# What this? Algae?



## DBTS (May 10, 2007)

Does anybody know what this is? It's rust colored and is difficult to remove unless scraped off by something hard (e.g. old credit card) and it has a dust like texture when its removed. Is it some form of GDA? It always starts off in that rusty color and not green like the GDA i've read about. Wondering what this is.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

sounds like its pretty similar to the algae I've had for the last couple months, I haven't completely identified it myself. I think its a kind of BBA, at least in my tank. The best method I've found to remove it for a while is to scrape it all off and run a diatom filter for a couple hours, it catches almost all the "dust" that floats away and keeps the stuff from comming back for a couple weeks. Excell also does a little to it but I ahvne't been able to OD it for long enough with consistancy to really say it is a solution. I've tried Ottos and SAEs with no luck, they can only remove the stuff when its allready dying from excell or something. It seems to be that it gets worse after my CO2 fluctuates, I've struggled with this stuff since my DIY co2 days and I've only seein it slow down since starting pressurized. I can't really put my finger on what this stuff is or how to treat it I'd love to see what other APC members have to say about this stuff. To me its like a IBDA (Invincable Brown Dust Algae) lol... maybe we dont even have the same algae but it really sounds like it to me.


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## DBTS (May 10, 2007)

I might have more luck finding a diatom filter in the LFS' around here than the seachem products. I really don't know if my oto's and SAE's touch them since i'm not home most of the day.
What I do with mine is just scrape it off. But I do remember there was a period were in after scraping during water change it didn't show its ugly face within 2 weeks just didn't take note of what I did during those times.  Lately i get small patches of it every week after scraping it off. I'll try and see about changing some parameters in my tank and see if it'll get better or worse. I'll post if i have any updates on this RDA "Rusty Dust Algae" hehehe. Still hoping someone has already successfully tackled it and see this post. Thanks davis.1841.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

DBTS said:


> I'll post if i have any updates on this RDA "Rusty Dust Algae" hehehe. Still hoping someone has already successfully tackled it and see this post. Thanks davis.1841.


That would be awesome, I'm considering trying a 3-4 day blackout after rubbing it off anywhere I can get to it while running the diatom filter. I might also add some excell just for kicks. I've been adjusting ferts for a while with no luck. I just keep procrastinating trying this for so long becuase I dont want to give up the tank for a couple days and compromise my highlight plants. Maybe I'll do it soon and post any results. Good luck


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

I dunno, it looks like a rust-colored crayfish to me 

You can also try to spot treat it with a _small_ amount of hydrogen peroxide from a syringe. I would do a search on the site to see how much H2O2 is safer for your size aquarium.


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