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	Brown Algae
luisprado Hobbyist Posts: 81 Kudos: 156 Votes: 5 Registered: 02-Jun-2004	I have a bad case of brown algae in my tank. I have heard it could be because my tank is still brand new. My tank is approximately 8 weeks old. I don't want to try any chemical stuff. How do I get rid of brown algae? Is there a certain kind of fish I can buy (e.g snails, shrimp, plecos, ottos)? or should I just clean it manually. Nitrates 0, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0. PH 7.2 I have a 40g with 10 Neon tetras, 3 black skirt tetras, 5 German Blue Rams, 2 Harlequin Rasbora, 3 zebra danio and 10 ghost shrimp. Thanks.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
greenmonkey51 Fish Master Posts: 1571 Kudos: 1692 Votes: 5 Registered: 28-Jan-2004	manually is the best way. it comes off easy
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
fosteder Hobbyist Posts: 58 Kudos: 43 Votes: 0 Registered: 22-Apr-2004	Are you sure about the Nitrate reading? 0 is pretty hard to get, especially with any kind of bio load. Is it a heavily planted tank?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
JQW Fish Addict Posts: 869 Kudos: 758 Registered: 09-Apr-2003	Nitrates 0, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0. PH 7.2 with your bio load, it's impossible to get 0 nitrate, are you sure that your test kit is accurate and you did the right thing? i used to have brown algae everywhere in the tank but since i added a bunch of wisteria, everything is gone now
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
luisprado Hobbyist Posts: 81 Kudos: 156 Votes: 5 Registered: 02-Jun-2004	Sorry, It was a typo, I was in a hurry to write this thread. My nitrates are 20. But you guys say manually is the best way? How about whatever is on my plants or substrate?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
fins Enthusiast Posts: 175 Kudos: 205 Votes: 3 Registered: 22-Oct-2003	Yes you can manually do it - but why? The king of brown algae eating - The Bristlenose Catfish. I have one in my 29G and it spotless. Also, they do not reach large sizes and would be well suited for your tank. Regrards, Fins.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
luisprado Hobbyist Posts: 81 Kudos: 156 Votes: 5 Registered: 02-Jun-2004	How many should BN should I get for a 40g tank?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
fins Enthusiast Posts: 175 Kudos: 205 Votes: 3 Registered: 22-Oct-2003	Well, I put 1 in my 29G and within 24 hours the tank was clean. I put a small one in (1-1/2" and he had an amazing appetite. I would start with one - that should be fine. Also in the US - you can find them at Petsmart pretty cheap. Good luck.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
songbird1963 Enthusiast Posts: 238 Votes: 0 Registered: 09-Apr-2004	Dont forget to feed it algae tablets when the brown algae is gone!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
trystianity Mega Fish Posts: 1028 Kudos: 926 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Mar-2004	I wrote an article a while back about all kinds of algae in freshwater aquaria. Check it out here
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
poisonwaffle Mega Fish Posts: 1397 Kudos: 591 Registered: 11-Feb-2003	Otos and BNs will get rid of brown algae well, but BNs won't eat many other kinds of algae. I'd reccommend getting 6-8 Otos...they eat several kinds of algae
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
luisprado Hobbyist Posts: 81 Kudos: 156 Votes: 5 Registered: 02-Jun-2004	Thanks to all for your responses. I bought 4 ottos and they did a TREMENDOUS job in 24 hours. I could not believe the difference in my tank after this guys did their job. I highly recommend ottos for those that need a fish to eat brown algae and don't have a big tank.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19


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