Stacey Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 My big tank has developed what I think is brown algae. I've read that this can be caused by excessive silicates or nitrates, low light, or poor oxygen levels. Lights are 4 months old, nitrates are between 5 and 10 ppm, and I don't think oxygen is a problem. This only leaves silicates. Is their an absorbing resin I can buy for my filters? (Have an xp3 and emp 280 on this tank.) thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 How long has it been since the tank last cycled? How much circulation do you have in the tank? I find I get brown algae about 4-6 months after a tank has been set up, and it also occurs if the water circulation is not happening in a corner of a tank. Just my experience, generally a sign of a small problem in the tank at any other time. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 How many watt/gal does this tank have? I find I get brown algae in my lower light tanks(under 2w/gal) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 If they're compatible with your other fish, you could add several Otocinclus to clean up the brown algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Kevin, Tank cycled 4 months ago, algae is mostly on right side, (front) and on tops of castle (pleco mansion) which is also on right side of tank. Circulation comes from the left. (xp3 inlet) I had the spray bar set up on the left side of the tank, as in against the side, not back or front glass, but recently switched it for the powerjet option, now pointed out toward middle of tank, on an angle. The emp 280 is on the right side of the tank, but was only added yesterday. Maybe if I added a powerhead to the lower right side? degrassi, Tank is 90 gallon, as for watts, the box is labelled "28 watt 10,000K daylight T5 fluorescent lamp" and "28 watt True Actinic 03 Blue T5 fluorescent lamp" I'm an idiot when it comes to lights, does this mean I have 28 watts or 56 watts? Either way it's way under 2 watts per gallon. werner, Tank contains medium sized oscar and medium sized pleco, I'm thinking the oscar may mistake the oto's for lunch. So what do I need - more circulation, new bulbs, both??? thanks, Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 So what do I need - more circulation, new bulbs, both??? A algae scraper,lol Brown algae is easy to deal with as it wipes off easy. I would say the brown algae is from the low light as you only have 56watts over a 90g. But increasing the light wont' do much except change the typ eof algae that grows(unless you have a planted tank). Is your pleco not eating any of the algae? I would suggest just cleaning out as much of the brown algae as you can. It wipes off the glass easy and is easy to clean off decorations. Also if you dont' have plants just turn off the lights when you aren't looking at the tank. Algae can't grow if it doens't have light and the fish should be fine with just room lights on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 I've got an algae scraper, and a set of brushes for cleaning decorations......... I was looking to prevent it. I do have a couple of small plants in there, not growing very well though, probably because I don't have enough LIGHT! And as for the pleco, he's a spoilt fat piggy who can eat his own weight in cucumber, kiwi and several other fruits or veggies....... I don't think he'll ever eat algae. So you don't think it's excess silicates then? just not enough light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 I dont' know anything about silicates, All I know is that its common in low light tanks. If you had higher light levels you'd probably have the same issue but with green algaes. IN my tanks the only thing I've found to stop it is doing more water changes and keeping on top of cleaning it up. Also turning the lights off when not needed. Other then that I dont' know what you could do. There is algae killer products but I think those are more harmful then helpful. Also increasing the light will get rid of the brown algae but it will probably just be replaced with green algaes. Getting a algae eating fish(BN pleco or otos) work but with a oscar that probably won't work. I think just cleaning it will be the easiest option(althought not the most fun) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) I guess if I ever decide I want to entertain my oscar by giving him a bunch of real plants to pull up, then I'll have some lighting questions for you all......... until then, back to the brushes. Edited February 10, 2007 by Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Would your Oscar eat a full grown BN pleco? BN plecos will take care of the brown algae. Or maybe stop feeding your pleco for a while and see if he decides he is hungry enough to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainmaker69 Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 Replace the actinic light with a duplicate of your other light as actinic is more into the blue spectrum than normal lights. This should help, but you should really try to get another light fixture to get more light into the tank. With a 90 gallon tank you should have at least 100 watts of light to give at least 1 wpg. With plants, you should try to get about 2 wpg for efficient growth. Silicates, IMHO, are more of a problem in marine tanks that freshwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted February 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 degrassi -I don't think the oscar would eat a full grown BN, but I'm not sure, I've never fed him live fish. I'm actually more worried that there would be territory issues between plecos, as a full grown BN is what, 5 or 6 inches? That's a little smaller than my current pleco....... :bang1: Rainmaker -A new light fixture would be out of my budget at the moment. I may look into brighter bulbs, but that would probably coincide with a decision to provide the oscar with a whole range of plants to uproot :grr: I guess I'll just keep cleaning it........ it's not so bad though, I find I only need to do an algae scrub every second week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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