brown algae

[HOOVER]

a brown algae has begun to show up on my plants i tried to rub it off but it doesn't come off easily.
can anyone tell me what it is and how to get rid of it. i read about the different types off algae but none of
them really describe what i have.

[Mollielover]

Brown algae is usually diatoms, what type of plants do you have?  silk? Diatoms usually shows up in newer tanks and will eventually go away on its own..

[HOOVER]

Well i have live plants. thats why i thought it was odd.

[Mollielover]

Thats not Odd, and it is harder to get off of live plants  because you have to be more delicate with them.

[HOOVER]

well ok. thank you

[RedRose]

If you can find them, try to get some Zebra nerites for your tank.  They do an excellent job at cleaning up most types of algae and they love diatoms.  Mine clean off the leaves on my plants no matter how thin the plant is.  Sometimes the plant looks like it's being tortured because the nerites are so heavy but they stand up in place again once the snail is off of the plant.  You would just have to check on them every now and then(the snails) because if they end up on their back, you'll have to give them a little nudge until they are back on their foot again.

[wendyjo]

Other nerites are just as good - not just the zebras.

[Nic W]

Id adore some nerites, but, no lfs here sells them anyone care to share what site they used to get theres?

[sorry for the off topic question]

[RedRose]

Other nerites are just as good - not just the zebras.

The reason I recommend Zebra nerites is because they are one of the few that are a true freshwater nerite.  That and they are much easier to find or at least, they are easier to find in Canada.  Here's a link on them.  Their latin name is Neritina natalensis.  Others like the Olives(Neritina reclivata) and the marine Zebras(Puperita pupa) can live in freshwater once they have been acclimated to it but they tend to prefer water that's brackish or marine.  I've spoken to many who have kept those types of snails and they've all said that they tend to do much better in water with some salinity in it.  Even this site says that Olives are actually brackish water snails.

Id adore some nerites, but, no lfs here sells them anyone care to share what site they used to get theres?

[sorry for the off topic question]

I get mine from a LFS in town but Big Al's also sells them.  If you have a Big Al's in your area, you could check there for them.  The ones I get are under the name Zebra snails.  Here's a site that sells the Olives.

[wendyjo]

That site says "These snails are actually brackish water snails, but do just fine in our freshwater tanks.", which I believe is the experience of many of us who have them.  I have some that are a few years old now and going strong.

The benefit olive nerites is that the eggs won't hatch in fresh water.  That's good for many of us because we can use them in smaller tanks for algae control without having to worry about a population explosion.