Rust coloured stuff in tank...

[phillips321]

Hi guys,

Over the last week or so loads of rust coloured stuff has been appearing over my ornaments. I have read around and have been told it could be diatoms, it could also be brown aglae. Are either of these harmful to the fish, are either of these going to increase my nitrite levels (they seem a little high for some reason).

I have some Jewel cichlid fry that have been free swimming for about 2 days now, they seem to go up to the brown stuff but im not sure if they are eating it. Could it harm them?

how do i get rid of this stuff? i dont want anything thats gonna harm the fry, disturb the tank or mess with my filter as my nitrates are high enough anyway.

Ive been doing daily water changes to bring down my nitrite level but it seems to be staying at around 1.6. is this good or bad?

Can any of you guys help me?

One last question, when do i start feeding the fry crushed flake?

 

[iggy01]

Brown algae is usually caused by too little light or an excess of silicates in the water. How long has your tank been set up? It is quite common to see brown algae/diatoms in a new tank.

You should be worried about your nitrite level! Nitrite should always be at 0.mg/l. Have you checked your ammonia level?

Good luck!

 

[phillips321]

ammonia is 0. whats causing the bad nitrite?

should i do a 50% water change? good or bad idea?

 

[iggy01]

This Nitrite Link may help you. Check out the nitrite toxicity calculator near the bottom of the page.
Good luck!