing all this or do I possibly have something else out of whack that's causing this? I'm going to get some more ottos if I can at LFS this weekend and I just ordered nerite snails. But I want to fix the problem and not just try to clean it!!!


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## Dugsul808 (Jul 30, 2012)

I suggest doing a total black out for 4 days. If not you could get a few ottos, golden algae eaters, or sae. This worked for me. If not you can removed them manually by scraping or syphoning them out.


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

Will the blackout kill the brown and hair algae?? 

And does anyone think running a few small lunar blue LEDs at night on the tank has any negative effect?


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## Dannyul (Jun 3, 2013)

The blackout has minimal effect on brown algae. Blackouts are generally good for blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and mild green water. 

To remove the brown algae, invest in some more oto's and maybe Amano shrimps. You can always remove it yourself using a soft sponge - gently. This is a tedious process but then you can remove it ALL in one go if you are patient. 

*In regards to the lunar blue LEDs at night:*

Plants require light during the day for photosynthesis and they DO NOT require any form of lighting at night (like us, when we sleep!) so that is one reason to not add additional lighting at night. Secondly, fish want darkness at night so that they can 'sleep' also (again, like us), lights just distract them and keep them 'awake' causing their energy to drain etc (once again, like us!). 

I would stick to lighting during the day (8~ hours) and no lights at night. Not even the small LEDs you want.

Best of luck,
Dan


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## chrisuf2000 (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks Dan. I bought one additional oto today and the LFS is getting more in on Weds. Plus, I have 10 nerite snails coming later in the week. Sounds like even before that though I'm going to have to go after the majority of it with a sponge... Not sure how I'll get it off the grass though without uprooting it; especially since it's newly planted (few weeks ago). 

Is the brown algae just a result of a tank cycling though and once I get it out of there it shouldn't come back? Or is there something that's not right in the tank that's causing it? 

For the lunar lighting, what you say makes sense. I had just read that in the wild fish don't normally have pitch black water since there is typically moonlight out. Now maybe that would be more for saltwater?? Would saltwater fish would be different from fresh in some respect with regard to nightlighting? Thanks again for the advice. I can't wait till I can things straightened out and the tank starts looking nice! I'm holding off on adding any other fish (other than cleaning crew) until I get the plants and algae under control.. 



Dannyul said:


> The blackout has minimal effect on brown algae. Blackouts are generally good for blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and mild green water.
> 
> To remove the brown algae, invest in some more oto's and maybe Amano shrimps. You can always remove it yourself using a soft sponge - gently. This is a tedious process but then you can remove it ALL in one go if you are patient.
> 
> ...


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