Brown Gunk?

[platyvstetra]

ok so i was away for a few days and had someone looking after my fish, and i saw yesterday that there was a ton of brown gunk -- on the plants, and gravel, but also mainly on the filter spout. what do i do? i dont even know what caused this!

EDIT: i cleaned up the filter spout and plants...

 

[bordercollie05]

ok so i was away for a few days and had someone looking after my fish, and i saw yesterday that there was a ton of brown gunk -- on the plants, and gravel, but also mainly on the filter spout. what do i do? i dont even know what caused this!

EDIT: i cleaned up the filter spout and plants...

I'm guessing its algae? I've got a little bit too.

 

[platyvstetra]

is it a big deal?

 

[bordercollie05]

is it a big deal?

I'm not really sure if its a big deal or not. I just noticed mine about a week ago and have been ignoring it. You can rinse the plants if they're plastic and it should come off. If it bothers you, you could add an algae eater, although someone else will need to give you advice as to what type. I suppose it will also depend on your tank size and fish so you may want to post that.

 

[platyvstetra]

i have 5 happy platys in a 5 GAL tank. i want to get an algae eater just havent yet.

all water tests are like before...normal

 

[celaeno]

a 5 gallon is too small for 5 platies. you'll need at least a 10 gallon if not more as they grow.

to answer your topic question, brown algae is harmless and is usually found in low lit and/or new tanks. it usually goes away on its own given time.