Brown Algae!?!?!?!

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Malex530

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How do i get rid of this in a 10 gallon with shrimp. I have tried everything! Its just starting to drive me crazy! 
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blackout for 3 days. do a 75% water change while removing all large pieces of algae away with fingers... cut on feeding when doing black out. then feed small amount so that all shrimp have equal amount of food, then only feed 3 times a week (not heavily). limit amount of light into tank for 4 hours until algae is gone. 
 
BerryAttack said:
blackout for 3 days. do a 75% water change while removing all large pieces of algae away with fingers... cut on feeding when doing black out. then feed small amount so that all shrimp have equal amount of food, then only feed 3 times a week (not heavily). limit amount of light into tank for 4 hours until algae is gone. 
That just won't do, even if it does only for a short while. BUT if you get sometihng like excel Flourish by seachum you'll keep em far from your aquarium (algae that is) and your plants will flourish, no need for fance proccedures. worked like a charm for me.
 
Flourish Excel isn't recommended with shrimp though. I'd have said the same as BerryAttack, plus extra water changes for a while.

If there are platies in that 10g (as per your sig) then you might consider taking them out as they make a lot of mess and 10g is really too small for them.
 
Algae comes from two things to much light and to much nitrogen in the water. So do a water change and clean the tank. Keep your nitrogen levels low and reduce the amount of light your tank gets. You should also test for nitrogen in your tap water as well. You may even want to think of adding a small algae eater such as a Oto.
 
Nitrogen (or nitrate) is not the cause.  Nor is phosphate.  Concentrate on lower lighting and on keeping plants healthy.
 
There are a few causes to brown algae. 
 
1. As odd as it seems, brown algae can be caused by too little light. Green algae is caused by too much light. Make sure to have your light on at least 8-10 hours. Keeping it on longer might cause green algae to grow, any less may cause brown algae. 
 
2. Over feeding your tank may cause buildup of uneaten food which would be another cause of brown algae. Feed once a day and only the feed amount of food your organisms can eat in a minute. Remember, fish eat about once or twice a week in the wild-shrimp may eat a little more but you really don't need to feed as much as you think you do. Partial water changes can help remove this food buildup. 
 
3. My brown algae problem in my 10 gallon saltwater tank was caused by lack of circulation. I tried cleaning my tank so many times but the problem kept reoccurring. The only movement I had in my tank was caused by my filter creating a circular flow when it poured the water back into the tank. I bought a powerhead to increase the circulation and that definitely helped. I did a water change and wiped down the sides before I attached the powerhead. After I installed the powerhead, the algae did not return. Try to avoid "still water" in your tank. Regardless if you have a fresh, salt, or brackish tank, I would recommend a powerhead! 
 

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