weird algae

[gale]

I couldn't find anything like it on this page. It's either dark brown or dark green and looks like someone brushed their cat and put the wad of hair in the fishtank. It's on a fake plant (easily removable) and also on a few java plant leaves that are banded to some driftwood. Any idea what it is? I'll try to get a pic but it's so fine it's hard to see.

 

[gale]

Here's some pics:

on the java fern (the leaves are all turning brown but someone here told me that's normal. I'm wondering if that's true). btw there are bubbles in the algae.

on the fake plant (long strings of it here)

 

[Mr Miagi]

Looks like some sort of hair or thread algae in my opnion. What fish do you have in there in the way of algae eaters?

 

[gale]

What fish do you have in there in the way of algae eaters?

None. It's only a 10gallon tank and they only sell CAE around here. I don't have algae eating fish in any of my tanks. I do have olive nerites which do a bang-up job on most algae but apparently not on this kind. That algae site says hair algae grows at the base of plants and on gravel and this stuff is way above that. Maybe it's thread algae then-I just realized there's no pic of it on that page. If it is, it says just wind it up on a toothbrush but for now I'll probably just cut off the affected leaves and remove the fake plant (which I've been meaning to do anyway). It says thread algae could be from too much iron but the only way I would have that is if I fed the plants, right? And I don't. I only feed the fish every 2-3 days.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Iron and other trace elements could come from you taop water. That might be your problem.

Can you get hold of any oto's? If not, physical removal may be your only option as a 10 gallon wouldnt support a SAE, CAE or a plec sadly.

 

[Grey Legion]

I have the same type of algae and nothing will eat it, I have a pleco and oto's and they avoid it..best to remove it manually...

I am still looking into why I have it I may have to do some more water tests..

 

[gale]

Thanks-I'll take it out manually for now and see what happens. I'm going to do a pwc tonight anyway so I'll do it then. As far as the tap water, it's used in all of my tanks and none of the others have this so it must be a combination of things. At least it doesn't appear to be anything too pesky so far.

 

[davejey]

Increase your lighting or let the sun get on the tank for an hour a day; green algae will establish and the brown will disapear.

 

[gale]

Increase your lighting or let the sun get on the tank for an hour a day; green algae will establish and the brown will disapear.

This tank has sun on it from sun up until sundown and the light from 3 pm to midnight. I used to have that brown algae from too little light in my other tank, which is in a dark room, but the snails took care of all that.