# Major Brown Algae On Glass



## Frenz9 (Apr 23, 2006)

should i scrape it off? or should i just buy a plec?


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## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

scrape it all off and then do a decent water change. works for me. i let it grow on the rocks but glass gets scraped. typically its a razor blade where it is bad (can really bring back ur glass just gotta be careful) and a cpl of brushes from petco. GL in the algae fight.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Frenz9 said:


> should i scrape it off? or should i just buy a plec?


BN pleco or nerite snails.


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## 69183 (Apr 25, 2011)

prov356 said:


> Frenz9 said:
> 
> 
> > should i scrape it off? or should i just buy a plec?
> ...


Those nerite snails work wonders. I couldn't believe how much algae those buggers eat. My rocks are actually cleaner now than when I first put them in and I power washed, bleached and power washed again.....


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

A pleco would love it and clean it up.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't find any thing eating my brown in new tanks. I find the magnetic glass cleaners as easy as anything. Just watch that you don't get sand under the head of the cleaner. It can put a nasty scratch on the glass.


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

PfunMo said:


> I don't find any thing eating my brown in new tanks. I find the magnetic glass cleaners as easy as anything. Just watch that you don't get sand under the head of the cleaner. It can put a nasty scratch on the glass.


+1
I put a 2" scratch in the brand new 
125 w hen I got it. :x


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## Frenz9 (Apr 23, 2006)

so i just bought a 2 inch bristle nose plec. and it better do the job! :x


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

Frenz9 said:


> so i just bought a 2 inch bristle nose plec. and it better do the job! :x


Oh it will.


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## Frenz9 (Apr 23, 2006)

how long will it take him to clean the tank doc? haha
opcorn:


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

What size tank is it. I put one bn in my 125 Ca tank and he got it clean in less then a week.


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## Frenz9 (Apr 23, 2006)

a 55 gallon


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## ClearMud (Nov 6, 2010)

I'll take a day or two!


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## Grumblecakes (Feb 20, 2011)

i get hair algae every time i rise the sponges for some reason. my bn's strip the tank clean over night. you should feed them to though, they really appreciate algae wafers and vegtables.

i also think my female bn pleco is about the cutest thing in the world, my male not as much.


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

Will my 2" Synodontis luccipinis's bother a BN? I have 5, and at first they held their ground against my new P. Spilinotus's, so they do have spunk. I have green algae on my rocks, and some brown on the glass that I would like to get rid of without bleach.

Thanks

Art


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## ClearMud (Nov 6, 2010)

My baby BN (has little spikes) turns around and raises his fins when i start to look at him. :lol:


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## Pizzle (May 24, 2011)

I know a Bristle nose will eat green algae but do they eat brown algea too? Do Nerites eat brown algae?


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## smilepak (Aug 9, 2004)

I bought 10 of these and they do wonder....

Midget Sucker-mouth Catfish
Otocinclus sp.


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## FishFlake (Mar 7, 2010)

Pizzle said:


> I know a Bristle nose will eat green algae but do they eat brown algea too? Do Nerites eat brown algae?


I've never had any algae (brown or green) in my 29g that has 2 BNs in it.

Nerites definately eat brown algae. 10 olive nerites completely cleaned all the glass, rocks, intake tubes etc. in my 55g tank in about 8-10 days. Everything was covered in brown algae. It's been several months now and they continue to kept it clean.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

BN pleco or nerite snails.[/quote]

So Africans wont eat the nerite snails? If you got only one snail and you keep a really clean tank, would he have enough to eat from the rocks and mostly clean glass, or would you need to feed him? I feed my fish spirulina too, so maybe he could eat the leftovers of that?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Africans do harass the nerites. Mbuna are the worst IME, Tangs still pretty bad and Haps/peacocks the best.

They also do tend to starve if there is not enough algae for them to eat because they do not eat leftover fish food like other snails.


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## gilberbt (Aug 1, 2009)

I have 10 zebra nerite snails in my 75G mixed male Malawi setup and they do a good job cleaning up the alge. I have some plants and keep the lights on 8-10 hours daily and mainly got them to help keep the glass cleaner. Fish dont bug them too much my only complaint about them is all the eggs they lay. Just dozens of white dots on the rocks and glass. They never hatch and I think eventually just decompose or get eaten by the fish but it is kind of annoying.


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