Brown Algae

[Spent198]

Good or bad? Cycling was recently completed about 3 days ago and I have been treating Ich which developed because of the harsh water conditions during cycling. I noticed an abundance of brown algae growing on my fake plants as well as the powerhead output. This brown algae has NOT formed on the glass, only on items in the tank. I recently added the last treatment of Mardel Maracide.

Thanks!

-Carl

 

[iairj84]

Good or bad? Cycling was recently completed about 3 days ago and I have been treating Ich which developed because of the harsh water conditions during cycling. I noticed an abundance of brown algae growing on my fake plants as well as the powerhead output. This brown algae has NOT formed on the glass, only on items in the tank. I recently added the last treatment of Mardel Maracide.

Thanks!

-Carl

Algae in itself isnt bad. You will get algae in your tank, its just going to happen no matter what. Try to cut down the time the lights are on in your tank and if you really hate the algae check out the planted forum and they have some awesome stickies on getting the most out of your plants and lights, etc. to get rid of algae. I plan on getting some cherry shrimp to control the algae on my plants but have seen a significant decline since I've started giving a light "Siesta" in the afternoon.

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

I've found brown algal growth to inevitable on all ornaments I place in my tanks . The growth of it was most likely accelerated by your cycling tank, because of the high concentrations of nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrite, etc), which would trigger a bloom. Brown algae takes longer to grow on the glass than green algae (in my experience), but it does grow their eventually (although it is always removable with a good scrub). Is the water particularly cloudy in your tank? This may be from the medication, but is most likely from a bacterial bloom, also from the abundance of nitrogen in the tank. The algae may begin to die off as the tank exits the unbalanced stage of its cycle, but you may want to cut back on light during this period, because a mass die off of algae would also produce high amounts of ammonia.

 

[newtotropical]

Brown algee can also be caused by lack of light...........

 

[Spent198]

Lights are on in my tank from 11:00am until 10:30 PM, so I doubt that this algae is a result of lack of light. To clear a few things up, my Nitrite/Nitrate/Ammonia levels are at 0/0/0 respectively so I am not sure how a bacteria bloom could have caused brown algae to grow. This is not my first tank, I owned a 55g Bala Shark tank for many years and I never saw brown algae which is why I was a bit worried. The water is crystal clear and the fish seem pretty happy compared to when Ich first became apparent. I will try to cut down on the lighting time to see if this helps.

Thanks!

-Carl

 

[Spent198]

Changed my lighting schedule:

On: 9:00AM
Off: 1:30PM

On: 4:00PM
Off: 10:30PM

Hopefully this helps! Thanks for the replies!

-Carl

 

[newtotropical]

Changed my lighting schedule:

On: 9:00AM
Off: 1:30PM

On: 4:00PM
Off: 10:30PM

Hopefully this helps! Thanks for the replies!

-Carl

Im told that 4hrs on 1hr off 4hrs on is good as algee needs more than 4hrs to stimulate growth, dont know if its true but i go buy it and have no algee!!
Hope this helps.
Simon

 

[Spent198]

Brown algae bloom is common in newly set-up tanks. It will go away on its own. Just keep cleaning your fakeplants and ornaments in the meantime.

That is all I needed to hear! By the way, your Betta tank is stunning.

-Carl

 

[Gatorbait]

Brown algae bloom is common in newly set-up tanks. It will go away on its own. Just keep cleaning your fakeplants and ornaments in the meantime.

Yep, I was going to say the same thing. Don't change a thing and it will go away as your tank matures.

 

[powerdyne6]

Brown algae bloom is common in newly set-up tanks. It will go away on its own. Just keep cleaning your fakeplants and ornaments in the meantime.

Yep, I was going to say the same thing. Don't change a thing and it will go away as your tank matures.

quick question, how would you go about cleaning the fake plants and the ornaments without disturbing the good bacteria

 

[Gatorbait]

Brown algae bloom is common in newly set-up tanks. It will go away on its own. Just keep cleaning your fakeplants and ornaments in the meantime.

Yep, I was going to say the same thing. Don't change a thing and it will go away as your tank matures.

quick question, how would you go about cleaning the fake plants and the ornaments without disturbing the good bacteria

Rinse them in water you take out of the tank. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There will be more than enough bacteria in your filters and some in your gravel to make up for it.

 

[powerdyne6]

Brown algae bloom is common in newly set-up tanks. It will go away on its own. Just keep cleaning your fakeplants and ornaments in the meantime.

Yep, I was going to say the same thing. Don't change a thing and it will go away as your tank matures.

quick question, how would you go about cleaning the fake plants and the ornaments without disturbing the good bacteria

Rinse them in water you take out of the tank. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There will be more than enough bacteria in your filters and some in your gravel to make up for it.

thanks for the reply