# Brown junk



## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Hello- I've been doing the high-tech planted tank thing for a while but after switching to Eco Complete for my substrate 5 months ago, I'm being over run with this brown fibrous junk that is covering my plants and driftwood. I've had small amounts before but now it's really annoying. The plants aren't growing particularly well and needless to say this stuff is unsightly. I don't think it's diatoms- it's not slick feeling and it comes off very easily. I've tried various combos of lowering ferts, root tabs, and CO2 adjustments and nothing seems to impact it. The stuff on the crypts is probably a combo of algaes- the brown stuff dusts off fairly easily leaving some green spot behind on the older leaves. It bares resemblance to the biofilm that comes out of the filter after restarting- but finer and everywhere (not just under the outflow or something.

Thoughts? See attached photos.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

...Lowering ferts, root tabs, and CO2 adjustments. Is that all there is to a planted tank?

It is very obvious that your biofilter is not working properly. That does not mean just the biomedia in the filter. Your entire tank is a full blown civilization of living creatures that you do not see. The "races" in that city change depending on the conditions - pH, water flow, Oxygen, accumulation of trash, and other factors. Ferts and CO2 are just a tiny part of the picture.

Long story short - fix your water flow, fix your biofilter, fix your plant growth. There is enough written about the first two on APC so do a search to learn how to setup proper flow and biofiltration. But anything you do is useless if the plants do not grow. Lowering the ferts is a step in the right direction but you need to make it part of a comprehensive strategy. Just going on a diet and doing nothing else never works for people, it is the same for plants too.

Now can you tell me why did you decide to lower the ferts and use root tabs if every single amazing planted tank guru on every forum tells you that you need to dump excess ferts and run the CO2 at max. for the plants to grow? If you have started to think that lower ferts and "hiding" the food in the substrate is the way a planted tank will run with way less issues (if any) you are on your way to breaking away from the big pile of hobbyists that make this hobby be what it is today.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thanks, Niko- I lowered the ferts due to a separate problem- my Co2 diffuser broke two weeks ago so I didn't want to turn off the CO2 and continue to add ferts while waiting for the new diffuser to arrive. I understand you point about saturating the water with ferts- I think I was over dosing to begin with. 

I didn't think to consider my filter- the ceramic beads are as old as the filter. Everything gets cleaned in tank water every other month or so and the floss replaced as often. 

I'll look at some other forums. I have a power head circulating the surface of the water and the filter flow is decent.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Ok, I changed all the filter tubing (I went with clear this time). I moved the power head and the CO2 diffuser to the opposite side of the tank. I angled the outflow a little more. I can see the debris on the surface moving in a circular fashion. It almost seems like the brown stuff got worse!! And you can see the Blyxa Aubertii leaves that keep sloughing off floating near the surface. Here are some pictures- I'm stumped on this one. My tank is so ugly right now- it's killing me. :-(


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Those pictures were taken a week and a half after rearranging everything and resuming ferts.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

How big is that tank? How large is the filter? If I had to guess I would guess it was under-filtered.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

It's a 65 gal. tank and the filter is a Cascade 1000. Which according to the manufacturer, is good for tanks up to 100gal and pushes 295 gal/hr. I clean it every other month or so- it's def. not clogged or anything. 

Whatever this brown stuff is, it actually grows on things- it's not just debris settling out. I've had this tank and this filter for 5 years and this problem is only 6 months old. Besides the substrate, nothing has changed (that I can think of).


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## Daniil (Oct 30, 2009)

I think you need to move filter input and output on the same side of the tank and lower the intake aboue 2" from the botom.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Ok, I've played with the filter, I swapped the substrate back to Fluorite (which historically has always been successful for me- I like it better anyway) and this junk is still just as bad. I let the tank get extra nasty so it was more visible in photos- what is this stuff?!? 

It's not staghorn algae- I've had that before. This stuff brushes off very easily and seems fibrous/filamentous (unlike diatoms which are usually flat I think). 

There's ample circulation- the plants are swaying in the current gently mid tank and I can watch the fish food swirl circularly around the surface.

There's plenty of CO2 and the light bulbs are fresh. I didn't change the fish food or anything...

Any thoughts?


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I think it is some kind of diatom but I am not sure. I find that when the brown junk starts building up adding more phosphorus seems to do the trick. No idea why.


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## Hoody32 (Oct 17, 2012)

I don't know what the stuff is but it isn't pretty that's for sure. I had algae problems in my tank. BBA was every where. I dosed with flourish excel till the BBA was gone and also quit dosing frets. My ludwigia took over the tank and started to creep across the top of the tank. Months later when I finally decided to trim and replant, all my algae was gone. I'm not sure what your plant requirements are but for me over fertilization was the problem. I'm willing to leave things alone now and let things grow at the rate they choose. I have lots of plants and I'm thinking they keep the water clean enough to keep the fish happy.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thanks, I'm pretty well versed in using flourish Excel to get rid of BBA but this stuff doesn't respond to it. Guess I'll keep watching.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

After trolling the internet more extensively, I think I have brown algae (which some argue is completely different from diatoms). Guess I'll start looking at phosphates in my tap water and such...


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

Ok, so my phosphates were off the charts high (+10) and I traced the source to my potassium phosphate dry fertilizer (the tap water was fine and the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were ok). I did some water changes until the phosphate was brought to 0. Now we'll wait and see...

Off to the Fertilizer thread to learn more about that...


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