Just something that I've found that works great is using ramshorn snails. They only eat the decaying leaves and the brown algae off the surface of the leaves. I've set up a new 60 gallon tank. Been running for 2 months. Introduced 30 ramshorn snails and they are doing an amazing job of cleaning the brown algae off the driftwood, plant leaves, rocks and glass. Running 27 watt light for 7 hours a day and also plenty of stem plants like hygrophila and ambulia. Zero water changes. Don't overstock and don't overfeed. Aim for an ecosystem tank. Minimal brown algae just on some ambulia. Go have a look at this guy with a channel called aquatics by nature. He has an ecosystem tank with almost zero water changes over 28 years and its thriving.
The struggle is real. 10g tank is 9 months old and I'm having a hard time getting it under control. Seems like ever since I've added co2, things have gotten worse. I can hand clean as much as i can, do a 60% water change and it covers everything within 4 days. I'm getting new growth on my S. Repens but the leaves get quickly covered. Tried more light, less light, more ferts, less ferts and my balance is still no where to he found. Makes me want to tear down and start over
my suggestion is patience and stop touching it as much to let it settle. Generally a little more light duration is better than less, (say 9 - 10 hours) and I'd recommend adding some larger floating plants, also in a 10g tank, add some otocinclus catfish if you can. Best of luck :)
I've been doing a lot of plant removal in my 200-litre tank of late and I seem to have really upset the apple cart; no brown algae though, just black hair. I'd also been on a snail eradication spree which probably didn't help but, they were pest snails I killed. The water seemed to have gone cloudy 2 to 3 days ago (too many snail carcasses?) so today I did a 50% water change and a thorough clean of the canister filter; rescuing fry in the process. My 2x Corydoras sterbai, 2x sucking Catfish and 2x Siamese Flying Foxes are doing a good job. The plan is to add some of my Mystery Snail and Malaysian Trumpet snail young to the tank once the activated carbon pad has done its work. It may take a month to get the tank right again. 😊👌
It really shows how the plants were keeping things stable, and you're right, taking out too much at once, sets things in motion. You'll get it back for sure :)
great video Colin....just a little change can throw things off.....very good to talk about lighting....we keep all of ours on timers it's much easier....great job staying on top of things and keeping your kids happy and healthy!
I had a long run where the tank looked Great to me, but I worried the surface plants were cutting out too much light. I took way too much out at once, my catfish died and BOOM........Brown algae everywhere, so, video time :)
Yay, I'm so excited,a new video!! Your fish and Aquarium are just amazing..also, I'm so sorry you lost your bristlenose. This was a truly helpful video..we don't realize a lot of times what a delicate balance there is and that just even small changes can knock things out of whack! The video was beautiful and I enjoyed watching along as you worked and showed us what needed attention in your tank!! great tutorial and you made it very easy to understand! Thank you so much for sharing this was perfect for me and for all of us new to the planted tank!! I hope you have a beautiful and blessed day my friend!!👍❤️🐟🌿🌱
Hi Mary, you just make me smile with every comment. A balanced tank is a mixture of components, and when it's out of whack, it lets you know. RUclips has all the answers we need, how cool is that :)
@@AussieAquatic it is really cool because being able to see firsthand someone else's skills in action is one of the best teachers I've found! It's so interesting and fascinating.. then you can stop,rewind and restart 🤣🤣 until you get it🤣🤣 🌿🌱🐟🌱🌿
@@AussieAquatic you really are the best!! I appreciate that so much.. so far everything I watch I just absorb it like a sponge 😁 you are wonderful teacher! I'm sure when I start setting up this tank with the undergravel filter I will most definitely get your help! Thank you so much colin I hope you have a blessed day!!!♥️🙏🐟🌱🌿
Hey I really do have a question? So the betta I have had a huge lump on its head and Father Fish got me to Lance it.. it popped like a blister.. clear fluid. I got him when he was 4 months he had a little lump under the blue spot on top of his head . Over the past five months it got bigger.I had done stuff like melafix, methylene blue, salt.. and it never went away.. then over the past couple weeks it got big. I figured it was a tumor. Now the way to describe it would be like an ulcer.. just wondering what course of action you think I should try next. I have also given him everything Aquatics antiparasitic duo... I don't know the best way to describe it.. kind of like somebody with poison ivy with little blisters all around it.I'm really worried that it may have been too much stress on him and he's hanging in there.. any suggestions will be very appreciated.. On the video of my little tank.. you can see what it lookes like before I atempted to remove it.. I promise I won't keep bothering you this much.. but maybe you've seen something like this.. thank you very much!!
It goes to show just what a great job they do, you notice as soon as they're gone. He was about 6 years old, and now my RTS is not far behind. No medicine for Old Age yet.
I have had the same issue with newly set up tank and mostly accumulating on Java fern. Don't have any fish in there so controlling it with water changes. Sorry to hear about your fish mate.
It's only temporary, no biggie. Black mollies do an amazing job on brown algae too. Yes, it's always sad to lose fish you've had for many years, but circle of life :)
I was was a bit surprised at how quickly I got a brown algae bloom after this tank was going so well, but a few things done together will have it back in shape before you know it. Great to see you mate :)
@@AussieAquatic yeah I agree that a bit of TLC and going and doing the steps you mentioned, your algae problem should get better. Will try and be a lot more supportive with your videos mate, you've been there for me for such a long time with my other channel, it's only fair. 😉
I have this brown algae in my new tank on all plants, I just got a Amano shrimp and put it in my betta tank to help with algae and the shrimp is missing now 🤦🏽♀️
It doesn't last a long time if you just ignore it, put the light on a bit longer each day and add some nice floating plants. Otocinclus are a good catfish in smaller tanks too :)
So I have 2 goldfish and two weeks ago I've gotten this brown substance on the filter and on the surfaces of my aquarium decor. Is it harmful or should I clean it. Am I doing something wrong and will it kill my fish.I wiped it off my aquarium decor but it came back after three days. Is it something to do with the water, please help! (i still dont understand why it forms to begin with!)
Best news is that it's not harmful to the fish, it's only a plant. Think of it like mushrooms growing in your lawn after lots of rain, which is a good comparison because it's only temporary, and doesn't last forever. It's very common, and nothing to worry about. In a goldfish tank there are not as many quick fixes as a tropical tank, but how you use a light on the tank can make a big difference. If the tank has a light, run it a few more hours a day, say 8 - 9 hours. Brown algae often grows more in dark conditions. Otherwise, ignore it and it often goes away by itself after a few weeks. No big deal :)
Great video! I've been stuck on battling brown algae for a few months now and it seems like nothing I do fixes it. I wish it was more clear to find the balance of light and nutrients, or maybe my well water is bad..who knows
As a first step, I recommend increasing the light duration by 1 hour. With most normal aquarium lights being not overly bright, you can take the lighting period up to 12 hours to really stimulate your live plants into action. Vigorously growing plants is a big part of balancing the tank.
the Emperor tetras keep breeding and making extra fish, they were only 4 in the beginning. the tank has 2 x Eheim canister filters + UG filter + water changes every week. It is OK :)
It's a very common aquarium plant which sometimes stores forget to order. Can also be called Lace Fern, another very similar plant that grows the same way is called Water Sprite.
I scoop out all my white gravel when doing my cleanings, then soak it in water and bleach, I then mix around and let it sit for a few hours, I strain and rinse it very well to get all the bleach off, it looks brand new after that :)
I hate brown algae in planted tanks. I also don’t like Chinese/Siamese algae eaters since they grow very large and suck on other fish after a while, but they are the best at eating all types of algae.
Luckily quite a few fish like eating brown algae, most livebearers love to eat it. Good news about the Siamese Algae eater fish is that they are completely different to Chinese Algae eater fish. The Siamese are perfectly behaved :)
Use shrimps and job done in 2 3 days...ordinary shrimps,not those lazy multicolor, these do nothing,but this normal shrimps are great and always works hard
See my Planted Aquarium playlist here ruclips.net/p/PLUOwwyYzBh8Mln68wmNToeCI_p5nb5891
Thanks, good to know another Aussie on RUclips.!!! I don’t have to rattle my brain with Gallon vs litres in my brain.
i know I am kind of off topic but does anybody know of a good website to stream newly released tv shows online ?
@Jalen Orion flixportal :P
@Rohan Gunner thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I appreciate it!!
@Jalen Orion no problem xD
What type of fish do you have? Are they the ones with black stripes?
Just something that I've found that works great is using ramshorn snails. They only eat the decaying leaves and the brown algae off the surface of the leaves. I've set up a new 60 gallon tank. Been running for 2 months. Introduced 30 ramshorn snails and they are doing an amazing job of cleaning the brown algae off the driftwood, plant leaves, rocks and glass. Running 27 watt light for 7 hours a day and also plenty of stem plants like hygrophila and ambulia. Zero water changes. Don't overstock and don't overfeed. Aim for an ecosystem tank. Minimal brown algae just on some ambulia. Go have a look at this guy with a channel called aquatics by nature. He has an ecosystem tank with almost zero water changes over 28 years and its thriving.
Snails do love chowing down on brown algae :)
The struggle is real. 10g tank is 9 months old and I'm having a hard time getting it under control. Seems like ever since I've added co2, things have gotten worse. I can hand clean as much as i can, do a 60% water change and it covers everything within 4 days. I'm getting new growth on my S. Repens but the leaves get quickly covered. Tried more light, less light, more ferts, less ferts and my balance is still no where to he found. Makes me want to tear down and start over
my suggestion is patience and stop touching it as much to let it settle.
Generally a little more light duration is better than less, (say 9 - 10 hours) and I'd recommend adding some larger floating plants, also in a 10g tank, add some otocinclus catfish if you can. Best of luck :)
I've been doing a lot of plant removal in my 200-litre tank of late and I seem to have really upset the apple cart; no brown algae though, just black hair.
I'd also been on a snail eradication spree which probably didn't help but, they were pest snails I killed. The water seemed to have gone cloudy 2 to 3 days ago (too many snail carcasses?) so today I did a 50% water change and a thorough clean of the canister filter; rescuing fry in the process.
My 2x Corydoras sterbai, 2x sucking Catfish and 2x Siamese Flying Foxes are doing a good job. The plan is to add some of my Mystery Snail and Malaysian Trumpet snail young to the tank once the activated carbon pad has done its work.
It may take a month to get the tank right again. 😊👌
It really shows how the plants were keeping things stable, and you're right, taking out too much at once, sets things in motion. You'll get it back for sure :)
Hey Colin! Those are absolutely lovely emperor tetras
Hi fishman! I hope you all have a great vacation! I'm glad to see you here on Colin's wonderful channel!! PS I Love The feeding ring! Perfect!
Hey Eric, would you like some :)
great video Colin....just a little change can throw things off.....very good to talk about lighting....we keep all of ours on timers it's much easier....great job staying on top of things and keeping your kids happy and healthy!
I had a long run where the tank looked Great to me, but I worried the surface plants were cutting out too much light. I took way too much out at once, my catfish died and BOOM........Brown algae everywhere, so, video time :)
Yay, I'm so excited,a new video!! Your fish and Aquarium are just amazing..also, I'm so sorry you lost your bristlenose.
This was a truly helpful video..we don't realize a lot of times what a delicate balance there is and that just even small changes can knock things out of whack! The video was beautiful and I enjoyed watching along as you worked and showed us what needed attention in your tank!! great tutorial and you made it very easy to understand! Thank you so much for sharing this was perfect for me and for all of us new to the planted tank!! I hope you have a beautiful and blessed day my friend!!👍❤️🐟🌿🌱
Hi Mary, you just make me smile with every comment. A balanced tank is a mixture of components, and when it's out of whack, it lets you know. RUclips has all the answers we need, how cool is that :)
@@AussieAquatic it is really cool because being able to see firsthand someone else's skills in action is one of the best teachers I've found! It's so interesting and fascinating.. then you can stop,rewind and restart 🤣🤣 until you get it🤣🤣
🌿🌱🐟🌱🌿
@@marypaigeflynn4512 and of course you can ask questions and chat 😊
@@AussieAquatic you really are the best!! I appreciate that so much.. so far everything I watch I just absorb it like a sponge 😁 you are wonderful teacher! I'm sure when I start setting up this tank with the undergravel filter I will most definitely get your help! Thank you so much colin I hope you have a blessed day!!!♥️🙏🐟🌱🌿
Hey I really do have a question? So the betta I have had a huge lump on its head and Father Fish got me to Lance it.. it popped like a blister.. clear fluid. I got him when he was 4 months he had a little lump under the blue spot on top of his head . Over the past five months it got bigger.I had done stuff like melafix, methylene blue, salt.. and it never went away.. then over the past couple weeks it got big. I figured it was a tumor. Now the way to describe it would be like an ulcer.. just wondering what course of action you think I should try next. I have also given him everything Aquatics antiparasitic duo... I don't know the best way to describe it.. kind of like somebody with poison ivy with little blisters all around it.I'm really worried that it may have been too much stress on him and he's hanging in there.. any suggestions will be very appreciated..
On the video of my little tank.. you can see what it lookes like before I atempted to remove it.. I promise I won't keep bothering you this much.. but maybe you've seen something like this.. thank you very much!!
First 😊
YOU WIN a PRIZE!!!
:)
Soon you'll have enough emperor tetras to send them out for prizes 🤣🤣🤗😂😂
this guy has liquid DnB as his background music.
Massive.
:P
glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks a lot master for this tips
Always welcome :)
Your Betta is beautiful, does he get along ok with his tank mates ?
Yes, totally fine.
Bettas enjoy living in larger tanks with lots of space and plenty of plants :)
Whats the plant at the front right hand side of your tank please
they are called cryptocorynes, and are terrific plants to have in any planted aquarium :)
@AussieAquatic thank you kind sir 🙏🏼
ask away anytime :)
Good tips there Colin.
Sorry to hear about your Bristlenose bud.
It goes to show just what a great job they do, you notice as soon as they're gone. He was about 6 years old, and now my RTS is not far behind. No medicine for Old Age yet.
I have had the same issue with newly set up tank and mostly accumulating on Java fern. Don't have any fish in there so controlling it with water changes. Sorry to hear about your fish mate.
It's only temporary, no biggie.
Black mollies do an amazing job on brown algae too.
Yes, it's always sad to lose fish you've had for many years, but circle of life :)
@@AussieAquatic Thanks for the tip mate, I might keep them to control algae when tank is ready.
@@Fishaholic they're often used as a fish to start the cycle, and stay afterwards because they're so useful :)
This is a marvelous idea dog Marley died earlier this summer he his missed very day. Have a good day. Sue
Hi Sue, best wishes to you too :)
Tank looks amazing Colin! I personally don't like the look of the brown algae, and I dispize hair algae!!! Lovely orange apple snail there at the end.
I was was a bit surprised at how quickly I got a brown algae bloom after this tank was going so well, but a few things done together will have it back in shape before you know it. Great to see you mate :)
@@AussieAquatic yeah I agree that a bit of TLC and going and doing the steps you mentioned, your algae problem should get better. Will try and be a lot more supportive with your videos mate, you've been there for me for such a long time with my other channel, it's only fair. 😉
I have this brown algae in my new tank on all plants, I just got a Amano shrimp and put it in my betta tank to help with algae and the shrimp is missing now 🤦🏽♀️
It doesn't last a long time if you just ignore it, put the light on a bit longer each day and add some nice floating plants. Otocinclus are a good catfish in smaller tanks too :)
So I have 2 goldfish and two weeks ago I've gotten this brown substance on the filter and on the surfaces of my aquarium decor. Is it harmful or should I clean it. Am I doing something wrong and will it kill my fish.I wiped it off my aquarium decor but it came back after three days. Is it something to do with the water, please help! (i still dont understand why it forms to begin with!)
Best news is that it's not harmful to the fish, it's only a plant.
Think of it like mushrooms growing in your lawn after lots of rain, which is a good comparison because it's only temporary, and doesn't last forever.
It's very common, and nothing to worry about.
In a goldfish tank there are not as many quick fixes as a tropical tank, but how you use a light on the tank can make a big difference.
If the tank has a light, run it a few more hours a day, say 8 - 9 hours.
Brown algae often grows more in dark conditions.
Otherwise, ignore it and it often goes away by itself after a few weeks. No big deal :)
a very interesting topic. Informative share. One love from Jamaica boss
Hey Mon, one love Raliegh :)
You should put a list of your fish /snail suggestions and their names or a list of your tricks and hints kind like cheat sheet.
Great suggestion 😊
I left a tank to cycle for a month and it was covered in this , amano shrimp soon cleared it up
easy fix, problem solved :)
May I know how frequent is the water change?
I waterchange 20% weekly 🙂
@@AussieAquatic in this brown algae case?
Great video! I've been stuck on battling brown algae for a few months now and it seems like nothing I do fixes it. I wish it was more clear to find the balance of light and nutrients, or maybe my well water is bad..who knows
As a first step, I recommend increasing the light duration by 1 hour. With most normal aquarium lights being not overly bright, you can take the lighting period up to 12 hours to really stimulate your live plants into action. Vigorously growing plants is a big part of balancing the tank.
@@AussieAquatic Ill give it a shot, thank you
Just too letters EI.
The filtration does matter?
the filtration doesn't matter when it comes to algae growing.
Ok but I just set up my tank, it has no plants or fish…..soooo?
You won't see any algae at all :)
@@AussieAquatic but what if…..I am? Because I AM!
@@Dustb677 Let me talk you through, nothing to it.
1) what do you plan to keep in this tank?
Mate you have pretty many Fisches there. Isnt it overcrowded? Cuz they are pretty much big. But they look beautiful
the Emperor tetras keep breeding and making extra fish, they were only 4 in the beginning. the tank has 2 x Eheim canister filters + UG filter + water changes every week. It is OK :)
So is it dangerous cos I have a goldfish and I’m not allowed algae eating fish
Not dangerous at all, it's 100% natural and OK, it's another kind of plant :)
@@AussieAquatic few cos I have fake plants
Where do you get the indian fern from?
It's a very common aquarium plant which sometimes stores forget to order. Can also be called Lace Fern, another very similar plant that grows the same way is called Water Sprite.
algea in good for fish . this is the ecosystem in pond they are some and in lake too
very natural part of aquatic life :)
I used to have some nice white gravel now its just brown gravel :(
White gravel is doomed from the start, but some Bristlenose (Ancistrus) catfish will clean it :)
I scoop out all my white gravel when doing my cleanings, then soak it in water and bleach, I then mix around and let it sit for a few hours, I strain and rinse it very well to get all the bleach off, it looks brand new after that :)
Nice advice brown algae seems to be a common problem but easy fix
probably the quickest algae to fix for sure :)
I hate brown algae in planted tanks. I also don’t like Chinese/Siamese algae eaters since they grow very large and suck on other fish after a while, but they are the best at eating all types of algae.
Luckily quite a few fish like eating brown algae, most livebearers love to eat it. Good news about the Siamese Algae eater fish is that they are completely different to Chinese Algae eater fish. The Siamese are perfectly behaved :)
Colin Barsby they also grow big, don’t they?
@@20gallonfresh98 not really, 4 -5 inches in length, medium sized fish.
Colin Barsby that’s why I like otos, but they are not as good eating algae. :)
@@20gallonfresh98 Otocinclus are awesome little fish, can be hard to find depending on where you live.
I got it and its been stuck on for months
What kind of fish tank is it?
20 gallon fresh water
Use shrimps and job done in 2 3 days...ordinary shrimps,not those lazy multicolor, these do nothing,but this normal shrimps are great and always works hard
@@1988josip nah. I have a bunch of amanos and they cant remove all those brown algae. However, nerite snails do a great job dealin with those browns.
Nice nice but I can have it 😬😬🤫🤫
For you Nasir, every algae is easy, clean the glass with Magic sponge :)
Panic ? Never a good idea in our hobby.
LOL.......unless the tank is overflowing :)
@@AussieAquatic I use that as an opertunity. Like in. Honey ? I really muts put in more tanks now. The water does not fit !!.