Odd red dust like substance in tank

We have had an established 10 gallon tank for about a year. We have one balloon molly in it at the moment. The tank was going along perfectly until very recently. We now seem to have a red dust-like substance coating everything! When you wipe it with a cleaning brush it floats like a dust and does not cling to things just settles on them. The fish seems to be just fine with no signs of distress at all. We haven't made any recent changes to the tank, except our usual water changes. We do not have a substrate, just the glass bottom. We have been very careful not to overfeed and there is no food debris left in the water. There is also no salt in the water. I couldn't find anything on here about this type of dust, it is almost the colour of bricks, dark reddish orange. Any idea what's going on?

 

What type of food are you feeding the molly?

I would suggest increased waterchanges (that is a broad cure for a lot of things.) Phosphates from the food, if you're using a processed food such as pellets or flakes, would be my guess as to what is building up the red dusty material.

 

Even though you said your tank is mature... it sounds like brown diatoms to me... maybe without substrate your tank mini-cycled with a water change or something...

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, excess nutrients from food or waste are in the water, or tank maintenance has been neglected. 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....

good luck!!

 

The Essigs is totally right, if it is diatoms.

(FINALLY someone who realizes diatoms will go away on their own without chemicals!!)

 

yea, diatoms aren't harmful and do go away.. it's also a real treat to otos. i'd get a few otos if you want to get rid of the diatoms safely - just because they're such fun little fish. wiping it away will work though.

 

I agree with Essigs too.

 

I realize this is an old thread.... but,
will plecos eat diatoms?

 

In my experience, no. But my ottos LOVED it! I have heard other members say that their bristlenoses like it, tho.

 

I have a 10 gallon tank, I've just noticed some growing on the sides of the tank, and a little on the bottom. I don't think I can get anymore fish without becoming too overcrowded (already have 1 angel, 5 tetras, 2 cory). Is there any other way to get rid of this stuff, it doesn't look very nice, and is hard to wipe off the gravel.

 

Neo - eventually, it will just go away on its own without your intervention, I know its unsightly, but its harmless.

 

Ok, I just got a couple of little plants today, and one of them came with a single little tiny snail on it. Will he help with the clean up? Or will he just get eaten by my fish?

 

The snail will most likely eat it...