Brown Algae on Aquarium Plants – Causes & Remedial Measures!

Which Fishes Eat Brown Algae?

To remove those brown algae patches from your tank, do you know what the smartest trick can be? Add some sucker-mouth fishes to your tank! 

These aquatic species are excellent in eating off the brown algae on your aquarium surfaces, such as glass, rocks, substrates, decors, plants, etc. You can pet Plecostomus, Otocinclus Catfish, Chinese Algae Eater, and other species of suckerfishes to do away with those stubborn brown algae patches in your fish tank.

Do Snails Eat Brown Algae?

Yes, they do! You can add snails like Malaysian Trumpet snail, Nerite snail, Mystery snail, Ramshorn snail, or Trochus snail in your fish tank to remove brown algae in your aquarium.

Do Shrimps Eat Brown Algae?

Of course, they do! Amano shrimps,  Red Cherry Shrimps, Ghost Shrimps are some of the most efficient brown algae eaters. They can clean brown algae on aquarium plants, rocks, and other decors. However, they aren’t capable of cleaning your tank’s glass, as they do not have the necessary tool to do so.

Best Ways to Remove Brown Algae on Aquarium Plants

Brown alga is a common phenomenon in a new tank; Almost every novice aquarist will encounter it, and the problem settles down itself with a given time. It is a natural part of your aquarium or in any water body. 

However, when the brown algae grow uncontrollably, then it poses a real problem to other plants and corals in the aquarium.

Do you know how harmful brown algae on aquarium plants can be? Extreme overgrowth of brown algae on live plants and corals can make them die. Also, brown algae coating on other non-living objects like glass, substrate, and decors can impose problems. 

How to eradicate brown algae?  

Well, for your convenience, I have brought forward a few fool-proof tricks to clean off brown algae from your aquarium.

Removing Brown Algae on Aquarium Plants and Corals

Water is the best weapon to get rid of those slimy unwanted brown algae. Use a turkey baster and blow water through it on the brown algae layers over your corals. It will disseminate the algae throughout the tank water, which will be later thrown out by your aquarium’s filtration unit.

In live plants, use a soft sponge and rub off the brown algae coatings carefully to disperse them in water. Then, those algae streaks will be collected and filtered out through the filter equipped in your tank.

Removing Algae from the Glass of Your Fish Tank

Brown algae don’t care whether you are using a glass fish tank or an acrylic one. They will adhere to your glass aquarium, giving it an ugly, dirty look. So, what should you do to remove them?

Very simple! Apply a single and smooth stroke, wiping off from one side to another or from top to the bottom of the aquarium’s glass. It will scrape off a maximum amount of algae particles, leaving behind only a little to float in the tank, which can later be taken care of by the filtration unit. You may use a small squeegee for wiping away brown algae from the front of the fish tank. 

Removing Brown Algae from the Substrate

Besides the growth of brown algae on aquarium plants, every form of aquarium substrate, whether it is pebbles, sand, or gravel, can promote algae formation. But how do you clean it? Check out the tips below. 

Sand Substrate

If you are using a sand substrate, brown algae will form on its top layer. However, there’s nothing to worry about! You can easily remove it. 

Grab the fishnet and run it over the surface of the sand. Then spoon out brown algae’s top layer and leave behind as much sand as you can. Repeat this action until most of the algae is taken out. 

Well, you can also try vacuuming the brown sludge to suck out the top film of the algae from the sand. What about attaching a pointed object to the tip of your vacuum? Good idea, right? The sharp tip will smoothly separate the brown algae from the sandy substrate.

Pebble/ Gravel Substrate

If you have large pebbles as tank substrate, you can easily remove them and clean the algae build-ups on them separately. But, it’s quite challenging to separate the smaller pebbles and gravel. Hence, in such a case, use a siphon vacuum. 

Vacuum out only the uppermost layer of the gravel substrate and remove all the brown algae sediments. However, make sure you are not removing the good bacteria. If you feel the algae coatings are glued hard on the substrate, remove the gravel’s top layer and wash them thoroughly before placing them in the tank again.

Removing Brown Algae on Fake/ Plastic Aquarium Plants and Other Decors

Do you have too many fake/ plastic plants in your tank for ornamentation? Well, then it can become the most vulnerable spot for brown algae proliferation. So, what can be the solution to this problem? The trick is to use a mild bleach solution. But how will it help?

Firstly, you would want to remove the artificial plants & other ornaments from the tank and then wash them separately. After that, submerge the decors into the 10% bleach solution. For preparing the solution, take ½ cup of bleach per gallon (about 4 liters)of water, then immerse the fake plants & other decors for about 10-20 minutes, and wait for the brown algae particles to float on the water surface.

Now, gently remove the ornaments from the bleach solution, and rinse them firmly using a soft sponge or cloth while washing thoroughly under running water. Tiresome but easy and straightforward method!

How to Prevent Returning of Brown Algae on Aquarium Plants?

Once you are done removing the brown algae patches from your fish tank? I am sure you must have!

But now the question is, how do you stop brown algae from making a comeback to your aquarium. Well, here I have enlisted a few prevention methods for brown algae on your aquarium plants.

Use the Right Water Type and Change it Often.

Do you use well water or tap water for your aquarium? 

The water you use serves as one of the primary sources of brown algae proliferation in your tank. So, ensure using RO water that does not contain any impurity and treat the water with a conditioner making it a suitable choice for your aquarium tank. 

Also, periodic changing of water is imperative to keep your fish tank clean and prevent the formation of nitrate, silicate, and phosphate, which, in turn, hinders the growth of brown algae on aquarium plants.

Maintain a Proper Filtration Rate

Are you a novice aquarist and don’t know whether you are using the right filter for your aquarium or not? Well, then it may be the real problem. 

Your tank needs adequate filtration to maintain a healthy aquatic environment. While choosing the filter, you would want to ensure a minimum of 10 cycles per hour; meaning, your filter should circulate the entire water in the aquarium tank ten times in an hour. 

For example, if your tank capacity is 20 gallons (75 liters), your filtration capacity should be 200 gallons (750 liters) per hour.

You can use a sponge filter or a hang on the back filter or protein skimmer, a canister filter, an under gravel filter, a dry sump filter, a combination of filtration, etc., depending on the size of your tank and the types of stocks in the aquarium tank. After thorough research, all the information is available online; read more than one article or recommendation to draw your conclusion.

Avoid Silicate:

Silicate is the primary source for diatoms to thrive in your aquarium. Silicates enter your aquarium system in many ways; most tap water contains silicate. It can hitchhike with your sand and gravel substrate, also through rocks and other decors. 

It isn’t possible to remove the completely leaching of silicate from the sand substrate; however, you can reduce it considerably by washing the sand thoroughly with bleach and rinsing thoroughly, and soaking in conditioned water a few days before adding the sand to the aquarium tank.

Another means for silicate to enter your aquarium tank’s eco-system is when you have specimens of certain types of African Cichlids and other livebearers, you would need to add some salt to the aquarium. Ensure to add the salt meant for aquarium use and not the table salt; table salt contains a certain amount of silicate in it.

Enhance the Water Flow

Besides filtration, the water movement in your tank also needs to be appropriately checked. Well, diatoms don’t like to swim much; they thrive in still water. And that’s why they stay piled up, forming a coating over the different objects in your tank. 

If the water movement is increased adequately according to your stock requirements, brown algae face difficulty staying clumped together in one place, and this slows down their proliferation rate. But how do you achieve a higher water flow rate? You could use an air stone with a pump or current maker; there are so many options available to create water movement in an aquarium tank!

Avoid Overfeeding Your Fishes

In case you notice that your fishes are not eating all the food you are giving them, it will be leftover on the substrate itself. Studies say overfeeding of fishes causes rotting of the excess food, leading to nitrate accumulation in tank water. And do you know this aid brown algae formation on your aquarium plants? 

A thumb rule in feeding aquarium fish is to feed as much quantity that your fish can eat in 3 minutes; with a little trial, you will know the amount required by your fish.

Improve Lighting

Enhancing lighting in your aquarium will encourage green algae growth in your tank, preventing or giving a tough competition to brown algae. Controlling green algae is more manageable than taking control over brown algae or diatoms. After all, not all fish or invertebrates enjoy diatoms.

However, plenty of fish species and invertebrates enjoy munching on green algae; in fact, green algae is their primary nourishment for numerous species. However, it is important you don’t the green algae to bloom because it reduces the dissolved oxygen in the aquarium tank and this can lead to the drowning of your fish.

Also, enhancing lighting 12 hours a day helps the other plant kingdoms thrive well; thriving of other vegetation reduces the nutrient supply to diatoms in the aquarium.

Introduction of brown algae eaters into your aquarium tank:

Introducing species that consume brown algae is another way to prevent the brown algae from proliferating.

Sucker-mouth fish, Bristlenose plecos, pufferfish, and several catfish varieties will readily munch on brown algae on aquarium plants and in the tank. You can also introduce invertebrates such as Amano Shrimp, Red Cherry Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp, etc. 

Snails such as Nerite snails, Mystery snails, Ramshorn Snails, and many more can do the job impeccably. 

Brown Algae on Aquarium Plants – A Wrap-Up

Diatoms or Silicate algae or brown algae is a pain but not dangerous if it’s under control. As a matter of fact, many aquarium enthusiasts love it.

Brown algae or silicate algae is an issue every new tank passes through. Generally, it clears up with time; as soon as the plants and other microorganisms establishes themselves in the ecosystem. 

Just take care not to let it grow over out of control. Keep a check on it with one or a combination of methods suggested above.

Enjoy your newly set-up aquarium! Also, you could share with us your experiences here below!