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So I have a 20 gal long DP tank. It is fully cycled and planted to with low to med low light plants. I have a 20 watt Floro-Glow light. My question: I have brown algae growing on the plants and I think it is because I dont have enough light (which I keep on from 9 till 9). Do I have enough and if not what should I do to fix this problem. Ideas of a better florescent bulb?

do u have any algea eatting fish in the tank?
Is the algea like long and furry or just covering the leaves as in a thin covering on the leaf?
Are the plants healthy and to my calculations u have 1 WPG is the algea on dead leaves or on the healthy ones or on the hole plant?
Do u think u could get a pic of the algea as that might help

Hi,
In a new tank with low light, the abundance of silica will
cause an outbreak of diatoms, commonly misnamed as brown
algae. A couple, three ottos will solve the problem, or
water changes to remove the excess silica, or increasing
the light will eliminate the Brown Algae.

You don't say what type of fluorescent light you have on the
tank. If it is a "warm" or "soft" white you could change
it to a DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT type of bulb. If it is a
so called "Plant Bulb" I'd replace it with one of the
above (daylight/sunlight) from the local hardware store,
or from a LFS try one of the Coral Life "sun" series.
Either way, that will give you more oomph for your dollar
and may eliminate the brown algae.
Frank


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

So I am not sure if it is soft or warm. I will try to get a daylight and see what happens. How long should I keep it on? Currently I have my light on from 9 till 9. I also am using a bit of Flourish every other day. I fill up a cap till the first thread. I do a water change every week and I have very soft water. I will try to get pics. Any help will do.

This usually happens to me when I start up a new tank, but it will likely go away on it's own. I think increasing the light would probably only give you a green algae problem.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Will it go away? For now my plants are not doing so well. I am not sure if they are not getting enough food or enough light or if it is the algae? Thoughts?

Light with low K rating (cool or warm) would not help plants but sure will help diatoms. Had the same problem and got it resolved by changing the lights to daylight. Your last post stated that the plant growth is not too good. This supports the suspicion.
Frequent water changes do help too. What is ur substrate? If it's sand, u already have high silica contents in ur tank. In that case, frequent water changes are a must.
Once the root cause of this algea is removed, it disappears as quickly as it apears.

I have a Flourite on the bottom 1/4 and the rest is a mix of Flourite and gravel. I will try to upgrade to daylight. I will see if I can can get a "Daylight" bulb tonight. Any idea of how much light (time)?

Any ideas of what brand?

12 to 14 hours a day is what they recommend. Cant suggest any brand. Just check the K rating of the lights. It should be above 6000K. 6700K~6900K would be perfect.

Ah thanks. So I went to my LFS and picked up a Life-Glow 2 (6700K)on Friday night. So I installed it and on Saturday did my normal water change and boy did it make a difference! My plants are more vibrant and my puffers are more clear and easier to see. ON Sunday I noticed a reduced amount of brown algae. So I will update soon.

Hi,
Generally speaking, the idea with the lighting is to mimic
the tropical noonday sun as it would be along the equator.
As was mentioned that would be 12 to 14 hours, max.
In a closed system, such as our aquariums, I suspect that
you will find 10-12 hours is max. Anything longer will help
cause an outbreak of various types of green algae that will
turn into a tremendous problem. I'd recommend beginning
with 10 hours and see how the tank does as it matures.

Frank


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