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Hi all,

Questions about algae. . .I have a ten gallon tank with:
~4 khuli loaches
~2 cherry barbs (male and female)
~1 male betta fish

I have brown algae all over the glass, the gravel, and the fake plants/decorations and it is so frustrating. . .a while ago when I first had an outbreak of it, I literally tore down the tank and replaced the decorations, plants and gravel, and cleaned everything inside out, and within a week it was back, and worse! My decorations look horrible, and my fake plants are dotted with the algae, so now I am considering buying a battery operated gravel vac to clean the gravel (hoping it works) and another ten gallon tank in the hopes of getting rid of it. . .(like replacing the whole fish tank, but reusing the filter/heater/hood) as chemicals had no effect on the algae and only served to kill two of my older fish. So I suppose this is just a plea for advice on how to get rid of it for good, the tank is nowhere near a window, but I do tend to leave the light on all day but I am going to start leaving it off unless anyone has any objections.
Thanks for any help,
Jess

Fish are like potato chips. . .you can't have just one

Hi,
Here is a response that I posted in another thread
that you might find interesting.
Quote:
"Brown Algae" is actually an outbreak of diatoms. These
critters have skeleton of silica (SiO2) and are the result
of a combination of things. High levels of silica in the
water will cause the bloom. These high levels can come from
a new tank with new gravel, or a tank that has not had
proper water changes and gravel vacuuming. The latter is
caused by high levels of nutrients in the water. Lastly,
it can sometimes be caused by the tap water we use as it
can carry high levels of silica in it. A check with your
water company can eliminate that as a cause. Most will
respond with a chart showing the chemistries of the water
that they provide you through the tap. A simple email to
them, or checking their website will answer that question.

Here is a site that talks about "brown algae:"
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/996/996_2.html
End quote

In addition, weak lighting & high silica will "cause" an
outbreak of the stuff.
THE key to eliminating the problem is regular water
changes (once a week, 10-20% or more) that include
vacuuming the gravel. Because this also indicates high
levels of nutrients in the water, simply increasing the
lighting only makes things more conducive to the formation
of green algae and you only change pests.

With that many fish in one 10G tank, I would change at
least a third to a half of the tank with each water change.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Well this is adding some complications. . .my dad who doesn't know much about fish keeping, insists that buying one oto fish would solve my problem, but somehow I don't think it will (I think my tank is stuffed and they need to be in a group) and he doesn't think I should buy the gravel vac and I don't think he is going to let me, so this is kinda complicating my problem. . .
So any thoughts? I think part of the reason my fish tank looks like it does now is because I have never gravel vaced it so yea

Fish are like potato chips. . .you can't have just one

Yes, you need a gravel vac to get all the nasties out. Poo and leftover food settles in the gravel and can cause high nitrates.

Do you check for nitrates? If so, what are they?

Frank gave some good advice about the algae.

I suggest you get a good gravel vac to change the water and vacuum out the muck. Do this weekly and change about 40-50% of the water.

I wouldn't add any more fish. And I wouldn't get a new tank, because you would probably have the same problem in the new tank. Talk your dad about getting a gravel vac. You really need one to properly clean your tank. They are not that expensive and will save you alot of money, should your nitrates get high enough to kill your fish. Regular water changes and vacuuming will lower nitrates and keep the fish happy.

*Kristin*

Well good news he said I could buy the gravel vac today ^_^ I was planning on buying the Profile Gravel Vac Battery Operated High Performance Aquarium Cleaner from Petco.com, any thoughts/experience on that? Will it clean the gravel well?

Fish are like potato chips. . .you can't have just one