what do you guys use to get rid of all brown algae on your aquarium plants??

Well, I'm still very new to the aquarium plant world, but the only plant that gets brown algea on it so far is my sword that is right under the light. It has nice broad leaves so I just rub it off with my finger every few days.

i posted this same question just the other week and then i did some reseasrch. brown algae are diatoms... well anyway i found a good article on it and i dont want to take the credit so heres the link, i talks about all sorts of algae too so its a good read. i also agree with kissy too that the best way i have found to deal with it is just to scrape it off every few days, or get a algae eater if you have room in your tank. it can drive you crazy...


so heres that link.
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm

Just scrape it off with your fingers, if you can. I had big bloom of it a while back. It is annoying...but for me it was easy to clean up.

Hi, when I do water changes I just rub my fingers on the leafs and it comes right off. Its a pain but very easy to clean.

Hope this helps. I find it one of the easier algeas to clean. Comes off the sides of the tank very easy also.

here's a pic of the brown algae blooming all over my swords..

Heh fondoo that looks familiar! I've got brown algea on the bigger sword, but mostly on the back glass wall and patches in the gravel. I'm SOOOO glad I chose black gravel over white for sure.

Because I have plants in all my tanks, this is a weekly problem for me and i discovered a really great way to clean them up - and i mean taking them back to green.

You know filter sponges (i use an old one from one of my aquaclears) well I cut it in half (lengthways) and now whenever I clean the leaves of my plants, i hold one under the underside of the leaf and use the other half to rub the top clean. It stops the leaves from tearing and even gets rid of the stubborn algae. The only problem with this method is you really need to remove your plants to a bucket to do it

How do you trade in the brown for the green? I've been keeping my bedroom drapes closed and feeding less but its not prevailing.

Otocinclus will eat the brown algae

Well, they prefer the greener type, but they'll eat the browns also

someone at another forum recommended Phos Sponge Square :

http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/addtobask...retp=404&rets=X

does anyone know if they work??

Brown means not enough light and if you want it green, more natural light or stonger flourescents will do this. I tested this theory and it's true - I added a double flourescent and now the algae is primarily green. The only place it's a brownish colour is on the leaves of the plants.

My algae has reduced since I hooked up a uv though

Not sure - what is it that makes them different to normal sponges?

How many watts per gallon do you reccomend to get rid of algea? I have a 19w All Glass Florescent strip on my 10 gallon tank. I haven't had it up long, maybe a couple months.

3 of my tanks have 20W globes but my 60 gallon has 2 x 40 watt which seems to make the algae nice and green

You can also treat with bleach when they get really bad, the rubbing technique doesn't work or it becomes so unsightly to you and nothing works.... However it's never a good idea to uproot an amazon. Use this as a last resort only.

use 19 parts water to 1 part bleach (regular laundry bleach) and dipped them for 2 minutes. That worked for me. But I would research prior to doing this with any other plant. The amazon is ok. Just don't let the roots come in contact... and ensure that you rinse with clean water several times prior to putting it back in the tank.

in seems like in my case the longer the lights are on, the more brown algae i get.
i wonder if phosphate filter pads will work...

phosphat pads link

Does the duration of light affect brown algea growth? I've been getting lazy and have been forgetting to turn the light off after 12 hours of daylight. I try to leave it on according to the light outside since I have school to work around.