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I have some quite unsightly brown and almost reddish brown algae appearing on the walls of my tank, and green algae developing onm my plants.

I know i can use a treatment, but would rather fix it long term if possible. I know several species will eat algea but not many will eat the brown stuff other than the specific chinese and siamesse algae eaters. can i get these frm LFS in Melbourne, i havent seen before can anyone recconmend,.

Hi,
Brown algae is actually not an algae but an outbreak of
diatoms. This is generally caused by excess silica (SiO2)
in the water. The excess can come from the tap water or
because the tank is new and has new substrate. Low level
light is another cause and between the two, excess silica
and low light the brown "algae" will take off. Water
changes (as long as the source is not your tap water)will
gradually deplete the silica that is necessary for the
life of the diatom and they will die off.

Actual algae is an opportunistic critter that grows in
niches. Too much of one nutrient or lack of another can
leave a gap that algae is only too happy to fill.

Here is a site that tells you about the various types of
algae, what causes it, and how to eliminate it:
http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html

Hope this helps...
Frank


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

thanks, i think that my light is about two years old, so i have ordered a replacement, and also bought two small Bristle Nose Pleco's to help keep algae down and keep my tanks clean

Reminds me I need to replace the tube on my work tank in March.

Thanks for the reminder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~