# !!!!! Omg Its Everywhere! !!!!!!



## Tocs1001 (Apr 9, 2005)

Well Im about 2 and a half weeks into cycling my tank and I noticed this stuf starting to grow on everything its brown at first I thought it was alge but alge is green isnt it but its everywhere my Glass Sucker seems to love it i got him 2 days ago, and the Snails I got with live plant that just hitched a ride love it to so I dont know if this is part of cycling or something wierd.

:fun: or  ???


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Dont be worried it is a algae. There are several types of algae and usually in new tanks this brown algae is common. 

There is green algae, red algae, brown algae, hair, and there is even algae that only survives in a free floating state causing your water to look the color of the algae. If this brown algae stays for more than a week or two post again and we will help you rid your tank of it.


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## Xanaxo (Mar 24, 2005)

Yep. I have the same problem with my tank. I am am having to clean the tank and fight it with my algae eater.

Any suggesstions to combat this problem? My tank is about a month old. Low to no Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

ya I've been having a prob with brown algae lately too... how do you prevent it? and what causes it?


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

I would just wait a while. If it's still there in a week, I would do a big water change, put some plants or feeder goldfish (to cycle the tank) in (I would put the surviving feeders, if there were any, in my pond afterwards), and maybe put something like a moss ball in (it eats the same stuff as some types of algae, thus reducing it). Overall, just be patient.

Tocs1001, I'd be sort of worried about those snails that came with the plant. Certain types of snails are a real pest (they might reproduce and take over your tank).


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Here's my experience with pest snails. In my bigger tank, the rosy barbs ate almost all the baby ones, so only a few have got to be 5mm size, and I have let those few ones live. In my little tank, I don't have anything to eat the snails, so I squish them or pull them out and throw them away when I see them.

I think that if you don't have fish that eat baby snails, you need to be pretty proactive about getting rid of most of the babies youself, else you will have a tank full of pest snails and nothing else.


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## Tocs1001 (Apr 9, 2005)

I love the snails they are cool.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

The three major factors influencing brown algae are silicates, poor lighting, and poor waterflow. Its very common in new aquariums. Just scrape off as much as possible, and keep up with your waterchanges. It will go away (though it may take more than a week) once the tank is cycled. If it doesn't increasing the water flow is the first viable option as adding light, or changing water sources to one that has less silicates in it isn't cost effective.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

hmm well both my tanks are fully cycled and have light on for 10+ hours a day


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Inadequate lighting doesn't refer to the photoperiod but rather the intensity. And whats your waterflow like? Is your water high in silicates?


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

well in the 55 there is a bubbler and a heavy duty filter, the water is circulated very well, i dont know if its high in silicates though....
the 29g there is just the filter.


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## Tocs1001 (Apr 9, 2005)

well my filter does my water flow its a mini peguin biowheel I thought it was surculating good. as for the light Its just a normal hood on most of the time it goes off at 11pm and comes on at 6am its pretty bright and it heats the water a little as for silicates I wouldnt know.


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