Brown spots on synthetic plants

[Metermaid]

I have just noticed brown discolouration on my synthetic plants - is this an algae and if so what should I do?

thanks

Rita

 

[steelhealr]

Hi...diatoms. Maybe your tank is ready for algae eaters? . Depends on your parameters, tank size, ?cycled? lighting? See posts here on algae. SH

 

[paulb]

Hi,

I started with all plastic plants and had this same problem. I seemed to get a darker algae that didnt seem to be so prevalent elsewhere. The First thing to do is to reduce algae in the usual way (ie keep nitrate (and phosphate) low and reduce lighting- assuming you dont have real plants also that need good lighting). I have a Juwel tank and found that the nitrate reducing sponges DO help (no replacement for regular water changes though). The only other thing to do is take them out and clean them, best to do in old tank water-(cotton buds are very effective for some of them). You can buy special cleaner from specialist fish shops but these need a soak overnight (contain potassium hydroxide so be careful). In the end the best solution I found was to have several plastic plants that I could rotate every few weeks or so. I have now started to grow a few real ones (its worth it) and mixed with good plastic ones the effect is really good.

Paul

 

[Teelie]

Diatoms "brown algae" actually thrive in low light conditions so upping the light a few watts will actually get rid of them. The trick is not to over do it and get green algae.

In new tanks or ones with high sillicone content they are most numerous but once a tank stabilizies, they tend to go away.

 

[rich]

I has quite a lot of brown algae about a month after I set up my tank. Over the last couple of months it has constantly reduced and now there is very little left.

 

[paulb]

Interesting that high silicone can increase brown algae. Is there something about plastic plants that the diatoms like? I notice that they seemed to colonise plastic in my tank in preference to all else (rocks, glass, real plants) that the green algae seemed to be OK with.