Brown algae

[WillyNilly]

So, my tank is almost cycled and it's being overrun by brown algea despite my nerites and clown loach.

I haven't cleaned the glass because I read that once the tank stabilises then the brown should be eaten away.

Is this true or can I clean the glass??

 

[Cheesecake]

I think they might be able to take care of it, but you can clean it if you'd like.

 

[clark12]

The best i have ever done with diatoms is to wipe the plants and decor during a water change with your fingers or a soft rag. Now that ive ventured into the lighter side of the planting world, i changed my substrate to seachem flourite black (which i know is inert) but its not coated or colored silica rocks. Silica is what diatoms are made of and feed on. I still have diatoms but its at a fraction of when i had my other substrate. This could all be a coincidence but im starting to believe it may have been a factor because they never went away for the few years that tank was in service. Anyway dont count on anything eating that stuff, wipe it away

 

[WillyNilly]

The best i have ever done with diatoms is to wipe the plants and decor during a water change with your fingers or a soft rag. Now that ive ventured into the lighter side of the planting world, i changed my substrate to seachem flourite black (which i know is inert) but its not coated or colored silica rocks. Silica is what diatoms are made of and feed on. I still have diatoms but its at a fraction of when i had my other substrate. This could all be a coincidence but im starting to believe it may have been a factor because they never went away for the few years that tank was in service. Anyway dont count on anything eating that stuff, wipe it away

You were able to wipe the gravel clean?

I have white gravel and it looks like .

 

[clark12]

You were able to wipe the gravel clean?

I have white gravel and it looks like .

I didnt wipe my gravel...i got rid of it. I wiped my plants, decor and glass. It was a generic silica gravel coated to "seal" it. I believe a lot of the generic gravels are that way. My new substrate is different and is not silica or coated. It is able to absorb nutrients for the plants. Some of the other planting substrates need to be replaced after a year or so because it gets exhausted of the nutrients in it and that right now sounds like a pain. I will see how this stuff pans out. So far for a low tech its doing just fine and it doesnt need replaced. White sand and gravel look awesome until the diatoms show up then to me it looks terrible.