Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted October 30, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2003 So I have what looks like brown algae in my tank. Now I understand that this isn't really algae, but what is it? Is it harmful? What is it caused by? How do I get the pretty green stuff? I know it has something to do with the light, what kind of light do I need? Can I have both brown stuff and green stuff or do I need to try and remove the brown stuff before the green stuff will grow? Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OzzMosiz Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 can't remember the name of the brown stuff, but it's not harmfil. If you want to grow green algae then keep the light on for longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ginevive Posted October 31, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 31, 2003 I have the brown "algae" too. I just put in a large apple snail yesterday, and already there is a marked decrease in the brown stuff because the snail ate most of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted October 31, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 31, 2003 Is the apple snail safe to have with goldfish? And will it make lots of babies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted October 31, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 31, 2003 Hi, The brown algae is diatoms. It is either a symptom of a new tank or a low light tank. If you increase the light, you will get green algae. Diatoms are not harmful to your fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted November 2, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2003 Ah, should I just leave the light on longer? I realize that I probably only leave it on 10 hours a day. I thought I had a fill-spectrum light though I suppose there's no way to tell now. I willl try and find an apple snail and leave the light on longer. Thanks for the replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 2, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2003 Fluorescents diminish in strength with time, so even buying a new bulb will increase the light output. Also, make sure any glass between the bulb and the tank is clean. The build up that occurs on glass can cut down on a lot of the light that reaches the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 2, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2003 BTW, 10 hours a day is a reasonable amount of time to leave the lights on. It is the intensity of the light that is more important than the duration. Usually between 10 - 12 hours a day is plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted November 2, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2003 Wow, the glass between the light and tank is quite grimy! I'll clean that and see how we do. I may just purchase a new bulb to be sure. Any recommendations? What should I look for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 2, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2003 I have been using full spectrum bulbs that I bought from Home Depot. They are Philips Colortone. Reasonably priced at $8 CDN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ginevive Posted November 3, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2003 The apple snails are safe. I would only get one, though, unless you want tons of snail babies all around! I had two of these snails in one of my tanks for less than a week, and already there's snail eggs in there. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jshearman Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 I'm having a green algae bloom. How to I get rid of this? Just reduce the light and keep doing regular water changes? I don't mind a little, but the the water is starting to get a bit murky (although the quality seems OK). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted November 5, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 5, 2003 As an aquarist with very little experience, I've heard two different opinions on this, to leave it alone and it'll take care of itself. And to use a chemical water clearer (which will bond with the algae so that the filter can suck it up). But I don't know which is preferable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 5, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 5, 2003 If I were you, I would lessen the duration of the light, and step up the water changes to lower the nitrate. BTW, how what kind of lights are you using, and how long are you leaving them on? Also, green water is actually not harmful for goldfish, but good for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jshearman Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Nitrates aren't high (10 ppm), but the tank is bare. I've just read that algae blooms are more common in bare tanks. That coupled with the light was probably the culprit. Charlie is swimming around happy as a clam, but I'd like to be able to see him!!! I think I'll try reducing the light first to see if that helps. Thanks for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 5, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 5, 2003 You could also try adding some plants, such as hornwort. Hornwort isn't planted, it is left to float, but you can use plant anchors to anchor it to the tank bottom if you wish. It uses up a lot of nitrates and can help outcompete the algae. Also floating plants, such as water wisteria is good. Your goldies will not likely eat the hornwort, either. I read that hornwort supposedly has a compound that deters algae, however, I don't know if that is true. Worth a try, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sidekick and Slim Posted November 6, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 6, 2003 That sounds really interesting, what would I need to do to add hornwort to my tank? I don't have any soils or anything, just the pebbles and rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 6, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted November 6, 2003 Hornwort is a plant that doesn't grow roots. It is unusual in that way and it gets all of its nourishment from the water, so it is really good as a water purifier. You can "anchor" it down by putting a plant anchor around it, or you can just let it float free. It is not expensive, and you can usually get a good handful of it for a few dollars. It is attractive, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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