brown algae...i think...tufts growing on everything

Question
Hello Chris...i am the one with the angel aids problems a few weeks back..problem solved only lost 4 fish...4 of my best...so sad.

I no have this brown algae problem...growing as balls...i call them "tufts" on plants, filter components, glass, driftwood...the only way to rid them is to scrap it off and cut the plants the stuff is growing on.

the ammonia, nitrates, phospate levels are 0...the ph is 6.8...perfect for angels...my tank is deep, 30 inches high...so i have 440 watts of compact lighting....i have two powerhead on either side of the tank with an underground filter and a canister filter with a uv light to kill bacter and whatnot.

i have used various algae rid products even the highly touted ALGON for 6 weeks with no positive results...any suggestions?

thank you, regards, john weber

Answer
Hi John;

I'm sorry you lost so many more fish. What a devastating disease.

There are so many types of algae. It is probably one of the brush or hair types. The best solution is to add fish that like it. Siamese Algae Eaters and Gold Barbs are the two most likely to consume it. The Siamese Algae eater is not the typical one sold in fish stores. That would be the Chinese Algae Eater and it will not eat this type of algae. Plecos and Ottos don't like it either. Here is a page with photos and comparison info;

http://groups.msn.com/LyreTailsAquarium/sae.msnw

Here is a really interesting thread on a forum about it, where I found the link on SAE's;
http://groups.msn.com/AquariumTropicalFishKeepingHobbyists/fishybaytrade.msnw?ac...

More links;

http://www.azgardens.com/algae_eating_fish.php
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/algae.htm#table
http://mikes-machine.mine.nu/algae_gallery.htm
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/algae_peroxide.html

Finding out what kind it is will be the first step in getting rid of it. Hopefully you will find yours on one of the above pages.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins