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Post by nene on Aug 13, 2003 8:06:47 GMT -5
In one of my tanks, I have started getting patches of this brown stuff. It coats individual pieces of gravel and it is slick or slimey. It is increasing. The water is clear and the fish seems healthy. The tank is about 8 weeks old now. I thought it might be algae but I got a snail several days ago and so far it seems totally disinterested in the stuff. The betta ignores it also. The only thing different about this tank from my others is that it has white gravel in it which I have learned is a mistake because it shows everything and supposedly makes the fish think light is comming from the top and bottom of the tank. Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions for killing this brown invader??  |
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Post by BettaBGood on Aug 13, 2003 8:26:52 GMT -5
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Post by nene on Aug 13, 2003 8:27:56 GMT -5
No. The brown stuff has been there for about 2 weeks and I just got the snail (a golden inca) two days ago.
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Post by nene on Aug 13, 2003 8:30:09 GMT -5
Also, my lighting is flouresent and I have silk and plastic plants.  |
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Post by Betta MVP on Aug 13, 2003 23:47:45 GMT -5
Do you know what your nitrate readings are in the tank? Excess nitrates could be the culprit, live plants would help with this. My tanks also get the "brown slime" because my tap water has nitrates in it right off the bat. If you are looking for something to eat this brown algae, I've heard people say that otocinclus catfish will, but I've never had them. www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/fw/profile.asp?id=Otocinclus+affinisAlso, how long do you keep your light on in the tank per day? You could try cutting back and see if this helps. |
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Post by Betta MVP on Aug 25, 2003 11:51:34 GMT -5
nene,
Since I started using Amquel plus in my tank, the brown slime has almost totally disappeared. If the brown slime in your tank is from high nitrates, this would really help you out. I do weekly 45-50% water changes on this tank and normally by the time I do the next water change, the brown stuff is really growing, but since I started using the A+, it's almost nonexistant.
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Post by nene on Aug 25, 2003 14:12:07 GMT -5
Thanks for all the suggestions. I couldn't stand it anymore so I put the fish in another tank and cleaned the tank with the brown stuff out. So far it has not reappeared and it has been several weeks. I took all the gravel out but left 1/2 of the aged water and it has a bio wheel so I think some of the bacteria survived. I am going to get some of the Amquel + as I have only used the regular Amquel up to now. Thanks all!  |
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Brown algea (silica) is harmless, though, and often disappears as quickly as it appears! Here is a link (sort of an Algae-101) if you're interested:
