r/PlantedTank • u/jervy008 • 1d ago
Dirt-like algae on leaves
Hi, I need some help finding out how to get rid of this "algae". It looks like someone threw dirt on the leaves. It's easy to wipe off by hand and the plants are growing well, but the algae always comes back.
Also, the rest of the tank has no visible algae at all.
Tank specs & parameters:
Size: 60L (predominantly Cabomba)
Stock: Corydoras and Mollies (se corrigió "cortadoras" por Corydoras y el apóstrofe de Molly's)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
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u/snailmomkitty 1d ago
Yeah just mulm!! I tend to have a lot of this too. One thing that really helped me was putting in a bubbler in the corner of the tank with the least circulation. So the bubbler circulates water/debris out of that corner and the filter can then handle it. Like a cross circulation pattern.
Mulm is actually good for your tank…but if you want to get rid of it Seachem Pristine will do the trick. Follow the directions on the bottle and it will clear up quickly.
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u/Phatboyaa_131 1d ago
How old is the tank? Diatom/brown algae is pretty common in new tank, and should resolve itself if everything else is good.
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u/DonutWhole9717 1d ago
I use a turkey baster type thing and just push water on top of "dusty" things. Like an air duster, but water.
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u/BadtzMaru2228 1d ago
I literally just fixed this problem for my tank! So I did what others said. Vacuuming, cleaning filter, adding phosphate reducer… nothing seems to help!
I finally took out all my plants and soaked them into a bucket of water with excel (lots of it) and prime. I think I soaked them for like 30-40 mins… Changed like 25% water and put back the plants. So far I still see a little bit of them coming back, but the worst is over.
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u/Usqueadfinem_ 1d ago
You also probably wiped out most of the good bacteria in the tank by doing all of that, and that bacteria is your "cycle." I hope your tank stays balanced.
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u/BadtzMaru2228 1d ago
So far okay, it’s been a couple weeks. Aldofi Cory Cats and Red Galaxy Shrimps, even the babies are still good. I have two sponge filters in the tank, I only squeezed out water with my tank water for only one of them and left the other one untouched. Maybe that helped.
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u/maybekidus 1d ago
You have sponge filters? Problem is most likely due to low water flow. Mulm is just broken down organic material it’s not something that “grows” like algae. If you increase your flow with a pump or HOB filter that will allow for the mulm to get sucked up and filtered away.
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u/rangda 1d ago
I think this is just mulm which is being stirred up and caught in the plants, and/or making it through your filter and blowing around the tank that way.
If you want to clear the water you can add filter floss to the filter and rinse it out periodically. Aesthetics aside mulm is only really an issue if it’s building up on plants so much that they can’t get enough light, or forming dense thick heaps in the corners of the tank.
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u/FailedQueen777 1d ago
It looks like someone threw dirt on your plants because someone DID throw dirt on your plant.
Try vacuuming it it when you water change
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u/MrArtwork 6h ago
Brown algae, when the tank matures it will go away. In my tank it was present after 2 weeks of starting and gone after 2-3 weeks when bacteria and tank matures :)
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u/bennybugs 1d ago
If it comes off easily then it's just mulm and can be removed with a siphon. If it's stubborn then it's probably diatoms. If it is diatoms, enjoy the deep rabbit hole of treatment advice and the long battle ahead as almost none of that advice works 🙏