Frog slime

Question
HI, we have a fresh water tank with three little African brawf frogs. The bottom of the tank is getting covered with brown slime stuff. We don't know why it is there and we don't know what to do to get rid of it and make it stay gone. Cleaning the tank does not help like it should. What do you recommend?

Answer
Dear Mindy,
It sounds very much like you have a Brown Algae problem. This type of algae is somewhat different from your normal green type because brown algae is usually diatoms and is also an indicator of too little of light and high nitrates.
It can also be fairly common in new aquariums also.

Wiping and siphoning the affected areas in the little frog aquarium should help eradicate this problem. You might try very fast growing live plants in your Dwarf frog aquarium which the frogs will appreciate also. Plants like Hornwort, Anacharis, or something like Java moss are all good to help with possible high nutrient levels.

*Increase your water changes. What I would probably do is change something like 30% of the aquarium water everyday until the algae dissapears. I've never had continual problems with brown algae whenever the water was changed very regularly. Remember to always dechlorinate the new replacement water and get it at the proper temp to that of your frog aquarium.

Many people say increasing the light levels will cause this algae to go away also. But I don't think this is vital for getting rid of the unsightly brown algae. Just water changes and making sure nutrient levels aren't real high (due to overfeeding. Try to check Nitrate level)

Well, I really hope this helps!
My very best wishes to you and your little Frog aquarium!
Karen~