Brown algae on Anubias

[Howie]

Brown algae on Anubias--what to do?

 

[Aqua410]

I would love to know I have it like crazy in my GT tank. I started scrubbing the leaves with a stiff brush when I do WC but I ended up ripping leaves by accident.

 

[Becca]

Figure out what water parameter issue might be causing it and/or add some small BNPs, Nerites, or some crosshatch siamese algae eaters. The latter are amazing algae eaters.

 

[Termato]

While the rest of my tank is healthy, one of my annubias nanas is getting that same algae because I have it way too close to the light. It's directly underneath of it. Another one in the same tank doesn't have it. If that's not the answer then I'd look into imbalances.

 

[halak]

Nerite snails or Otocinclus will eat it.

 

[Jt731]

Can you take a picture? Is it a lot of short black "hairs" along the edge?

What size tank and what fish are in it?

 

[Howie]

Figure out what water parameter issue might be causing it and/or add some small BNPs, Nerites, or some crosshatch siamese algae eaters. The latter are amazing algae eaters.

Becca, I enlisted your 3 albino BNPs from one of my grow out tanks to do algae patrol and so far they're doing a great job. Thanks for the tip!

 

[mchambers]

Here's a great page on how to diagnose and deal with algae, including brown algae on leaves:

http://www.guitarfish.org/algae#diatoms

 

[CSnyder00]

If it's brown algae, bristlenose plecos or nerite snails will do the trick. Several smaller, young plecos tend to be the best. They will pick them clean after a few days.

 

[Aqua410]

Yeah a day after adding a bNP and I notice he already ate some of the algae. I'm going to add some nerite snails as well. I wonder if the snails will get eaten by the GT in my other tank.

 

[Aqua410]

After less then a week my bnp has cleaned the tank and Anubis bare of brown algae. It's a shame that their mouths tend to put a haze on acrylic tanks or I would add a few to my 55. This dude is an algae eating machine and also a poop machine.

 

[ddavila06]

After less then a week my bnp has cleaned the tank and Anubis bare of brown algae. It's a shame that their mouths tend to put a haze on acrylic tanks or I would add a few to my 55. This dude is an algae eating machine and also a poop machine.

LOL, great to know! was it algae or diatoms? algae usually is a little harder to get off, diatoms wash right off and plecos/other algae eaters love them!

 

[Aqua410]

It was a mixture of both. Not easily removable from the anubias with a coarse brush. Even a little tough to scrub from the glass at times but the BNP did an amazing job. My anubias barteri was completely brown and I woke up the other day and he had cleaned every leaf leaving his calling card poops on each one to let me know he had taken care of business.

 

[Howie]

My tank is now sparkling clean thanks to the albino BNs Every plant leaf, every piece of zebra rock, and all the glass aee of brown algae.

 

[Becca]

Becca, I enlisted your 3 albino BNPs from one of my grow out tanks to do algae patrol and so far they're doing a great job. Thanks for the tip!

Hooray!

 

[Jt731]

I've been researching algae a bit, one of the key ingredients in most of the otc green algae remedies like algexit is salicylic acid (also one of the major ingredients in some of the topical acne medications). Apparently this acid comes from willow plants, so I have seen some mentions of floating willow branches in aquariums to help clear up green algae issues (black beard algae is apparently a green algae)