crumbly brown algae

kornphlake · 05-08-2008, 08:30 PM

I've got a lot of crumbly brown algae that collects on plant leaves, moss and BBA. I'm not sure what the stuff is, or if it's algae at all. It looks kind of like coliflower but not as dense and brown and small, it hasn't killed plants (except for my dang crypts that don't seem to like DIY CO2) but it looks ugly. I've tried siphoning out as much as I can during water changes, but it seems like I end up stirring it all up and only a little gets siphoned out, most of it ends up back on plant leaves or moss. How do I get rid of this stuff?

10G
2 bottles of DIY CO2
EI dosing
Play Sand substrate
Weekly water changes
AC50 filter
temp 79F
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 15-20ppm
11 pristella tetras
1 clown pleco
ludwigia palastrus
valisineria nana (jungle val)
java fern
java moss
potomageton perfoliatus (pond weed)
rotala rotundfoilia
pistia striatos (water lettuice)
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (brazillian pennywort)
Heteranthera zosterifolia (Star grass)
Cryptocoryne Wenditii green
Riccia fluitans

**@marko@** · 05-08-2008, 11:21 PM

never heard of anything like this. can you post a pic?

kornphlake · 05-09-2008, 03:17 AM

Pictures here:

Matsu49 · 05-09-2008, 04:26 AM

Excel or SAE's will clean that up.

kornphlake · 05-09-2008, 03:31 PM

What is it though? What causes it and what can I do to keep it from spreading or coming back after I kill it with chemicals or feed it to a fish. Will any fish besides a SAE eat it, they'd get too big for a 10 gallon, Excel will melt my vals so I'd rather not use that, but I may pull the val out and treat the tank with Excel to get rid of the BBA as well. If it's just going to come back there's not much point though.

honor · 05-09-2008, 03:33 PM

uv light?

kornphlake · 05-09-2008, 05:00 PM

Does that mean I can get rid of it with a UV sterilizer or are you asking if the tank is exposed to UV light?

honor · 05-09-2008, 05:01 PM

maybe you can control it with a uv stereilizer. im thinking a good intank filter could do just good a job. just run it then take it out.

kornphlake · 05-09-2008, 08:55 PM

So are you thinking that the brown clump algae could be the same as green dust or green water as far as treatment goes? I'll look into that, or I may try daily water changes to mechanically remove most of the algae, I'll know after a couple days if it makes things worse like in green water.

Is a UV sterilizer useful in combatting BBA also? For the price of a uv sterilizer and pump I could almost get pressurized CO2 that would control the BBA just as well.

**mpodolan** · 05-10-2008, 06:32 PM

I'm gonna have to disagree with the UV suggestion here. UV's are only useful for green water, which this is not, and to help kill harmful organisms that may be introduced into the aquarium. UV will not help BBA.

I think your idea about manually removing as much as you can is a good one. Also, I'd agree that a co2 system would be a much better investment for you. UV's are nice, but most people (including myself) rarely need them.

kornphlake · 05-14-2008, 10:12 PM

I changed both bottles of DIY CO2 instead of just one as usual. It seems to be controlling the algae, but I'm getting some GSA and what looks like the start of green hair algae, I might need to try dosing a little more phosphate.

gumby · 05-15-2008, 02:13 AM

I have that too.

Would excel really take care of it?

Reepicheep · 05-15-2008, 02:00 PM

Looks similar (but not exactly like) to a diatom outbreak I recently had with a new tank. The diatoms were brown and dusty, and were easily removed by fanning and siphoning off the material. It's subsided lately, as I think whatever substance(s) the diatoms need is being used up (and eaten by the ottos). In your case, I wonder if the play sand substrate might be adding copious amounts of silica to the water.

kornphlake · 05-15-2008, 02:06 PM

The substrate is about 5 years old and has never caused any unusual amount of brown algae. I'd suspect a jump in silicates in the tap water before I'd pin the blame on the substrate.

inkslinger · 05-28-2008, 08:19 AM

ahahah i too is having the same thing going on in my new set up on SMS Substrate, i am running Co2, my ph is at around 6.8 and kh at 3.5 , i only have a couple of plants in my 110g tank and like a week it cover the whole tank sub and plants , i had add bio spira to speed up the cycle and add 4 cheap fish to kick start

05-08-2008, 08:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	crumbly brown algae I've got a lot of crumbly brown algae that collects on plant leaves, moss and BBA. I'm not sure what the stuff is, or if it's algae at all. It looks kind of like coliflower but not as dense and brown and small, it hasn't killed plants (except for my dang crypts that don't seem to like DIY CO2) but it looks ugly. I've tried siphoning out as much as I can during water changes, but it seems like I end up stirring it all up and only a little gets siphoned out, most of it ends up back on plant leaves or moss. How do I get rid of this stuff? 10G 2 bottles of DIY CO2 EI dosing Play Sand substrate Weekly water changes AC50 filter temp 79F Ammonia 0ppm Nitrite 0ppm Nitrate 15-20ppm 11 pristella tetras 1 clown pleco ludwigia palastrus valisineria nana (jungle val) java fern java moss potomageton perfoliatus (pond weed) rotala rotundfoilia pistia striatos (water lettuice) Hydrocotyle leucocephala (brazillian pennywort) Heteranthera zosterifolia (Star grass) Cryptocoryne Wenditii green Riccia fluitans

05-08-2008, 11:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
@marko@ Algae: $10 shipped (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: livingston, nj Posts: 3,049	never heard of anything like this. can you post a pic? __________________ Eheim Pimp #296 Eheim Ecco 2232 (x2), Eheim Ecco 2234 (x1) Lizards: Leopard gecko dessert Gold dust day gecko jungle Tanks: 20L: community: JOURNAL!! Eclipse 3: betta tank: JOURNAL!! 6g reef: clown pair tank

05-10-2008, 06:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
mpodolan A work in progress (View User Tanks) PTrader: (58) Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lenox, MI Posts: 1,321	I'm gonna have to disagree with the UV suggestion here. UV's are only useful for green water, which this is not, and to help kill harmful organisms that may be introduced into the aquarium. UV will not help BBA. I think your idea about manually removing as much as you can is a good one. Also, I'd agree that a co2 system would be a much better investment for you. UV's are nice, but most people (including myself) rarely need them. __________________ Mike 10" Cube 10g Shrimp tank 20g planted 50g planted

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05-09-2008, 03:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	Pictures here:

05-09-2008, 04:26 AM	#4 (permalink)
Matsu49 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hawaii Posts: 73	Excel or SAE's will clean that up.

05-09-2008, 03:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	What is it though? What causes it and what can I do to keep it from spreading or coming back after I kill it with chemicals or feed it to a fish. Will any fish besides a SAE eat it, they'd get too big for a 10 gallon, Excel will melt my vals so I'd rather not use that, but I may pull the val out and treat the tank with Excel to get rid of the BBA as well. If it's just going to come back there's not much point though.

05-09-2008, 03:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
honor Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Los Angeles California Posts: 379	uv light?

05-09-2008, 05:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	Does that mean I can get rid of it with a UV sterilizer or are you asking if the tank is exposed to UV light?

05-09-2008, 05:01 PM	#8 (permalink)
honor Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Los Angeles California Posts: 379	maybe you can control it with a uv stereilizer. im thinking a good intank filter could do just good a job. just run it then take it out.

05-09-2008, 08:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	So are you thinking that the brown clump algae could be the same as green dust or green water as far as treatment goes? I'll look into that, or I may try daily water changes to mechanically remove most of the algae, I'll know after a couple days if it makes things worse like in green water. Is a UV sterilizer useful in combatting BBA also? For the price of a uv sterilizer and pump I could almost get pressurized CO2 that would control the BBA just as well.

05-14-2008, 10:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	I changed both bottles of DIY CO2 instead of just one as usual. It seems to be controlling the algae, but I'm getting some GSA and what looks like the start of green hair algae, I might need to try dosing a little more phosphate.

05-15-2008, 02:13 AM	#12 (permalink)
gumby Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Posts: 116	I have that too. Would excel really take care of it?

05-15-2008, 02:00 PM	#13 (permalink)
Reepicheep Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 29	Looks similar (but not exactly like) to a diatom outbreak I recently had with a new tank. The diatoms were brown and dusty, and were easily removed by fanning and siphoning off the material. It's subsided lately, as I think whatever substance(s) the diatoms need is being used up (and eaten by the ottos). In your case, I wonder if the play sand substrate might be adding copious amounts of silica to the water.

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05-15-2008, 02:06 PM	#14 (permalink)
kornphlake Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland Posts: 311	The substrate is about 5 years old and has never caused any unusual amount of brown algae. I'd suspect a jump in silicates in the tap water before I'd pin the blame on the substrate.

05-28-2008, 08:19 AM	#15 (permalink)
inkslinger Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Taunton ,MA Posts: 292	ahahah i too is having the same thing going on in my new set up on SMS Substrate, i am running Co2, my ph is at around 6.8 and kh at 3.5 , i only have a couple of plants in my 110g tank and like a week it cover the whole tank sub and plants , i had add bio spira to speed up the cycle and add 4 cheap fish to kick start