Help! Brown Dust Everywhere?

Hello!

I have a 5 gallon planted tank with a 6W, 7500K , 380 lm white led light.
I dose the appropriate amount of seachem flourish (twice a week during my two 20% water changes) and flourish excel (daily). I also occasionally use root tabs.
I have water wysteria, some dwarf sag, red tiger lotus, anubius nana and some brazillian pennywort.

There are currently no fish, just 3 snails in the tank.

The tank is cycled and the water parameters are very steady and tested with the API master test kit +gH, kH test kit (ammonia: 0 nitrite: 0 nitrate: ~5 ppm gH: ~ 12 drops so ~212 ppm kH: 4 drops so around 70ppm).

The plants have been growing really well over the last 2ish months that I've had them. But recently (the last week and a half or so) I've noticed this brown dusty stuff covering everything (ornaments, plants leaves etc.). It is not the same as the diatom algae I experienced when I initially set up the tank- that stuff was really stuck on to the plant leaves and required scraping off, this stuff is light and can be sucked up with my gravel vacuum. I have forgotten to consistently dose fluorish excel the last twoish weeks, when before that I was religious about it- could this have lead to the loss of plant leaves etc and maybe what I'm seeing is plant detritus? I am hoping to get a betta fish in there in the next few weeks but I do not want to harm him in any way, does anyone have any idea what this stuff might be?

Thanks!

 

It could be part of your cycle bacteria dying off if its easy to remove. It could also be different algae growth. In a tank that small you might be over doing it on the plant ferts as well, which can cause algae bloom and kill cycles.

 

It could be part of your cycle bacteria dying off if its easy to remove. It could also be different algae growth. In a tank that small you might be over doing it on the plant ferts as well, which can cause algae bloom and kill cycles.

Ok that's good to know, thanks for your reply.. do you maybe have any suggestions for how to dose an small aquarium like mine?

 

Don't do it as often, maybe just every water change. And try to do like a 1/4 root tab at a time. Over time you will be able to tell when your plants need food and such as well. A good rule of thumb to follow when adding chemicals to an established tank is too little is safer than too much.

 

Don't do it as often, maybe just every water change. And try to do like a 1/4 root tab at a time. Over time you will be able to tell when your plants need food and such as well. A good rule of thumb to follow when adding chemicals to an established tank is too little is safer than too much.

Ok I will start doing that and keep an eye on my water parameters before I introduce any fish. Thanks again!