Brown Algea on Swords

[Burbotman]

4 months ago I put a couple of Amozon swords in my tank. The plants have done well and are growing quickly.
I am however having a problem with Brown Algea on the leaves. New leaves are fine for a week until the Brown Algea starts to cover them. I can rub some of it off but it seems to be a losing battle.

My small Bristle plec does take some of it off but does "skeleton" the leaves. Other fish are out as the tank is home to some large polypterus.

Any thoughts on what would help. On a side note, I never had any issue with brown algea before I put these plants in.

Thanks

 

[velanarris]

A silicate absorber will deal with diatoms (brown algae).

 

[Burbotman]

Thank you for the info. Are silicone absorber's something availible at a LFS?

 

[Burbotman]

Thank you for the info. Are silicone absorber's something availible at a LFS?

Sorry, make the question is a silicate absorber availible at a LFS?

 

[jmart.cooper]

or get an otto cat or two, if they wont get eaten by the tankmates. They are supposed to eat brown algae.

Never mind, it would be lunch for the bichirs

 

[velanarris]

Oto cats will do it, large water changes will do it, and some types of properly cured stones will absorb silicates.

What I do is I have a calcite rock that I use to keep my kH and GH stable, it's almost pure white when cleaned, looks killer, and the algae collects on it as calcite is very porous. I take it out from time to time, usually during tank maintenance, and scrub it down with a wire brush.

This keeps diatoms down. The best way though are Oto Catfish. They're tiny, need little care, but can be difficult to acclimate initially.

You can always try this product:

https://reefperfection.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=441

I have not used it myself so I can't speak to how well it works.