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I've read a lot of topics about algae here and I'm still utterly lost. I have no problem with green algae but when I see bits of brown algae I start to freak out. I know I can simply scrape it off and change the water but that doesn't seem to be working for me.

I cleaned my tank yesterday because there was a bit of brown algae forming and a thick layer of green algae on a small area. I just looked at my tank and I saw green and brown algae forming again.

I'm tempted to buy a snail or a ghost shrimp but then there's their addition to waste although I wouldn't think it would be much and I have no idea how it would be to clean the tank with snails or shrimp in it along with my turt.

Is there anything I can do about the brown algae?

I have a fairly good water filter that's not even a year old, I change the filter bags often, I do regular water changes esp when I see brown algae, when I clean I soak with a mixture of bleach, and I don't really see any extra bits of food or poop, and the poop might be a problem because I swear I never see poop and I usually see a crap load.

I think brown algae is related to phosphate and nitrate levels. It usually shows up in newer or newly cycling tanks.

When you say you clean with bleach does this mean you do a complete water change and bleach everything? If so, that's overkill and you're killing the bacteria that controls the levels of nitrates.

I'd test the tank water and see what you get. A lot of petstores will test for free if you don't have a kit of your own.

i have two snails and they help alot with keeping the tank clean , I have two turtles so twice the waste! Your turtle would probably try and eat the snail so buy a bigger one. Mine gave up after awihile. Snails go everywhere and eat algae, I had the worst time with algae and i threw two snails in there and its been crystal clear ever since Good Luck! Remember BIG snails lol

Smaller snails and ghost shrimps get eaten by turtles pretty quickly... unless you have a turtle that isn't really into live food. Ghost shrimps' ability to eat algae is at bare minimal- you'd need an algae eating shrimp like amano shrimps.

I had a pretty bad brown-algae problem too but it caused from a filter that has gone to hell. After I replaced the filter it cleared up.

How often do you do water changes? And do you rinse your media/scrub your filter in tank (versus tap) water?

Oh man, I've had brown aglae and dark green algae for quite a while now...I just wipe off the brown stuff, and use a razor scraper to get the dark green stuff off the glass.

Brown is bad? nuts. There is another thread about water changes I'll head over to...I think I'm messing that up by totally cleaning the filter in tap water and doing total water changes once a month. oops.

well i soak all the stuff that's in the tank in water and bleach while i'm scrubbing the tank. and i usually do a complete water change every two to three weeks. it probably is an overkill. i scrub the filter then rinse it off with tap water. so i should probably stop bleaching everything and just scrub it off from now on?

my turtle doesn't really chase after live food. i've had a couple minnows in the tank and he didn't care much for it until i held it above his head then he would eat it.

i would stop cleaning it with bleach and just scrape it off. doing a complete water change that often isnt good for the beneficial bacteria either. do you rinse your bio media in tap water?

okay so no more bleach. i do rinse it with tap water

Brown algae could be diatoms, which thrive on silica and lack of light among other things. Is the brown algae especially in areas that don't get a lot of light? If so, how bright is the lighting in the tank. If it's on the dark side, or if part of the tank is dark, try to increase the brightness in that area. If the period that the lights are on is sufficient (12 hours on average), don't lengthen the time they're on, just the brightness of the light.

if you rinse the bio media in tap water the beneficial bacteria will be killed and your tank will never fully set up

marisa wrote:Brown algae could be diatoms, which thrive on silica and lack of light among other things. Is the brown algae especially in areas that don't get a lot of light? If so, how bright is the lighting in the tank. If it's on the dark side, or if part of the tank is dark, try to increase the brightness in that area. If the period that the lights are on is sufficient (12 hours on average), don't lengthen the time they're on, just the brightness of the light.

I have two 36" Repitsun 5.0 bulbs...and two small 15 or 25 watt red aquarium lights over her basking area.

The brown algae grows mostly in the smooth sealant parts on the bottom -and all around/on/behind the big ol rocks to help displace some of the water, which she doesn't use for anything.

ytse411 wrote:The brown algae grows mostly in the smooth sealant parts on the bottom -and all around/on/behind the big ol rocks to help displace some of the water, which she doesn't use for anything.

It might also be waste or bacteria that has accumulated. I'm usually able to wipe it off easily.

I'd add more light and if you're not cleaning that often, up the maintenance.