brown algee

Question
I have read previous forums on brown algee being caused by poor lighting,is this the only cause? Ihave a 15 gal. hobby tank which my granddaughter really likes,but in one month,this brown demon has taken over the bottom and sides of my tank.Help would be very much apprecieated.Thanks.  

Answer
Hey jeff,

Sorry to hear you've finally faced the demon that gets us all one time or another.. or on a ongoing basis .Algae is using up excess nutrients in the water to grow and stick onto anything. You have to find a balance in order to beat algae and alot of the time it's an ongoing thing. I clean my glass every day to ensure that algae does not even get a chance to grow on my glass, i'm a neatfreak (magfloats are great for algae aswell). Limiting the light will not deter that algae , as it can grow at low lighting levels and will normally out-compete green algae under these conditions.

Regular water changes are essential to keep algae at bay. There is a fish that loves brown algae which is a "otto" they are readily availaible in pet store and i'd suggest one of those to help you out. Regular maintanance of the tank is essential though remember water changes every week in your case i'd suggest a 30% change every week.

Your tank only being setup for a month is pretty normal for brown algae to appear, new tanks in the 2-12 week period are pretty common for brown algae growth, and may disappear as quickly as it arrived when the conditions stabilise after a couple of months.

Hope that helped you out, just keep cleaning it and water changes and eventually it should stabilise.