fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

[chubasco]

Hi Tom, folks,
I'm experiencing a rather tenacious brown fuzzy algae in one of my 10 gallon
tanks: substrate is black lava rock, filtration is Eheim backfilter, and is heavily
planted with java fern, mosses, najas, hornwort, etc. This algae seems to
cluster on plants in the flow of the filter, mainly on the najas and hornwort.
I fert with dry KNO3, KH2PO4, and I'm using Hagen's traces for micros, no CO2. This is a breeding tank for Aphyosemion amoenum Sakbayeme.


Thanks in advance for any help given,


Bill

 

[Wö£fëñxXx]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Do you have to much light on this tank?

 

[chubasco]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Don't think so: one 13w cf with Miro4 reflector.

Bill

 

[Wö£fëñxXx]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Have you test N03 and P04 levels just out of curiousity? Fern's and moss are nitrate hog's.

 

[chubasco]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Craig, I didn't test NO3/PO4 levels but did some 50-60% WCs every 3 days
times 3 and it seemed to work. Plus removing all the brown infested plants.
I have an AP master kit that I use, not a La Motte or Hach (I'd have to go
in hock to buy one huhuhuhuh). I also had the greyish film (scum) on this
tank, probably due to high protein foods: bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp.

Bill

 

[Cornhusker]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

bill, otto's just love brown algae. i wish i new how to grow in quarinteen tank,as i think that may account for their early demize. they must be starved when purchased. regards, cornhusker

 

[chubasco]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Ottos hummm, they don't eat eggs do they? Most all my tanks have the dual
purpose of breeding tanks for killies.....that's why MTS (trumpet) snails aren't
allowd. They are very good at eating eggs, and I got an accidental infestation
of them where I had to completely break down the 2 tanks, change out substrate, throw any plants I was doubtful about..pretty much a nightmare.
Love to have some small corys or ottos.

Bill

 

[Cornhusker]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

bill, what you have may be diatom algae. its mostly on new setups. sunday i started seeing brown algae in my bare bottom 10 gal quarinteen tank. i ran to town and bought some otto's.have a clump of anubias nana in tank also.lost one otto so far but others have good color. brown algae all gone in 24 hrs.now this is something i have allways wanted to experiment with. just could not figure out how to grow this algae,, still don't know,just happened.don't quote me but i don't think they will bother eggs.from what i've read they don't eat their own.,and they scatter theirs.good luck killie guy! regards,cornhusker

 

[chubasco]

Re: fuzzy brown algae in a 10 gallon/fertilator?

Stuart,
That's kinda what I thought it was: looking through the front glass it is brown
in color but on edge it's green. I can tell you it is one tough bugger to remove. But these aren't new tanks, been set up over a year with breeder pairs of killies. Heavily planted with easy stuff: anubias, java fern both "regular" and narrow leaf I got from a friend in SG, plus different kinds
of mosses from SG, hornwort, najas, and mystery floater plant No substrate save for some rounded black lava rock. I'm breaking one of the
tanks down tomorrow to clean this stuff out. Don't think I want
ottos, tho, just ramshorn snails. I plan on putting a substrate in it when I
get it cleaned out..EC.

Humm, editing here: my original post was about fuzzy brown algae getting
on my floater plants that are being hit by the current from a backfilter. The
algae above is brown, too, but sandpapery hard stuff crusted to the glass
like barnacles:-(

Bill