Brown algae is still around??

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E

Elwood

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 20, 2011
48
0
0
St Louis
I have been cycling now since the first week of January. I had several fish (mollies and Bala sharks) but am down to 3 mollies. I have removed all the plants and rocks because I am tired of cleaning them. How long until the brown algae stops coating my glass?
And If I dont get it all out of the tank, will it grow back from what is left. For example, my sponge filter has brown algae on it. should I clean it off?
The sponge filter is only a week old in the tank.

90 gallon
3 mollies
Marineland 360 canister - with seachem matrix in one basket, rena stars and ceramic rings in the last basket


Nitrates were high but I am changing 15% of water every week.
Is it just going to take longer because of so few fish? Will the brown algae stop once the cycle is balanced?
 
You need to bump the water changes up for awhile, and if you can get a rival for the food supply for the algae you are better off. Some live plants, roots from plants hanging in the tank, less light, different spectrum of light, etc. If you have a light that has a plant growth spectrum and leave it on 10 hours a day with no plants, you basically are growing algae. Without more specifics to your tank it's hard to know more.

You aren't overstocked, but you aren't making 25% water changes weekly, you have been cycling awhile, but are you using bottled bacteria too? What are the current water parameters? You took out the gravel, which can house a lot of beneficial bacteria, so that could have shocked the tank a little too. If the tank by a window? I never thought my was really by a window considering it's a north facing window with a cream colored curtain in front of the entire window 24/7, however, I only get brown algae in the corner of the tank closest to that window. I tried everything I could think of before I figured it out too, filters, water changes, 4 different bulbs, less light, and it was the stupid window. Now I just scrape it off knowing everything in the tank is ok.
 
Buy yourself an ancistrus catfish. Your brown algae will be gone in a day or two. Make sure to feed the ancistrus after the algae is gone.
 
Thanks. My light is the marineland double bright. I never thought about hanging plant roots to feed on the nitrates.
I will google the ancistrus catfish as I have never heard of them.
Thanks for the responses.
 
If the bulbs are older they will also change spectrum which can cause algae too. I usually notice once my bulbs are about 14-18 months old I will get more algae. Once I change out the bulb and wipe it out again the algae doesn't come back for awhile.
 
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