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  L# Brown Alge spots
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SubscribeBrown Alge spots
xlinkinparkx
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male canada
Hey people, I have a 20G with 1DwarfGourami 3PLatys 1Guppy and newly added rasboras.

And I have alot of brown alge, I dont know where it comes from or how to get rid of it can I have some help?

Thankyou.

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys
Post InfoPosted 16-Aug-2006 02:21Profile PM Edit Report 
xlinkinparkx
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EditedEdited by xlinkinparkx
Usually indicates a lack of light or an excess of silicates.

What are silicates??? Because I think I have my light on almost too much.

By the was it sounds, It makes me think of silicone, Well i bought the aquarium off of my friend who said he had a leak so he but silicone a yearago, if this is the case and theres something wrong what can I do to cure or get rid of it?

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys
Post InfoPosted 16-Aug-2006 03:10Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
stuff_gnome
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male usa
A silicate is a compound of silicon and oxygen. Things like granite,sand and clay are often sources of silicate. For the most part though tap water is often "contaminated" with silicate, which diatom(brown) algae use to built their skeletons. You can get filters to remove it from your tap water, there even be filter pads you can add to your filter. However, brown algae usually goes away once the tank matures a bit and finishes cycling.
Post InfoPosted 16-Aug-2006 04:05Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
bonny
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What are silicates??? Because I think I have my light on almost too much.


It's not just the length of time the light is on, it is often the intensity and the wavelength of said light.
Post InfoPosted 16-Aug-2006 10:20Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Soidfuf
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Yea, I have brown spots and I have a pretty powerful light on my 30 so are you suggesting we/I get a less powerful light?

-Soidfuf
Post InfoPosted 28-Aug-2006 01:36Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
techjak
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One question ... how long has this tank been set up? Sometimes, diatom algae will appear early on in a new tank and will sometimes go away on its own.

As far as the light is concerned, if you have plants in the tank, you'll want about 2 watts/gallon (40 in your case)and you'll want the light on about 12 hours per day. Make sure to use a "daylight" bulb. If you don't have any live plants in the tank you don't need as much light.
Post InfoPosted 28-Aug-2006 05:17Profile Homepage Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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xlinkinparkx,

Can you specify "Brown Algae Spots" for me? Albeit all others are right with saying that Diatoms are normal in a new tank and any tank that leaches silicates (from sand, for example), they do not usually occur as spots but rather like fluff, if you know what I mean.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 28-Aug-2006 11:48Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Soidfuf
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My tank has probably been up for 10 weeks and it has never had these "diatom" spots until very recently. If this helps I have a 20 Watt light on my 30, my tank is also acrylic if that has anything to do with it. I have 2 fish right now becasue of a disease outbreak because a crappy fish I got from a store.

*1 Giant Dannio
*1 Common Pleco (very lazy)

-Soidfuf
Post InfoPosted 29-Aug-2006 01:53Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
FRANK
 
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Hi,
The brown "algae" is most probably an outbreak of diatoms.
These are tiny creatures that skeletons made of Silica
(SiO2). They occur when silica is in abundance in a tank
and the lights are low in power (for that tank).
Silicates are part of the "dust" found with aquarium gravel
and can also come directly from your tap water.

Regular vacuuming of the gravel during weekly
water changes should eliminate the outbreak of diatioms.

Frank


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Post InfoPosted 29-Aug-2006 07:00Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Joe Potato
 
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All of the above is good information, but I figure I'll just toss in my thoughts here.

xlinkinparkx:
By the was it sounds, It makes me think of silicone, Well i bought the aquarium off of my friend who said he had a leak so he but silicone a yearago, if this is the case and theres something wrong what can I do to cure or get rid of it?

No, the silicone your friend was talking about is a chemically inert (for the most part) underwater sealant. Silicones (yes, there are more than one kind! ) are polymers - long chains of repeating sequences of atoms. Being in such a form, it cannot be utilized by diatoms to construct cell walls, which, as Frank has already said, is made of silicon dioxide, SiO2.

Generally, after a tank is first setup, pretty much everyone goes through a diatom phase, no matter how powerful the light. I was running about 2.5 WPG, which is moderate-high, and still had a diatom outbreak two weeks after I set the tank up. I just upped the WCs to twice a week, scrubbed the sides as necessary, and the brown algae was gone in a little under a week.

Soidfuf:
The acrylic tank should not assist the growth of your brown algae as I cannot find any acrylics that contain silicon (Si) as one of its component elements.

The advice that others have already said about more powerful light is good as it allows for the more advanced type of algaes (green, etc.) to outcompete the brown algae. You may be wondering why you should just trade one type of algae for another, but for the most part green algae is easier to control and there are a heck of a lot more fish types which find it tasty. If you are running even a bit more powerful light, around 1.5 WPG, your horizons have broadened considerably as there are many type of aquarium plants that you could use in the tank.

I'm sorry to hear about your disease outbreak. What are you planning on restocking with? I only ask because both common plecos and giant danios, when grown, are quite a handful for a tank that size. Giant danios top out at around 4 inches, are shoalers (meaning there should be at least 4 in a tank, more is even better!), and are underwater Jack Russel Terriers; you'll be lucky if you see one stay still for 3 continuous seconds. The common pleco, on the other hand, is quite a monster as it can easily exceed a foot in length, as seen here. Both of these species are a bit much for a tank that size to handle effectively on the long term. I would consider either upgrading to a larger tank or perhaps returning them to the LFS for credit and then restocking with smaller, more docile fish.

Joe Potato
Post InfoPosted 31-Aug-2006 16:07Profile Homepage AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
Soidfuf
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Well I will probably have a Pleco, 2 gouramis, 4 cory's, and maybe 5 red eyes.

-Soidfuf
Post InfoPosted 06-Sep-2006 23:45Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Soidfuf
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male usa
Also my pleco is already a 12 incher...

-Soidfuf
Post InfoPosted 06-Sep-2006 23:46Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Soidfuf
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Can some fake plants contain silicon in them, because I think that 2 of my plants have it as a material that makes it look real...

-Soidfuf
Post InfoPosted 08-Sep-2006 02:26Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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