Tank cleanliness

Question
I've been leaving the tank lamp on for most of the day (14 to 16 hours a day), thinking that most pet stores do this becauce of their working hours. I'm not sure they don't keep them on 24/7, but would assume they don't.
The problem I have is after about 10 to 15 days the gravel and ornaments start developing a brownish film that requires modest amounts of cleaning.
Is there a different lamp I can use, am I keeping the lamp on to long, is there an additive I should be using?


Answer
The brown stuff in your tank is commonly called Brown Algea, is is very common in new tank setups. It is actually a diatom, but for simplicity your can treat it as an algea. The best way to get rid of it is to keep your tank clean, i.e. partial water changes, algea scraping, and algea eating fish. Fortunately for you, there is also a fish that loves to eat brown algea, its called an Otocinclus. Virtually any pet store will have some, even the wharehouse places. You'll probably need about 2-3 per ten gallon tank to do a noticable job.

Generally speaking, you want to keep your lights on for no more than 12 hours a day. Really though, your fish don't need a light as long as there is a window in their room. All fish really need is a night and day cycle to keep them "normal". You really only use the light so that you can see the fish better, by only using the light when you are at home, you can cut down on the algea growing in the tank.

Hope this helps,
Good Luck