brown substance on plants

[peteypob]

Hi everyone,

Its been a while since Ive posted so here it goes. I have this strange brown substance on my Java fern leaves and on some of my other plants. My otos seem to stay away from it. I can scrape it off with my hands but want to know if anybody has had this same problem. One more thing, the glass on the inside of the aquarium has these little white almost like sand grains that grow. Thanks for the help!

Pete

[ChloroPhil]

Is it fluffy or a thin coating substance?

[peteypob]

Hi Phil,

Sorry for the late response! It is a thin coating and can be easily scraped off. I have been told from a friend that this is some type of bacteria and is impossible to get rid of. Is there truth to this? Thanks for your help!

Pete

[ChloroPhil]

It sounds like diatomaceous "dust" algae to me. Usually that's something that your Ottocinclus would go for with gusto. How many do you have in your tank and how big is it?

Best,
Phil

[peteypob]

There is five ottos and my tank is a 55. I had thought the same thing but they dont seem the slightest bit interested in it. This stuff is growing on the tips of Lace Java Fern and on the leaves of the rest. Any other resolution to get rid of this alge?THANKS

Pete

[ChloroPhil]

Peteybob,

I had that exact same problem with some of my Lace ferns. A two or three day black out should help. A black molly or two might help keep it cleaner too. Honestly, I never could get rid of it 100%.

[peteypob]

Hi Phil,
That sounds like a great idea, I will try it and let you know on the progress. Thanks!

Peteypob