# Brown fluffy algae



## Patrick Crowley (8 Jan 2020)

I have new high tech planted tank, not surprisingly diatoms appeared after 3 or 4 weeks.

Tank is a 30cm cube, with a 6 hour photo period, pressurised CO2.

I seem to have 2 types, the usual brown ‘dust’ on rocks and other hard surfaces.  I added ottos and amano shrimp that cleared that up almost over night.  But I’m left with a brown fluffy algae at the substrate level, choking my HC cuba carpet and dwarf hair grass.






The clean up crew don’t touch this, so I’m physically trying to remove it.  But this means I’m just pulling up the HC Cuba that is trying to get established.  I’m cleaning the canister filter weekly and doing 30%-40% water changes twice weekly.  I’m now at about 8 or 9 weeks and no improvement is seen.

Thanks for any help!


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## Aquarium hope (18 Jan 2020)

Can't you siphon it off without affecting the plants? Usually brown diatoms only really attach lightly to plants as a kind of film and can be sucked off using a siphon.


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## PARAGUAY (19 Jan 2020)

On robust plants wind a small toothbrush around any algae then siphon in this case ,carpet,use tweezers yto lightly wind and then syphon again carefully from slightly farther above so as not to disturb


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## Patrick Crowley (19 Jan 2020)

Aquarium hope said:


> Can't you siphon it off without affecting the plants? Usually brown diatoms only really attach lightly to plants as a kind of film and can be sucked off using a siphon.



I found the siphon used to suck up the Cuba plantlet straight out of the substrate  



PARAGUAY said:


> On robust plants wind a small toothbrush around any algae then siphon in this case ,carpet,use tweezers yto lightly wind and then syphon again carefully from slightly farther above so as not to disturb



Spot on .  I learnt through trial and error that a toothbrush was no good on the carpet, a tweezers pinched together and then wound in a circle motion did really well.

So this mechanical removal, plus reducing light to 50% and adding a couple more amanos has really improved things.  Things are looking much better 





Thanks for the advice.


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## Aquarium hope (19 Jan 2020)

Patrick Crowley said:


> I found the siphon used to suck up the Cuba plantlet straight out of the substrate



Use a small tube (I use 12/16 tubing) to do the carpet. It has less suction power and will allow you to suck up dirt underneath the HC carpet in the future.


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## sparkyweasel (19 Jan 2020)

You can also slow the flow of your syphon by raising the outlet end, or with a finger over the end to restrict the flow.


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## Patrick Crowley (19 Jan 2020)

Thanks for tips guys, I’ll certainly try them 


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