# What do you do about the brown film ?



## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi
Have got alot of new plants lately,the hair grass and micro sword have brown film around them im assuming from die off.I wasnt sure If I should take it out of the tank or leave it.


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

Does this brown film rub off? Or is the plant itself turning brown?


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

+1 on james
if it rubs off its diatoms
if it isn't, you have a deficiency or the plant is adapting.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

its not really on the pants them selves just kinda around them.The hair grass its kinda just mixed in there.I took some of its just kinda brown slime.I just wasnt sure it was hurting the plants or if it would just be nutriens.


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

Hmmm...is it possible for some pics maybe? Not really sure what to tell you at this point. Sry.

Although...after thinking about it some more...it could be algae. I've had these brown balls of algae form up in my water sprite from time to time. A pic would definately help. If it is what I'm thinking of, you can suck it out during a water change and after awhile, it will go away.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i always treat for algae so i don't worry about it. here is my team
bristlenose plecos
ottos
SAE
snails
excel "oops" dosing


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

neilshieh said:


> i always treat for algae so i don't worry about it.


That's why I inquired about a picture. It could be a couple different things. The type that I described above doesn't get eaten by anyone. It will just accumilate in a lump. It's very easily removed so I don't even classify it as an issue.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)




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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)




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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

Its just kinda like slime is ther anything i can add to the water,like alage be gone 
i have soemthign called alage deystroyer.
It sucsk i ended up throwing away all my hair grass tonight as thats where it started and tis no spread all through my tank.I just bought all these plants  
Not sure where it came from as everythings new.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi jasonak,

Nice algae you are growing there, definitely a filamentous algae, possibly hair algae. If that shows up in one of my tanks it is usually within 30 days of starting it up. I usually have an Ammonia level at the same time due to an incomplete Nitrogen Cycle.

Here is what I do:

1) I start by cutting back my light to 1/2 or 2/3 of the current period.

2) I manually remove as much algae as possible, I trim plants to improve circulation and dispose of easy to replace plants that are badly infested.

3) Clean my filter to insure maximum filtration and circulation.

4) I start doing 50% water changes twice a week, algae has more trouble adapting to changes in water condition than higher plants or fauna.

5) I make sure I have a good cleaning crew; Corys, Otos, and SAE (good for filamentous algae), and

6) I start dosing Seachem Excel per this thread. I usually get it under control in about two weeks.

BTW, that treats the condition that your are experiencing, next you need to determine the cause!


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## potatoes (Jun 25, 2010)

Good advice from seattle Aquarist. I dont recommended algaecide, they are really harsh and generally should be avoided if possible.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi
Thanks guys
Just went and got a new test kit.All the water parameters are at zero tank is little over amonth old.
Used my DKH from my reef tank test kit not sure if its accurate for freshwater but it say my hardness is 57 basically 3 drops of solution.
Taking your advice stated above hopefully that works.But yeah still dont know why it started unless this is common with new tanks.It started about awhiel ago but has just been growing more and more.
Have otts half a dozen in a 120 only one cory and some glass shrimp.
what are SAEs ?
thanks


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi jasonak,

I typically have one Cory per 5 gallons, they do a great job of helping to keep the substrate clean, not only by eating excess food but by stirring up the debris so the filter can remove it. 1 - 2 Otos per 10 gallons helps me to keep the soft flat algae under control. Siamese (not Chinese) Algae Eaters (SAE) are very good on soft flat and filamentous algae types. My SAE's will even go after BBA if it is treated and weakened either with Excel, Glutaraldehyde, or H2O2 treatment.

Typically if I have an algae outbreak it is because:

1) Too much light, either too much wattage and/or too long a photoperiod. Also ambient light in the room which changes from season to season. Since my tanks are not affected by ambient light and I now have my lights on timers this is typically not a problem any more.

2) I have gotten lazy on my 50% per week water change.

3) I have let my filter get dirty and filled with debris resulting in reduced filter capacity and reduced flow and circulation.

4) I have let my nutrient levels (ferts and CO2) drop, usually by being lazy again! The CO2 level may not "drop" so much as not be circulated well throughout the aquarium, either due to the filter mentioned above or allowing my plants to get out of control and restrict circulation. Low nutrients = algae.

BTW, I added to one step and added one additional step to the procedure I posted above for cleaning up the problem.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

Im on my way to get some SAEs more coreys, flourish and a 240 tank 
Thanks for your advice and help.The pwoer compact bulbs were old so i changed them out.I know saltwater that sometimes causes algae probs.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

Ok got the SAEs,more corys and excell alomst messd up and doubled the intial dosage.So its just double the daily on a daily basis correct ?
Also cut my light back to 6 hours a day and put in new bulbs.Will do a 50 percent water change here mid week as well.
Dont really know how to up my nitrates,as I use tabs and the liquid plant food you get from the pet store.
I will get a CO2 set up here in the next week once I figure out what to get.
ALso I got reading the glutaraldehyde thread never really saw where to get theat from ?
And i got a 240 gallon tank today as well  yeahh !!!

found this at amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1HY6JGX9Q155200TKV1H


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi jasonak,



> So its just double the daily on a daily basis correct ?


Correct!

If you need information on a source for Glutaradehyde read post #114.


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

That's exactly the stuff I was talking about. GL if anyone will touch it. When I had it, nothing paid it any never mind. It grew in areas of extremely low to no circulation.

This grew under low and high light, ferts and no ferts. Haven't been able to determin the cause but was very easy to rid. Manual removal is real easy as it will stay in a clump.

Just use the the hose of your gravel vac (if you have one). It will pull right out. Once gone, it never came for me.


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## jasonak (Oct 26, 2010)

It has spread all through out the tank now its on everything.I did get rid of a bunch of it but I cant really vacum or my substrate(turface) gets sucked up as well as my plants.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

did you try plecos yet? i find that my SAE usually just swim around eating prepared food (i don't have any BBA or other algae it likes) and sometimes ottos just aren't doing much. i prefer plecos (moreover bristlenose) because they just keep scraping. i even had one pleco eat my green spot algae!


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## jschall (Apr 13, 2009)

Do you dose anything with sulfur in it?


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