# Getting rid of Brown algae.



## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

It basically plagues my brackish tank, I constantly have to clean the glass and the ornaments, for 2 months now I have tried using algaefix and even upped the dosage (I was told to use the freshwater algaefix as the amount of salt in the tank really isn't enough to warrant the marine version), so what are my other options?

I have even tried turning off the light more often and I don't over feed at all, and none of my other tanks have ever had an algae problem I couldn't fix.

Also my dad has a saltwater tank and a red/green algae problem and uses the marine algaefix but it doesn't help either, is this just a bad product?

It's a 29 gallon tank and the only fish in there is a figure eight puffer but I plan on adding 2 more. Photo below for picture of my algae.


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## phlyergirl (Nov 6, 2011)

Wow, I don't know what you can do but wipe it off and wait. I would suggest a nerite but I bet your puffer would really enjoy that. :lol:


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

my problem is I have wiped it off many times, and it comes back every time... no matter what I try...


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard Co2 drops will kill it. You just have to be careful not to over dose as it will kill plants and fish.


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## MagPie (Mar 2, 2012)

I found this article you might want to look at: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebrown.htm

I've never really dealt with this algae much. I get the green spot algae and did have blue green algae. BGA is gross btw haha. I don't care much about the green spot algae cause it's not bad, but I just recently rid myself BGA and my tank looks great now.


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks magpie, but sadly I have tried all of that, Ive cleaned the gravel, it has a good bright light already, I tried the RO water, the filters that absorb the silicates, and nothing seems to help...


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah, nerite snail  
Try lots of water changes? 
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm
I had a hypothesis and this kind of backs it up a little...
My hypothesis: 
Observations- Every new tank I have set up has had a problem with brown algae and once the nitrates and nitrites stabilize, it usually goes away.
Conclusion- The brown algae is there because of a surplus of nutrients in the water and a large water change should help the problem.

Try it and see if it helps


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

iheartfish, I have done that too, I did a 100% water change multiple times.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

How much light is on it a day? I had the same problem on a freshwater tank. Had to get a pleco to get rid of it. I found decreasing tank light schedules eventually gets rid of it.


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Hmmm... Well then. It seems you've tried everything. Do you have plants? They would take out excess nutrients. I heard that Egeria densa is good for this purpose; it out-competes the algae.


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

my problem is it is a brackish tank so FW plants will die, and not early enough salt for any SW plants like kelp


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Oh, right. Well, my friend, it seems you're at a stalemate with the algae


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Every water change you make just adds more mineral nutrients to the water. Just ride it out until it crashes.


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

but tos, I have had this problem for months now, probably been going on for 7 months, and 2 months ago I started using chemicals to see if they would help...


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I don't know if this will help or if you are even willing to try but here is what I did in a tank with longer term diatome problems: I decided to "just see what happens" and I stopped wiping it off all together. I did small water changes (10%) with good gravel vac's weekly. The glass got to the point where you could only see through little pockets and I almost gave up and started wiping it clean again. Then I woke up one morning and it was GONE. All that was left was a very beautiful green algae on my log that looked like a carpet of grass. It was really cool. Might be worth a try? 

It took patience, it was well over a month of doing this, it might have even been 2 months I can't remember for sure. All I had in there was a Betta so I wasn't risking too many fish with this. I had a Bronze Wedntii in there and that was it for live plants. Then the little piece of driftwood the carpet of "grass" was on. And I had several plastic decorations that also were covered until it corrected itself.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yep. Eventually just vanishes. Chem to try? Chloroquine phosphate.


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks for the tip obsidian, I'm gonna try that, maybe I have too many nutrients in the water that the algae is feeding off of, and by letting it grow all over the tank it will eventually use up all of its food and die off from starvation. Thanks.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

It was actually kind of fun to see how gross it could get LOL. I'm on the sick sense of humor side though....


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## TigerBarb12 (Jan 7, 2007)

LOL, we all have a sick side, dont we . I had a problem with brown algae back 4 years ago when I first got my 38g, I just ignored it and it eventually went away, wiping it off can spread it, moving through the water and what not. Live plants can help take care of any algae, but the good thing is, once you get rid of brown algae, you shouldn't ever get it again


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