I'd be curious to hear...

I have two small squariums with this issue... it doesn't really bug me all that much since I just clean it up every water change... and the water is clear, just brown algae growing on the sides and plants...

One aquarium is a betta - 5 gallon hex. It's bare bottom - just has fake plants in it. I _thought_ it may have been brought in by live plants that I had in there a year ago. I finally took them out because I got hair algae. Got rid of the hair algae, the brown algae then appeared. This is right near a window (shade down) - but the room gets bright with sunlight from other windows.

The other is a 12 gallon tank with very few fish in it (6 small fish) All fake plants - although years ago I did attempt to keep live plants. The gouramis (dwarf) eventually tore them up so the plants were replaced with fake ones) The brown algae is not as fast growing - it's really completely away from any direct outside light source. But it's there.

Funny thing is, the other tank in the same room as the 12 gallon ( a small 6 gallon) was also once a small community tank - danios, cories) - but now houses a single betta. It gets the exact same water changes - but no brown stuff!!

I'd be curious to hear about this, too. The fish in my 12 gallon have been living in that tank since 2002. The betta in the hex is only a little over a year in there.

Good day to you Skygee,
I posted this same question on the pond section. One of the ponders suggested seeing this website information.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebrown.htm

I think I might know the solution but wont' be sure until I try each of the ideas.
1. Too hard water needs RO water or a Ion Exchange filter that softens the water.
2. I feed my fish twice a day. I was suggested to feed them them once a week. Less fish waste.
3. Don't have the aquarium light on all day but cut it in half.

What amazes me is the aquarium Hard water is clear, PH/nitrates is safe like yours with brown stuff coating the plants, glass and objects. After siphoning the brown algae, the brown stuff starts up after 7 days.

When you clean your fake plants, do you mix tbsp of household bleach and water and let your plants soak for maybe 15 minutes in your sink or until the gunk is off? Then rinse and soak in plain HOT water to eliminate the bleach until water cools down. I did this 9 years ago when I had a 70 gallon tank. It works great getting all the gunk off and not effecting your fish.

Thank you for responding to me. I am stll open to more suggestions too.
Theresa

I found this bit of information also.

"Brown algae" (diatoms)
This is often the first algae to appear in a newly set-up tank, where conditions have yet to stabilise. It will often appear around the 2-12 week period, and may disappear as quickly as it arrived when the conditions stabilise after a couple of months. It is essential to minimise nutrient levels to ensure the algae disappears - avoid overfeeding and carry out the appropriate water changes, gravel and filter cleaning, etc. Limiting the light will not deter this algae, as it can grow at low lighting levels and will normally out-compete green algae under these conditions.

If brown algae appears in an established tank, check nitrate and phosphate levels. Increased water changes or more thorough substrate cleaning may be necessary. Using a phosphate-adsorbing resin will also remove silicates, which are important to the growth of this algae. However, as noted above, it is essentially impossible to totally eliminate algae with this strategy alone. Due to its ability to grow at low light levels, this algae may also appear in dimly lit tanks, where old fluorescent bulbs have lost much of their output. If a problem does occur, otocinclus catfish are known to clear this algae quickly, although you may need several for larger tanks, and they can be difficult to acclimatise initially.

There are some very plausible theories as to why this algae often appears in newly set up tanks and then later disappears. If the silicate (Si) to phosphate (P) ratio is high, then diatoms are likely to have a growth advantage over true algae types and Cyanobacteria. Some of the silicate may come from the tapwater, but it will also be leached from the glass of new aquaria, and potentially from silica sand/gravel substrates to some extent. Later, when this leaching has slowed, and phosphate is accumulating in the maturing tank, the Si:P ratio will change in favour of phosphate, which is likely to favour the growth of green algae instead.

Green algae
A certain amount of green algae is likely to occur in any tank with sufficient lighting. It is eaten by most algae eating fish and is generally fairly easy to remove from the tank glass.

Hard 'green dot' algae
This appears as small round dots on the aquarium glass. It appears to be a normal part of planted tanks with higher light levels. Algae-eating fish will not remove this algae and manual removal requires hard scraping. Magnetic algae scrapers are usually inadequate, unless the edge of one half is used inside the tank - or use a razor blade.

hah!! In the 12 gallon - this is at my office... so it really gets much less light than the ones at home... plus the fish get fed less (since they don't get fed over the weekends)

It really isn't a huge issue... the water quality is the pits at work. The type I would NEVER drink from the faucet!! (we get bottled water delivered for drinking). I don't do tank cleaning as often as I should with this tank, though. I do water changes, but not good tank scrubbing (that's like maybe only once a month). What's so odd is the other tank - which gets the same water - is crystal clear!! NEver had any problems with brown algae at all.

The brown algae in the other tank - the 5 gallon hex is a pain, but more unsightly than anything else. Again - I tend to do water changes - but not always scrubbing the tank down.

Yes - with my other tanks and their plants, I will bleach them. I keep two sets - wash and use bleach solution and rinse well... then sun dry to rid the plants of all bleach residue. The sun will completely disappate all the bleach properties. Since I rotate the plants out this way, it makes things a bit easier. :) Eventually I wind up replacing plants after they start looking a bit faded and ragged. Plastic plants last a long while, though.

I don't keep chinese algae eaters (except in the cichlid tank there's a resident algae eater) since they tend to grow and become a bit more aggressive when they get larger. But I do love American flagfish which will eat some hair algae, and also otos!! Just love those otocinclus!!

After all that I have read I have decided to purchase an AquaPharm Tap water Purifer with refill cartridge. This will help but in the future I will get a large tank.
Theresa