What is brown algae and what causes it?

[2008pollyanna]

I get brown coating on my glass and stuff...espiacially after adding a phyto supplement. Is this healthy. My gut feeling is no. It looks icky also. Is this what they call brown algae. It isnt furry or green like other grassy style algaes. What can cause this other than like phytoplan.
Thanks

 

[McCrary]

High phosphates are causing the algae, the reason that you get more when you dose phyto is because phyto has a lot of phosphate in it.

 

[2008pollyanna]

That was my feelings...what else causes phosphates to rise?

 

[McCrary]

Feeding is the normal way that phosphate gets into the tank, but it can be introduced in other things as well.

 

[cthegame]

If you use tap water instead of RO water, that will also cause algae. If you only use RO water, dont over feed, do consistent water changed and are running a skimmer, you should be algae free in a few weeks. It also depends on how new your tank is. New tanks usually go thru a lot of algae.

 

[fatman]

I get brown coating on my glass and stuff...espiacially after adding a phyto supplement. Is this healthy. My gut feeling is no. It looks icky also. Is this what they call brown algae. It isnt furry or green like other grassy style algaes. What can cause this other than like phytoplan.
Thanks

:bounce:You should always skim and/or filter very well after feeding Phytoplankton as the food fed cultured phytoplankton is principally plant fertilizer. Phytoplankton is a microalgae. Phyto means a plant life, phytoplankton is a plant based plankton versus zooplankton which is a critter based plankton. Algae feeds algae very well. Bown algae is most often refered to as diatoms or golden brown algae and are an indication of nutrient levels. They can wax and wane sharply and are easily controlled by typical nutrient export processes.
Astraea snail species , comb-toothed surgeonfish and the Chevron Tang are excellent at grazing diatoms from aquarium walls. There are snails called paper shells (Stomatella varia) that reproduce quickly and are excellent scavengers of microalgae especially diatoms. All aquariums usually go through a distinct diatom bloom after set up, but a reoccurrance is generally considered an indicator of elevated nutrient levels. :^:

 

[Bifferwine]

You really shouldn't have to dose phytoplankton in a tank as young as yours unless you have a heavy coral or clam load or something. Feeding less and using only RODI water (not tap) will help.

 

[fatman]

Really healthy tanks go months without fish being added so that the popultion of zooplankton, pods etc, can build and small amounts of phytoplankton greatly increases the number of those small critters in a tank. If the number is allowed to build prior to adding fish the chances of have a constant growth of critters to feed your fish is greatly increased. Small amounts of phytoplankton (drops), given often (four or more times a day times a day) with good skimming and filtration is most appropriate though. Once critter growth becomes noticeable then increase the amounts of phytoplankton input. Most people start adding fish, sadly, as soon as the initial biological cycle is over with and therefore seldom have appreciable numbers of zooplankton, pods in their tanks for their fish.

 

[2008pollyanna]

I better invest in some copepods. And it wouldnt hurt to have a bit of live plant in my sump. I will add a couple smaller live rock to hold it in place, so the plants wont plug my lil pumps. I also have a protein skimmer on the side of my sump. So, if I feed copepods, I shouldnt have to feed much in the line of pellet or flaked food? Which could help in the phosphate and Ph levels, I imagine. I now have set aside the dead phytoplan and have gotten live refrigerated phyto, live refrigerated rotifiers, and also refrigerated zppxanthellae boost. The phyto and rotifiers I add about a teas. in the evening. The live rotifiers after the lights are out. And the zooxantellae booster about once a week. I just started this program two evenings back.
My tank was a year old when I moved it by car with more thanhalf the water, all the live sand and rock and one blue tang, sand sifter, gromme, clown, sea serpent, and skunk shrimp and many many lil crabs. It is a 46 gallon bowfront. We drove it home 10 hours and reset up that night, with water that I had prepared days before. We used all the water we brought back and added the rest of the premade here. It sat overnight with the live sand and perked. In the morning we added the rock and stock. I have not lost one of the original as of yet. Whoa...but, my alkaline and high KH water is now running solely. It has been 2 months since setup. After the first month I added one hawkfish and one long spined sea urchin as well as a banded coral shrimp. The banded shrimp is now in my guarantee tank as he became to aggresive at night to my skunk. And, because my sea urchin poops, poops, poops...I put him in my quaranteen tank for the time being as my phosphate levels have been to high. He was showing signs of spine loss with my water quality. I will need to watch him closely. So, my next step is order a RO DI system and before that arrives probably get some culligan RO water or something to tide things in the meantime. A few of my corals are looking sad. Its definately a do or die period...
Thanks for all your info and being there....Lots of good advice, thanks...always appreciated.
B and S

 

[RyanG]

If you were feeding flake/pellet foods that probably has a lot to do with your phosphate problems. Try feeding a rinsed frozen food from now on. IE mysis shrimp. The refridgerated food works too.

 

[2008pollyanna]

Hi Ryan,
Rinsed frozen food...like how should I rinse it? Do they make strainers that small? And can it be rinsed with tap water? I have a tea bag cylinder thing. Maybe that will work...???

 

[daugherty]

you can use tweezers to pull the food from the water or a coffee filter you can take a little tank water and use it to strain the other liquid out.

 

[Reefrookie]

Also, use RO water to rinse the thawed food, not tap water. Tap will defeat your purpose.

 

[Bifferwine]

Pellets and flakes are a huge contributor to phosphate and algae problems. I do not recommend feeding flakes or pellets at all. Stick to frozen foods. They make tiny strainers, I bought mine at the grocery store. You can also find them at Walmart or Target. The set I bought is plastic and has like 5 different sizes.

 

[2008pollyanna]

Your all champs!!!
Thanks so much...
B&S