The Puffer Forum

I have this weird brown algea in my tank it is on my plants and when I take them out to clean them it doesn't come off, unless I scrub really hard and that usually ends by the plant losing limbs. Now it is starting to get on everything but the glass and the rocks. Does anyone know what I can do to get rid of this while not hurting my puffer and not pulling apart my plants?

I have brown algae all over my brackish tank, but all my plants as plastic, so a little scrub-scrub and it's usually gone. Brown algae feeds primarily off the silicates in the tank (I believe), so it'll be around until that supply is exhausted. Silicates can come from many things, usually anything plastic, substrate, and the silicone sealant along the tank walls (as far as I understand it, at least). Usually you just have to wait it out and it goes away, supposedly. I've had it in my tank for quite a while now, heh.

Happy check out this thread I started because of brown algae: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11612&hilit=+bleaching+decor

I hope it helps. Do you have live plants?

I have one live plant a java fren. But the rest are all plastic I have about 6 of them in there and the 2 clay pots and then a little cave that seems to have it the worst!

OK, you will have to pull out the fake stuff to clean as the brown algae will get worse before it gets better if you are like me and can not stand to look at it. It should get better within a few months. The gravel just vacuum and agitate it well. That will help it. Let us know if you tried the phos zorb and if it helped. I have never dealt w/ live plants in a tank. Is the brown algae on your java?

I just bought a new 20g tank and will for sure buy the phos zorb to try to prevent this new tank syndrome.

No its not on the java. Just on my plastic stuff. I will have to take it out and clean it all up this weekend I have so much homework because its almost the end of the semster at school. I have had it before but its back and its worse now so I will have to try the stuff on your other post thanks for the help!

its a pain but my puffers seem to find it amazing they will float amongst my plants looking for any thing to eat ( they didnt so much before the alges unless right after feeding)

This is my second bout of this stuff. The tank has been set up for about 4 months. It just won't go away! I will have to try the oxiclean on my stuff. The cae I still have is working on one of the plants right now but he doesn't do a good job and should be fired! . I hate it on the plants because it is really hard to get off without breaking the plant, its in the corners and cracks of the plants. I can't stand it and I can't afford to keep buying stupid plants because I can't get this crap to go away. I think it keeps coming back because I can' totaly get rid of it. I am going to take everything out of the tank tomorrow (except the puff) and clean it really really well and do a big water change since the tank just needs it.

Happy_Puffer I feel with you, but it is posible to get it away.
Something that you could try is some phopate remover.( havn´t tried that myself, but should help)

but if not going that way
First thing you have to do is get evrything off, scrubb.
But if you like me have some light color rock it still will look black.
The best thing is if you have a snail tank, put the things in the snail tank, after some days a week or so it will be as new!!!
(snail often prefer the nice green algae but if they don´t have that, they sure will it the black/brown one)

After evrything is clean, to the split light thing, 4-5 hours the 2 hours no light( shouldn´t be all black, have some light outside the tank shining in or if it´s daytime you often got enugfh light in the room) than another 4-5 hours.( you don´t want the fishes to think is night)
This will not be bad for your plants if having real plants and not bad for the fishes.

final stuff that help is the phosphor remove stuff, oxidator should also help and a uv light help( but that only kills the free floating spores)

ANd if you maged real plant help, also, but plant in bracksih is not easy and often grow slower.

And if you get it on the gravel also, MT snail help bigtime, not evryone think thease snail is a good ide in a puffer tank, but I had it for over 3 years and it is one of the best thing I done for my braksish tank.

you could also look in to what light you have some have a spectrum thats combat algae and some have spectrum that the algae /diatom likes.

I have that nasty brown algae in my 55. I think I'll try the phos zorb too. Good to know I'm not the only one

Its weird, I wasn't home this weekend, I mean I still cam home and fed the puffs but I kept the light off a little more then I usually do and its gone from my cave thing! Its still on the plants but I am going to clean them tomorrow along with me weekly water change. I have been spending time at my boyfriends house since he has the new salt water tank, but this whole weekend I have been thinking about my baby at home. I came home and they were so excited to see me and waiting for food like always but I was so happy to find that nasty brown algae gone (well almost). It was really bad yesterday and I was super upset but the light has been off for almost 24 hours and it was almost gone. I had my mom turn on the light and feed them but then she turned off the light when they were done eating. I hope it doesn't come back now that I am home, but I guess I will try and keep the light off more.