Brown algae infestation

So I have a 10 gallon tank with a singular blue crayfish. I have been having really bad brown algae issue for about maybe 2 weeks now and keeping up with it is getting hard for me. The brown algae covers almost the entire surface of an ornament and has laid siege on almost everything including fake plants, other ornaments, and gravel. At first I thought I might had been some real sand that we had put in there so I cleaned out the entire tank but that didn’t seem to work. I’ve taken out ornaments and put bathed them in a bleach/water solution and heavily rinsed them but the algae is still popping up. I don’t want to get an algae eater because my cray has killed one before. Is there a way to stop it eating my tank? And is there any good cleaner fish or inverts that can stay with a blue cray?

 

How old is your tank, how long ago did it finish cycling, and what are your parameters?

Brown algae is perfectly normal in new established tanks, actually the amount you have is perfectly normal. Give it a month or two for the tank to age, and it will go away on its own. Also I wouldn’t recommend bleach dipping unless there is an urgent need. It’s risky and it kills all microorganisms on the ornament. Although most beneficial bacteria is in your filter, small amounts will live in your ornaments and gravel as well. Just watch the parameters and let the tank stabilize.

As for tankmates, unfortunately there’s not really anything you can keep with a crayfish. They’re predators and they’ll easily grab a sleeping fish.

 

I’m fairly new to fish keeping but I had brown algae/ diatoms in my aquarium a few months back and I couldn’t seem to get rid of it. After trying to figure out what was causing it I learned that it can be caused by various factors: new tanks, low lighting, poor water circulation, or high levels of nitrates. Mine was caused by nitrates as the tap water I have at home had 40ppm straight out of the tap. Once I addressed the issue it has since disappeared. Maybe look into those things and see if any of those could be causing it? I’ve heard though that it can also go away on its own once a new tank has been set up for a while. Hope that helps a bit, and I’m not sure about fish sorry!

 

How old is your tank, how long ago did it finish cycling, and what are your parameters?

Brown algae is perfectly normal in new established tanks, actually the amount you have is perfectly normal. Give it a month or two for the tank to age, and it will go away on its own. Also I wouldn’t recommend bleach dipping unless there is an urgent need. It’s risky and it kills all microorganisms on the ornament. Although most beneficial bacteria is in your filter, small amounts will live in your ornaments and gravel as well. Just watch the parameters and let the tank stabilize.

As for tankmates, unfortunately there’s not really anything you can keep with a crayfish. They’re predators and they’ll easily grab a sleeping fish.

The tanks parameters are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and about 20 nitrates. Sorry I didn’t mention that. The tank itself is about 2 years old but it’s been housing my cray for about 3 months. It’s been cycled for about a month.

 

The tanks parameters are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and about 20 nitrates. Sorry I didn’t mention that. The tank itself is about 2 years old but it’s been housing my cray for about 3 months. It’s been cycled for about a month.

I’d say it’s pretty new then, let it go away on its own. Diatoms aren’t bad either, they help with excess nutrients