I wasn't exactly sure which forum to put this in so if there's a better place for it, please move.

Anyway my friend who has 1 goldie has been having issues with brown algae in her tank and wants to get rid of it. The person at Petsmart told her if it's brown algae she probably doesn't have the light on in the tank enough. Is that true? She only turns it on for like 2-3 hours a day because she didn't want algae to grow and thought having the lights on for only a short period would decrease the likelihood of algae growth.

What would you all recommend for decreasing/getting rid of brown algae?

Wait for awhile, and it should turn into pretty green algea.

Will brown algae turn to green algae? Or are they different "breeds"?

She had her water tested and results are as follows:

ammonia: 0.25
nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
pH 7.8

The tank has been running for a few months so I don't know where the ammonia is comng from. We live in the same city/same water supply and our tap is not treated with chloramine and it tests 0 for ammonia.

Would more frequent water changes help keep brown algae down?

She has 1 fish in the tank (red cap oranda) that is about 1 1/2 -2 inches long.

Brown algae will turn to green algae if left untouched. Frequent water changes will not help the situation.

The water may have a high amount of silicates in it; silicates can aid in the growth of brown algae.

Easiest thing to do is just wipe it off with the water changes if she doesn't like it.

I have a tank 4 months old. About 2 months into it I started growing brown algae. All of a sudden this past month it has turned into green algae. Pretty cool!

Great, thanks! I'll let her know.

I have run into a brown algea problem and i have no experience of it turning green!? not that i want any algea in my tank..
i dont think not enough light coz i ind it grows where the light is strongest.. mines all in the middle of the tank on the leaves of an amazon sword (i think that plant is a write off now as its not green anymore its very very brown!) but doesnt grow in the shadows of the leaves.. i just scrub it off when it gets bad.. i hate it.. grrr

Green algae always appeared on the walls of the tank for me from all the natural sunlight. Then, in the gravel, I would get this sludge like brown algea forming. I have never heard of the brown stuff turning green.

The brown stuff is a diatom bloom. I have gotten it with every new tank or even when I moved. It does eventually let up (at least for me) and then I get the green algae, which I can handle.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecont.../aa091100_2.htm

ok I have never head that keeping the light off will prevent algie growth. I keep my light on 12 hour a day then off at night. and i never have an algie probelm well, i do have a pleco and rainbow sharks but in the other tanks its no more than normal and i head that the algie fix would do the trick to kill it??? am i wrong?

I wouldnt use chemicals if you can avoid it.

My tank FINALLY started to grow brown algea and I am so happy. I have been waiting months for this. Now I just need to keep it happy enough to turn green.

I have also had a recent brown algae outbreak, since my tank has been cycled for about a month and a half or so.

My tank is 4 months old. Brown algae stopped at about the 3 month mark. Now I have green algae. Yep - green fuzz is growing all over the decorations and the glass. It looks so nice.