algae or something

[Nguyener]

Brown stuff on rocks

i dont know what this is but it's been growing in my tank and i would clean it off but it comes back should i like use some sort of algae remover i dont really know what to do...lol

Ps. this is not like a omg help me kinda thing
i just want to know how to get rid of it
ohh.. and i havent tryed the algae removers yet

[imagirlgeek]

Diatoms/Brown Algae/Silica Algae

This is common in new setups, but can show up in established tanks under certain conditions. In new setups, it'll eventually go away on it's own. In an established tank, some of the triggers are....

- Old Bulbs
- Excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, silicates)
- Low oxygen

I've seen it in my tanks when it was time to clean the bio-balls and was having issues with nitrates and phosphates. Once I got those handled, the diatoms went away. :)

[Mzungu]

I second what imagirlgeek said - this is very common in newer setups. I've ALSO noticed that it's quite common in tanks that get large, frequent water changes.

Another observation - bristlenose plecos love this stuff.

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[5thwardboy]

+1 on the bristlenose. Get one and your problem should be gone in couple days.

[Suelovesfish]

How do you go about cleaning your bio balls from your W/D? Just tear it all down, drain the sump best you can and take the whole W/D outside and spray down with hose?

[cichlid1409]

How do you go about cleaning your bio balls from your W/D? Just tear it all down, drain the sump best you can and take the whole W/D outside and spray down with hose?

pretty much, just make sure to clean the bio balls with tank water.

[Enin]

If you choose to use bristtlenose, dont think its a quick fix. You have to quarintine new fish before add them to watch for sickness. I bought 4 albinos at a auction and dumped them in since im new and was stupid. The bristlenose had ICH and all 4 of them died and i lost 1 of my Ikola before i found quik cure and got it under control. I learned my leason the hard way.
I will never use Ick Attack again.
P.S. Nice looking rock.

[imagirlgeek]

How do you go about cleaning your bio balls from your W/D? Just tear it all down, drain the sump best you can and take the whole W/D outside and spray down with hose?

I just take about 1/2 of the bioballs out and clean them at a time. That way I can use tap water and not worry about it. So, I take them all out, clean 1/2 of them really good, then put them back in the sump...clean balls on bottom, dirty on top so I can clean the other 1/2 later.

[RocketSurgeon]

I'll second cleaning half the bio balls at a time, therefore allowing tap water, but I go a step further and use two different color of balls, white and blue. I didn't actually plan it that way, just happened, but it makes it easy to determine what's half. One cleaning, white will be on top, and the next cleaning blue will be on top. I never remove the tank from under the aquarium. I pull out one color bio ball and place in 5 gal bucket, clean and return. I also rinse the pads at the same time. I never stop the water flow during the process. I just work around it.

[Nguyener]

do i have to take out the rock again and clean after i do all the other bio ball stuff?

[nacra99]

do i have to take out the rock again and clean after i do all the other bio ball stuff?

shouldn't have to do it unless you are not done cycling and there are still silicates in the water.
There will always be a certain amount of diatoms in the tank. If your tank is fully cycled and everything is in balance, growth is so small that it shouldn't be noticeable. The key is to keep the water quality in balance so the diatomic algae doesn't explode.

[Nguyener]

thank you every one on the advices
im gonna try everything tomorrow and we'll see how it does

[RocketSurgeon]

The brown algae looking stuff on the big white rock will continue to return until you correct your water quality or lighting.

As stated previously by others (Imagirlgeek)

Diatoms/Brown Algae/Silica Algae

This is common in new setups, but can show up in established tanks under certain conditions. In new setups, it'll eventually go away on it's own. In an established tank, some of the triggers are....

- Old Bulbs
- Excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, silicates)
- Low oxygen

I've seen it in my tanks when it was time to clean the bio-balls and was having issues with nitrates and phosphates. Once I got those handled, the diatoms went away.

[Mzungu]

thank you every one on the advices
im gonna try everything tomorrow and we'll see how it does

Just remember that algae doesn't really hurt anything. And, like nacra99 said, you're always going to have algae. It's not a big deal at all. But as the tank matures you'll see less and less of it if you keep up with your maintenance routine.

Like you first said, it's not an "omg help me kinda thing."

Also, I second what Enin said. If you do plan to get a bristlenose or three, quarantine them first! If you just throw them in your tank, you could end up with much bigger problems than just some algae. :)

[Sea-agg09]

What kind of food are you feeding your fish? Flake/pellet food always has a small amount of phosphates, which will spur on the growth of algae. Trying to remove nitrates is very ineffective. Fish waste will continuously put ammonia and nitrates into the water. Removing the phosphates is a much easier method of controlling algae. Switching to a kind of "real" food, like frozen/freeze dried brine/bloodworms etc, will usually improve your water quality. There is generally less waste and fewer nutrients are released into the water. Another option is a phosphate-removing compound in your filter, such as API or phosban. You could use these till your filter and tank establish a balance.