Brown stuff forming on the inside of my tank

[moogie21]

lately i've been noticing some brown stuff forming on decor, the rocks, the sides. i tried to do a deep cleaning, removing the decor, rocks, rinsing the filter, and scrubbing this stuff off but it keeps coming back.

i read it could be brown algae and not harmful to the fish....however i also observing some of my fish has been laying on the bottom for a period. my water chemistry is 0,0,40ppm.

any suggestions?

 

[bigroof]

How long has this tank been established for? If its new it can be brown diatoms. If this is the case its nothing to worry about. It will go away. But don't expect it to go overnight.

 

[moogie21]

it's been a month. i've been doing WC every 7-10days since.

should i expect it to disappear by itself within a month or longer? do i need to continue with the deep clean and hard scrubbing?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Sounds like diatoms. Ugly but harmless, and will pass with time. I'm more concerned about your fish's behavior. Can you tell us more about your tank--size, filter, stocking, water characteristics, etc? Is it cycled?

 

[moogie21]

40gallon
3 goldies
water chemistry: 0,0,40ppm
fully cycled since last month
2 HOB filters

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Do you have any pictures?

 

[bigroof]

it's been a month. i've been doing WC every 7-10days since.

should i expect it to disappear by itself within a month or longer? do i need to continue with the deep clean and hard scrubbing?

Diatoms can be really ugly and can be a nuisance. Its all a part of the tank settling in. Its a sign of the tank been established. Its caused by silicate in your water. If you want to, buy your self some seachem phosguard. Put it in a little bag and put it inside your filter. This will remove silicate from the water. This will only quicken up the process. Hopefully this helps.

 

[moogie21]

apologies for the late response. here are some photos of the tank.

i plan to do another WC today, possibly around 50% or more.