Brown Algae?

[Mr Pleco]

when i clean the tank (remove all decore and fish) and clean all visible spots, it comes back in a week or two. even if i keep the lights on only 4hrs a day.

You don't have to remove the fish or are you changing 100% of the water? What size tank ? your filteration? water change cycle? bio load?
What are your test kit parms? all else is normal check for phosphates

usually algae isn't a problem if you limit the amount of light into the tank and waste...

 

[fallin49er]

I'm telling you..Just get an Ancistrus bristlenose and all your algae problems will go bye bye...they don't get very big either.

 

[wingate2581]

I'm telling you..Just get an Ancistrus bristlenose and all your algae problems will go bye bye...they don't get very big either.

Bristlenose do a good job at clean up, but there is still a reason for the algae bloom, and the ancistrus will only be masking the real issue that is creating the algae in the first place.

You don't have to remove the fish or are you changing 100% of the water? What size tank ? your filteration? water change cycle? bio load?
What are your test kit parms? all else is normal check for phosphates

usually algae isn't a problem if you limit the amount of light into the tank and waste...

X2

 

[Fishman0]

the algae hasn't taken over the tank or anything... it is only on a few rocks and decor.

i do weekly 50% WC's and feed lightly

once i see some brown algae ill remove the decor and rinse it with the water removed and it comes "clean" and stays for up to two weeks before it shows up again. i have limited the ligtht, besides the room light, to about an hour a day.

water params are; Ammonia=0ppm, Nitrite=0ppm, pH=7.6, nitrate<10
i dont have this problem in any other tanks so idk what makes this one have algae

 

[Noddy]

I got several plecos, like Ancistrus,Yellow Phantom, L354, and pseudacanthicus, but they are all VERY LAZY!!!!
Did and do not ever do a decent job in cleaning algae.
My whole tank was green and i felt stupid.
Then I got my Hypostomus and my whole tank was completely WHITE again within two days.
Mind you the pleco was very underfed when I got her.
So there can be a lot of difference between plecs...

 

[Fishman0]

my 75gal is overstocked with one 5.5" sailfin... the glass and every surface within the tank is spotless with 12hrs of light per day.

all the little guy does is eat and poop.... never had any algae problems at all. He even cleans the airlines, but its just that one little tank with the brown algae. idk why it was a problem from the start

 

[JenTN]

I third (or fourth?) the bristlenose...I got a tiny albino bristlenose a few weeks ago, hoping that he was one of the rare ones that would help get rid of my snails. He eats snails. He eats algae. He eats algae wafers. He eats pellets. He eats cucumbers. He eats zucchini. He eats flakes. He eats the catfish wafers. He eats driftwood. He EATS!!! Seriously, the guy is chubby and growing really rapidly. You can see his suckerprints on the glass if you look at it sideways, lol. I had red algae on a plant before, he ate it. So he'd probably eat brown algae too.