Brown spots and stains in tank

I noticed today when I returned from class that there is a brown algae on my tank glass how do I take care of it my tank does sit next to the window and it is open sometimes (light and all) but how do I get rid of this algae and is it harmful if so should I move inarI back into his small tank????

very paniced

brent

 

the algae is not harmful. my raspy has some in his tank which I am hoping at some point (when he feels better) to get some otos to take care of ...


Anyway, if I am remembering correctly, the brown algae is caused by too much light and green is from not enough ... (I think!) ;D

Don't panic, sweetie. No worries. InarI will be fine with it.

 

Pretty much right but the Brown is from not enough light and the Green from too much. Otherwise good answer. InarI the problem you are having is probably what we are seeing in all the new tanks. For some reason all new tanks go through this. It is hard to look at but will not hurt anything. Just wipe it off or syphon the gravel to remove it if it bothers you.

Rose

 

Ok, so right information, I just had it backwards ;D ;D

It's been that kind of week!!!

 

Think about it this way in the summer most of the plants that are healthy are green the half dead ones are turning brown....idk maybe that will help also an issue with the gravel syphoning may not be that easy...Live plants some are trimmed down to the gravel....and my concern is that I would suck up nutrients for my hyrdas and crypts... any suggestions?
Brent

 

In a tropical tank Otto's will take care of that algy in no time at all.
friend_o_fish

 

Brown algae and plants

Yesterday I noticed that I have brown algae on the glass of my tank...*screams in panic* now my issue is that it is growing on my crypts and hyrdas my crypts are doing ok for the moment but my hydras are concerning me...I have had to start pruning them again. What worries me is that these plants that InarI loves soooooo much will die and I'll have to either replace them or get plastic ones any help?

 

Re: Brown algae and plants

Its not really algae, its brown diatoms. Very common in new tanks. An oto will easily take care of the problem, or you can simply wipe it off with a clean cloth or even with your fingers. It will diminish in time and go away.

 

Re: Brown algae and plants

Yes this is the same "new tank syndrome" that we talked about earlier. My suggestion like Boxermom's, if you are really panicked about this is get a couple of Otos and they will make short work of them and they will be quite compatible with Inari.

Rose

 

Well I would but like I said I promised my finacee that when she comes back we would go get some tank mates for InarI until then i'm stuck....any other ideas....

also today I went to my lfs and got a magnetic glass cleaner it works beautifully except on the cornors dang it but its fun 'cause InarI likes to hang out in the front and watch me but when I put that in there he tried to attack it while it move around so once this algae issue is under control he can have fun playing with it

 

Sounds like you are doing all you can. Just stop worrying so much okay? It really is okay, I promise. It will stop when the silicates in the tank are gone and you have a couple little Otos or something in there to clean up. You will be amaze how fast they can clean up, I promise. It is even kind of fun to watch them.

I promise this is not going to hurt the plants or Inari.

Rose

 

well it sure looks like it is trying to take out my hydras which I would really hate because I have no way of getting back to the LFS that I went to... and InarI loves a couple of them tho they will be his only company for a while....I had to return Hydra 'cause she kept trying to climb up the filter intake and then there is still the MIA Kappa God only knows what happened to his adventurous little soul..........thanx for the advise

btw I was told that algae removes would most likely kill my hydras and crypts any experience with this????

thanx

brent

 

Yes, most algae removers will indeed kill or at least stunt or really make the plants look very bad and most of them will die. They are not meant for tanks with fish either.
There are a couple of algae removers made for tanks with plants and fish but they are for green, red, and blue/green algae.  Brown "algae" is not really algae, it is diatoms.  Diatoms grow where there is a silicate food source or not enough light.  Since your tank is new I am betting on the silicate food source.  When they have eaten the silicates the diatoms will die out.  The easiest and cheapest solution to the problem is a couple of Otos.  BUT once you get the Otos do not even think of using a salt solution, algae remover or any medication containing Malachite Green.  It will burn them as they are scaleless.  It does the same thing to crustaceans (snails, shrimp, crabs, clams).  You may be able to get by with salt with the crustaceans but not the other things.  It will tell you right on the containers. 

If your fiance is coming to go with you to buy tank mates then hope she comes and you can go get some Otos and get the Brown Diatoms eaten.  They feed on them and it is their favorite food.  They eat mostly at night so you will go to sleep at night and when you get up each morning, you will be surprised at their progress and before too many days have gone by the diatoms will be gone.  Then you will need to put a half algae wafer in the tank at night before bed so they can nosh on it. 

Rose

 

Ok well the brown algae didn't show up today at all last night I did a scheduled 25% water change just because well it was friday and that is when I plan to do the extreme tank maintance like water changes tho InarI doesn't really like me right now i've had to change his water three times this week and he hates water changes lol anyway as of right now don't worry about the shrimp I had to return her she was trying to get out one night so I put the lid on and covered that holes in my lid and return her until I can replace the plastic part and when my Finacee comes and we get some little play mates of InarI
thanx for the advise

brent

 

ok ive had my tank cycling for a little more than 3 weeks 9 days using biospira (what a wonderful product) and I'm noticing sioem brown spots on my fake plants. with mylighting I get a little over 1 wpg and it is on from 9am to 11 or so pm. I'm not sure whether it is algae or not so I'm posting a picture of it. if it is algae what should I do. I know my lights are on too long so what schedule do you guys use (I have a timer)? and if there are any fish that could help.

thanks,
Mark

 

I hope you don't mind me piggy-backing off your question Wolfgang.

Why should there be only 10 hours or so of tank light when there are more hours of stronger light in nature?

BTW, wolfgang, I've read, for salties anyway, you should have ten hours of simulated day light in the tank. One hour BEFORE the daylights, the nightlights (actinic) should come on till about an hour after. Then the actinic light should come back on an hour BEFORE the daylights go off and stay on till an hour AFTER the day lights. So twelve hours all together.

Example:

7am - 9am actinic
8am - 6pm daylight
5pm - 7pm actinic

notice that day and night lights overlap at the begining and at the end of the schedule.

 

I run 10 hours of lighting, anything beyond that is completely not needed for photosynthisis (granted you don't have that issue with fake plants) and just encourages algae.

But without real plants to take in macro nutrients that your fish expel and that long of a light cycle you will be fighting algae non stop. I would cut back your lighting and make sure you are doing good water changes weekly to reduce all the macros as there is nothing in your tank other then a small benefical bacteria colony to to take in the macros.

You could also try adding some amano shrimp and ottos or a TRUE SAE or american flag fish to help with your algae once you are sure you have completed you cycle.

 

I'm planning for corys, pearl gouramis and rams would any of those you sugguested work with this stocking plan mrwaxhead??

 

Sorry what is your stocking plan, I see no mention of it on this post and what size is your tank etc?

And I love all three fish you mentioned, but I have no info at all on rams, I have yet to own them. I love pearls and corries though and they are great in a tank together.

My juvie pearls in my 50 gallon

 

I havea 50 gallon too not as many plants as you though lol I may switch some of the fake plants for real ones though. at jsut over 1 wpg what should I go for that will help beat the algae?

 

Anything fast growing like hornwort is always excellent for algae busting. keep a good sized clump in your tank and the algae has way less to eat. Don't try to plant it though as it just rots in the ground, when I ever I start a tank with some hornwort, I just take a lead planting band, and carefully wrap it onto the stock and drop it in the tank. Then as it grows like mad I trim it back and reclump a bunch in a new lead band and drop it in.

And for slow steady growth in low light again non planted all are tied to wood etc with cotton thread (by the time the thread rots it will have attached to the wood, annubis, java moss and any strain of java fern lace needle reg etc. They never grow fast but are always a slow steady intake of nutrients as long as you have a algae busting plant like hornwort in your tank. Otherwise they get coated in fine algae and don't do so well.

I think isabella if I remember right has a low light planted topic, and you really have to keep that lighting down, I know its fun to watch them, but its even nicer when you are watching them in a tank with no algae. Try a moon light LED for the last few hours of viewing (ie 10 hours of tank light and 3 of moonlight). It is very fun as well, as your tank goes into its change over in that time, your shoaling fish slowly go off to bed, and you catfish and shrimp etc start to get real active. And its a more gradual swap to darkness, its not highbeams for x amount of hours and boom darkness. The fish seem to go to bed more peacefull when the lights go down and there is light moonlight for a bit for them to find there nighttime resting places. My fish have very set places they all go to its very cool to watch.

 

thanks for the help. in my pictrue I have a resin type rock thing. can plants attach themselves to that? what about those banana plants?

 

Yes they will just not as strongly but they will, I have moss all over some resin rocks in the left of my 50g, I wanted a cave system, and hid it with the moss, that moss has been on there now for almost 2 years, and its stuck like mad now. Some fine leaved needle java fern would look stunning on that as a focal point in your tank.

I see you have corries too, I know keep a small section of plain sand in all my tanks that have corries, as there is nothing cooler then watching a corry snort sand, they burrow there heads in and puff puff puff little sand explosions as they look for food etc. I just use hardscape, like a long peice of wood etc, to controll a area for my sand so my other substrate does not pour in and mix. A little beach would fit in with your corona bottles too hehe.

 

lol that's true hah well ill look into some plants there really is a limated selection where I'm at. so pretty much hornwort and java fern would be good?

 

Yes every little bit helps, but ya, the hornwort will bust algae and allow the ferns to take hold without getting covered in algae.

 

sounds good ill check for hornwort and maybe a week or so after the algae is gone ill tie up dome ferns woo.

ok I got some more plants and I have notices the algae slowing down and disappearing. here is my tank before and after.

 

So before it was blue-er and now its browner?

 

lol no that's waht flash and no flash does

 

Which one is no flash?

 

the seccond one is the one with no flash

 

I like the one with no flash better. ;D

 

I think what you are seeing... the brown stuff I mean... is diatoms. In your first post you had said that you were set up for a little over 3 weeks... what might be happening, which happens with new tanks, is a brown diatom bloom.

Diatoms... can appear as a simple dusting on the tank walls and substrate surfaces, or it can turn into a massive growth that covers just about everything in the tank. This type of outbreak typically occurs when a tank is just completing or has finished the nitrogen cycling process and/or has excess nutrients from food or waste are in the water.

It is a normal occurrence, as diatoms are one of the first to appear in the chain when the tank conditions are conducive for algae growth, and is usually a precursor to other forms of desirable and undesirable nuisance type green algae.

You can keep wiping it away and filtering it out, but eventually they will starve out and go away on their own... but it takes a while....

 

so am I doing the right thing by adding plants to take up all the neutrients leaving nothing for the brown stuff?

 

It doesn't hurt to add plants, but it takes a sizeable amount of healthy plants to effectively control algae. But every little bit helps, as long as they are healthy and growing and not dieing and creating ammonia to trigger even more algae.

 

I lowered my daytime light hours to 8 and have 30 mins before and after the daylight comes on blue led's that looks so cool.

my night lit tank.

 

That DOES look like moonlight! It works! It works! lol

 

I have lately noticed quite a few brown spots on the inside of my 55g, is it a type of algae and if soo will otto cats eat it?

 

sounds like diatoms. yes it's algae but it's completely harmless, just a little annoying. I don't know if the otos will eat it, they should, but it likely doesn't provide as much nutrition as the green algae

 

oh that's too bad, it is annoying every time I scrub it off it grows right back.

 

lol, yeah, it tends to do that. I think it occurs mostly in newer tanks, so maybe just give it some time and scrub it off every once and a while and it will probably go away