# brown fuzz algae help



## isonychia (Nov 19, 2013)

I have been dealing with various problems in my tank.

I conquered my melting Limnophila Aromatica.

But now my monte carlo and S Repens are still having problems. I will first address the monte carlo.

I am getting growth out of it, very slowly, but since it has established itself I can't rid it of this brown fuzz algae. It also suffers from browning. It will creep new growth and be green, but soon it begins to slightly brown.

Here is a pic.









I have addressed everything I can think of when I was troubleshooting my LA melt problem. CO2, light, nutrients.

But I cant get rid of this brown fuzz algae.

Does anyone know what it is? If I try and grab it, it just disintegrates. It can be hard to grab with a toothbrush.

It mostly effects my monte carlo and fissidens fontanus. (all near the substrate level)

The stem plants don't have any. I have random BBA and some staghorn, but not too bad. This brown fuzz is much more spread than the BBA or staghorn

I am dosing EI, PAR set at 50, photo period is 8hours.

I added a powerhead pointed directly at the monte carlo and FF and it does not help.

I am going to do my weekly water change, but this time I am going to trim the monte carlo aggressively. If anything, it will help reduce the amount of fuzz and the density of the carpet. Although it's not really that dense to begin with.

I am out of ideas to get my tank in balance.

iso


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## isonychia (Nov 19, 2013)

From searching the web, my best guess on the algae type is rhizoclonium or synedra.

I am not sure about the synedra as it seems associated with brown diatoms. Since my tank is not new, I am going to rule it out.

I didn't think it was rhizoclonium because most photos I see of it show it green. Mine is more brown.

When I grab some and rub it between my fingers all that is left is slightly brown residue. It just about disappears in your fingers.

Here's a thread with the same algae I have. (post #13):
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/124665-rhizoclonium-what-do-i-do.html

Honestly, every time I seem to be concerned with what TYPE of algae I have, it almost doesn't matter.

All the reasons I read as to why it shows up seem to be the same. Low flow, low/inconsistent CO2, too high light, insufficient fertilizers. 

Since I seem to have taken care of all of them, I can only look at the intricacies of each going forward.

I changed the ON time of my CO2 to 2 hours before lights on. I always had it set to 1 hour before.

I may reduce my PAR to 40 (currently at 50) at the same time. I realize it's 2 changes all at once, but I am not really concerned with figuring out what works at this point. I just want things balanced and I cant imagine reducing my lighting will hurt things. I don't think my Limnophila Aromatica will start melting again if I reduce my lighting. 

iso


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

How's your dosing regime? Your tank's size?


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## isonychia (Nov 19, 2013)

fablau said:


> How's your dosing regime? Your tank's size?


Here is my dosing schedule.

I started another thread in the fertilizer forum asking when to increase EI.

I am not sure if it's possible to decipher current plant deficiencies vs past deficiencies, especially when algae is present. Are my plants not healthy because of algae and past errors or are they looking for further adjustments.

I am dosing the following. My tank is 17 gallons.

Monday
Micros
1/32 tsp Plantex CSM+B
1/32 tsp Iron Chelate Fe

Tuesday
Macros
1/8 tsp KNO3
1/32 tsp KH2PO4
1/32 tsp K2SO4

Wednesday
Micros
1/32 tsp Plantex CSM+B
1/32 tsp Iron Chelate Fe

Thursday
Macros
1/8 tsp KNO3
1/32 tsp KH2PO4
1/32 tsp K2SO4

Friday
Micros
1/32 tsp Plantex CSM+B
1/32 tsp Iron Chelate Fe

Saturday: rest day

Sunday
50% Water change
Macros
1/8 tsp KNO3
1/32 tsp KH2PO4
1/32 tsp K2SO4 

Here is a full tank shot. The DC is usually light green/yellow. This shot is in the morning before CO2 injection, thus the blue DC color.


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