Check your phosphate levels, brown algae grows in phosphate rich water.

What size tank? Is it a new setup or well established? Did you check water parameters [ammo, nitrate, ph]. Also when you say no direct sunlite theres no window near tank? Are filters pumping OK? Your fish only live twice, Mr Bond.

Thanks to raul & james.Have checked phosphate levels and found them to be high have just done a partial water change cleaned as much algea as possible from tank cleaned filters ect.Will see if matters improve will keep you posted,(Maybe they will live for another day james?)

Check your tap water for phosphate levels also, it could be the culprit. Is this brown algae like a slimy powder that will wipe off fairly easy? Or is it kind of like a mossy, fuzzy growth? To reduce phosphates an anti-exchange resin like phos-guard or phos zorb work well.

I like the phos zorb and phos guard. the product lasts for three months and it will even lower your Nitrates. Excellent resin to use. Can find it at petsmart.

Also removes silicates, the main culprit of brown "algae' or diatoms.

get some snails for the aquarium. I always keep several, they tend to take good care of algae - I just clean off front glass wall once in 3 months.

I sometimes pick up some kinds of unusual aggressive algaes. I just put a heavy blanket over the tank and leave the lights off until it's dead. About 5-7 days. It never bothers the rest of my plants. Works like a charm.

Phosphate (P) is your problem and if you are on city water it is coming from your tap. Phos Guard works well and you can add distilled water instead of the P rich tap water. P is added to drinking water to reduce its corrosivity and limit the amount of lead that will leach into your drinking water. If you add tap water to make up for evaporation you will end up with aquarium water extremely high in P.

Sometimes water changes can make it worse. Neutriants in the water can cause an alge bloom. Normally when the neutriants are used up by the alge then they die off. So get the water parameters perfect than do normal water changes. Live plants help as they compete with the alge. Proper filtration and not overfeeding help the tank stay balanced.

Ok, phosphates enter the aquariums in three ways:

1.- Fertilzers
2.- From tap water
3.- As a byproduct of the final decomposition of organic matter.

Those are the main three sources of phospates, other source could be phosphate leached from activated charcoal, but the ammount is infimal just beacuse you have to rinse the charcoal before adding it to your filter.

Tap water can be important if you don´t bother to check the tap water before adding it to the aquarium, normally the levels are not representative. Fertilizers, oh well, in a well balanced well kept planted aquarium fertilizers are not a problem because superior plants use the phosphorus faster than algae so there´s not much phospahte left after all. Now the real situation is that normally the one to blame is the fishkeeper, why ? because normally the fishkeeper does not have a regular maintenance schedule, the tank should be siphoned at least every two weeks to avoid the accumulation of detritus between the gravel granules, detritus accumulation-------> high phosphate levels-------->brown algae bloom, filter inserts have to be rinsed every week and the charcoal has to be changed every 4-6 weeks. Phosphate binding earths and resins ARE NOT A SOLUTION in long term use, they are good for removing phosphates from tap water and as a quick fix but they can´t replace good aquarium maintenance practices. Proper filtration, not overfeeding, regular partial water changes, siphoning the gravel, cleaning the filters on a regular basis ARE THE SOLUTION.