How to get rid of Brown algae on my fake plants

I have a 65 Gallon aquarium and I have had a frequent problem with brown algae growing on my gravel and fake plants, I am tired of taking the plants out of the aquarium and scrubbing off the algae! no matter what I do it comes back within a 2 weeks, what can I do to at the very least decrease the amount of brown algae in my aquarium?? I would love it to stay gone entirely out of my aquarium. help please!
thanks bunches!

 

Bristlenose plecos (they stay small at 4 inches , so you could get several), otos like to eat brown algae.

Also i've done this for 20+ years and never have had a problem..other on the site say don't.....but I put my fake plants in my aquarium bucket of water and add little bleach, soak for 15 minutes and rinse really well.

 

I also have a medium leopard pleco which is about 6-7 inches long he doesn't seem to like brown algae but I have tried doing using bleach but after two weeks it still comes back! it's frustrating

 

I also use a bleach rinse on aquarium deco's.. but I personally think the bristlenose plecos are the best! Whenever I do a bleach rinse, I do make sure I rinse well in regular tap water and often add a little extra dechlorinator to the tank before returning their freshly scrubbed decorations.

 

I love my bristlenose pleco. I think they're cute! haha but she won't eat the brown algae :/

 

Nerite snails will take care of it. However, they will lay little white eggs.

 

Instead of trying to add something to your tank to eat the algae try to identify what is causing it. Most forms of algae are caused by an imbalance. Things to consider:

*Too much light, leaving the lights on too many hours, using actinic lighting, even old bulbs
*Water parameters out of whack, typically too much nitrogen
*Not changing enough water on a weekly basis
*Not keeping the gravel/substrate clean or turning it over

There are many causes that can get algae started. But once you figure out what it is, and correct it, the algae will go away one its own.

 

hmm well I know my light bulb is old so maybe that? my parameters are good (they're on my profile) and I do a 50% water change weekly with the gravel vacuum, so i'm not really sure. I leave my light on from 4-11 P.M.

 

One issue I see is that your tank has measurable ammonia. This often can lead to algae!

What are the details on your filter? I'm wondering if it is too small to turn the water over enough to maintain a proper circulation or to provide enough area for bacteria to colonize to maintain the cycle of your tank.

You don't want to deal with it now; however, you stocking needs to be addressed at some point soon. You have improper groups for schooling fish. Tetras and cories are schooling fish that should be kept in groups of 6 minimum, for example.

 

yeah I have slowly been adding more numbers to the cories and tetras i'm trying to get the ammonia down before I add more I just added 2 more cories a couple of weeks ago and forgot to update my page. and I have an aqua- tech 30-60 Gallon power filter I have 2 of those in my tank

 

Diatoms also favors low lighting at times.

Try replacing your bulb, get the tank cycled and go from there.

If that doesn't work then you may need to increase lighting.

 

If everything else is good, the fitler cycled and water changes done properly, etc. etc., this could be because of too low light in the tank (as mentioned in another post), as well as silicates in the tap water. If that's the case you'll have to get a silicate-absorbing resin from the fish store (do they still sell those? I don't even know...)

But I'm sure it isn't silicates. That's quite rare that it becomes a problem. More often it's due to nitrates and ammonia.

Good luck!

 

just replaced my bulb today! so hopefully that does the trick! thanks for all the information I will also try to to keep the light on for longer maybe? I keep it on from 4P.M.- 11P.M. (it's on a timer)