How do you get rid of brown algae in a 20 gallon aquarium?

Question

every time I change the water, it gets dirty

Thanks The fish I have are Guppies, Neon Tetras, Zebra Danios,Sunburst Platties, a Red Wag platty

Answer 1

The main cause of brown algae is excessive levels of nutrients in the water. Change water once a week if you aren't already ad change about 25%. If you are doing this increase the amount you are changing to 35-40%. Be sure you clean the gravel well with a gravel siphon each time you change the water and replace the carbon in your filter as well. This should get you algae free in a few weeks.

Light also plays a roll in algae growth so keeping the light off as much as possible is also a good idea.

MM

Answer 2

In terms of fish (and inverts) to get rid of the algae:
- Oto catfish
- Siamese Algae Eaters (True ones, not the flying foxes)
- Amano Shrimp

To get rid of the algae by yourself:
Do a large water change (75% or more). Replace the carbon and mechanical filters in your filter. Cover the ENTIRE tank with a dark cloth. Keep the lights off in the tank and the room the tank is in for a week. Don't even feed the fish in this time. In the future, limit the time that the lights are on in the tank to only a few hours (3-4) a day.

Don't do that if you have live plants in the tank. If you have live plants, it's a crap shoot. You'll have to try different dosing regimens until you find one that works for your tank.

Answer 3

Brown algae is caused by poor illumination. A few years back GE started selling a fluorescent bulb they call "Wide Spectrum" and I love the the way it controls algae. It seems easy to adjust the amount of light per day to get good balance. Plants do especially good with it. Do lots of partial water changes 25%, clean your filter every week and siphon the gravel each week. You can adjust the cleaning routine after you get rid of the brown algae. There are bacteria in the water and in the gravel that are called beneficial bacteria because they help keep the water clean. Complete water changes kill these beneficial bacteria and causes the water to become cloudy after it is changed
Good Luck

Answer 4

This is probably a newish tank (within its first year)? If it's really BROWN algae, AKA diatoms, the best thing to do is to wait it out, while keeping it under control with plenty of water changes.

Diatoms feed on nitrates and silicates. Nitrates can be diluted by changing the water regularly, but the silicates are coming from the manufacture of your tank and will just eventually disappear once the diatoms eat them all. Then the brown algae will starve out and disappear as well.

Siamese Algae Eaters and snails can also help you control it until it's gone. Otos really love brown algae too but you need to be sure that there is other algae for them to eat in your tank once the diatoms are gone or they might starve. They are shy eaters and can have a hard time competing with more voracious piggies like your platies. (I can say that because I have platies AND otos! I know.)

Answer 5

Magic man has some of the answer, but I found with my 15 gallon when it was my main tank that when I got brown alage, it wasn't because my levels were off. The main reason why I got brown algae and not green algae was because I had too dim of a light, it was only a 15W at that time..You will notice that if you keep the tank in direct contact with the sun, green algae will grow - main reason being the intensity of the suns' rays. If you are looking to get rid of the algae, keep your lights off, get the tank out of the sun, and clean it good. Otherwise, just keep cleaning it off the glass and deal with it.

Answer 6

Magic man has given you an excellent answer, and I strongly suggest you follow his advice.

I just thought you'd like to know that one of the best fish for removing algae on your plastic plants and decorations is actually a pink kissing gourmi, though they don't do much for the glass.

Answer 7

many products are available for algae cleaning also use an algae magnet and a scrubber but the best remedy for algae are live plants they feed off of algae. algae eating fish are also available like suckerfish snails, etc. also you might try cleaning your entire filter because that might be the problem as well. I hope my info helped!

Answer 8

one if you have brown algae you are over feeding cut back and the way to get rid of it is to wipe it off the glass

Answer 9

FIX YOUR LIGHTING!! also get some reg algae eaters, and some bottom eaters(mostly are gray with orange fins). try some clear water its usually purple and put 2tbs in your tank since u have 20 gals. but good luck

Answer 10

Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.

Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:

Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.

Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment. When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.

Your first mistake is boiling the water. Boiling water consentrates the nitrates in it causing algae to grow even faster. However, I've never heard of it growing within an hour Wow!

First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).

This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.

Did you clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.

Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well. DO NOT wash the gravel in the tank. The residues of the algae will remain.

Since you have NO FISH I am assuming, use cold water to start your tank. Algae likes heat and light. Using cold water will prohibit growth. Allow your tank to run bringing it to room temperature. Then you can plug in your heater allowing your tank to run.

If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them. Try keeping your tank at 72 for a couple of days.

You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.

Test your water. Since you have not gone thru the cycle process allow your tank to run. This should really help with the algae. If you find your water quality is all your tank isn't near a heat or light source, ok but still getting algae turn the temperature down or off and let it run. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.

If you need any more help, you can im or email me.