brown slime algae

[zeke92]

at first i thought diatoms but it's not, and it's not on the sand. on the glass is a nasty brownish slimy looking algae growing, and it is making the aquarium look dirty. what should i do about this? do to rock and other things i can't just scrape it all off with a magnet...whats causing it?

 

[alexmir]

I had the same problem with my tank when i first set it up, it just slowly went away after a few weeks. It seems to happen in most if not all new tanks.

 

[zeke92]

it's not diatoms tho. and it's not a new tank.
what causes the algae to grow? and how can i stop it.

 

[stayloki]

I get it from time to time myself and IMO it only seems to happen when I leave the lights on for too long..

When I'm good about it and turn them off when should, I don't notice it. Like most algaes it can come from too much light, waste, not enough water changes.. I control it by trying not to watch my fish until 12 o'clock at night (I know I'm a horrible mom screwing with their light cycle) and by keeping lots of snails & hermits.. Also, my bicolored blenny seems to eat it and I no longer have a problem with it no matter how late I leave the lights on to watch the fish. Hope I helped a little, good luck!