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i have a 60g. tank with 6 african clawed frogs. i do water and filter changes every 10-14 days. this brownish algae builds up on th glass and plastic plants. very ugly. had water checked numerous times at lfs, and everything seems fine, but the algae allways cmes back. any suggestions?

Is the aquarium itself new? Assuming it's made of glass, you probably have diatoms. After a while they stop growing as much because the silicates from the glass are harder for them to obtain (less dissolved or something).

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its not a new tank. ive had the frogs for 1 1/2 yrs. ive added two frogs, now have six, so i dont think im over crowded.

Hi,
Brown algae in a freshwater aquarium is actually an
outbreak of diatoms. They are tiny critters that thrive
on silica. The things that promote their growth are
a buildup of silica (they use it to build their shells),
low or no currents, low light, and low oxygen levels.

Check out your filter system, are there any "dead spots"
in the aquarium. If so, these dead spots act as nutrient
sumps (places where the detritus will build up (gather)
and the organic compounds that result from the breakdown
of the waste gather) Change the placement of
your hard-scape (rocks or ornaments) to improve circulation.

Increase your lighting to more watts per gallon. Do not
increase the duration, its the strength of the light that
could be lacking.

Add a functioning air-stone to the tank to oxygenate the
water and at the same time increase the circulation within
the tank.

Otto's a small sucker-mouth catfish, in particular
enjoy feasting on the diatoms.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebrown.htm

Frank


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

i have two filters running now, and an airstone. i will move my rocks around, and check my wattage on my light. ottos are nice, but my frogs would inhale them. would a powerhead help with the circulation?

Hi,
Yes, a power head might help but might also cause
problems for your frogs. Being sure of no dead spots
and the other items ('cept the ottos) would be a better
idea.

Frank


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

A BN Pleco might be able to put up with the frogs, and in my experience they just LOVE brown "algae". You could just try increasing the lighting and the other stuff mentioned and see if that helps.