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Hi everyone, just a quick question. I have a 10 gallon with 4 small german blue rams. Each one is about 1-1 1/2 inches long and they are healthy and get along well. My problem is that i get a thick layer of like brown algae all over everything. I do 20% water changes every week, and have a duetto mini and penguin mini, on which i change the media monthly. I recently bought a phosphate remover pad made by HBH and it seems to help a little in controlling the growth of algae. Its seems like, every 2 months the algae gets soo thick on everything, i take everything out and scrub the algae off of them. I feed them brineshrip flakes and frozen bloodworms with the ocasional feeding of omega one veggie flakes. Any help on how to keep the algae growth down would be greatly appreciated.


Last edited by bigfish in a little pond at 10-Feb-2005 17:30

what kind of lighting do u have? what is ur lighting scedual?

i have a striplight with a 15 watt bulb, my scedule is on at 8 in mourning off at 7 at night

Bigfish,

This is from freshwateraquarium.about.com:

Brown Algae

Algae

Other Names: Gravel algae, Silica algae

Color: Brown

Appearance: Begins as brown patches on the gravel and/or glass, then rapidly coats most surfaces of the aquarium with a thin, dark brown coating that is easily removed. Unlike blue-green/slime algae, it does not come off in large slimy sheets.

# Cause: Excess silicates & nitrates
# Inadequate light
# Low oxygen levels Brown algae is a common occurrence in a newly set up aquarium. It is generally caused by too little light, an excess of silicates, an abundance of nutrients, and too little oxygen. Silicates can build up through tap water that is high in silicic acid, and silicates that leech from some types of substrates.

Cure:
# Wipe off surfaces & vaccine gravel well
# Use silicate adsorbing resin in the filter
# Increase the lighting
# Stock a plecostomus or several otocinclus This type of algae does not adhere strongly to the tank surfaces, and is easily wiped away. Vacuuming the gravel with a siphon will quickly remove coatings from the substrate. Increasing the lighting will inhibit regrowth of brown algae. As a new tank matures brown algae is often eliminated naturally by plants and green algae competing for nutrients.

Some suckermouth catfish will readily eat brown algae, most notably plecostomus and otocinclus. If the problem is due to high silicates in the water, and the brown algae persists, a special silicate absorbing resin can be used in the filter.

Prevention:
# Use of RO water
# Regular water changes
# Regular aquarium cleaning
# Good lighting As with any algae, keeping the tank clean and performing regular water changes is one of the best preventative measures. Unfortunately it is still possible to get algae in spite of regular maintenance, especially in a newly established aquarium. Prompt attention to sudden algae growth will prevent more serious problems.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Thank you so much, i knew that i would get an answer/:'