# Is this brown algae(Diatoms)?



## Castro235 (Mar 4, 2010)

Hey everyone, so I've been noticing brown spots on my fake plants, and it has now started to cover one of my clay pots.

I have no problems with this as long as it's not very bad for the fish, I'm more just unsure if this is actually brown algae or diatoms or what have you, and am curious if this is probably a sign of a healthy tank, an unhealthy tank, or just a result of the obvious ammonia levels in the tank.


The tank is a 10gallon with 3 goldfish(comet/common) All still very small, under 4", and the tank has been set up for less than two months.

I had previously believed the cycle was not starting, as I was doing very large often water changes to keep the ammonia down, and I had never seen a nitrite or nitrate(albeit I was using test strips for everything but ammonia) but I have cut down my water changes to try and allow the cycle to happen.

After checking today it appeared I had very low ammonia, no nitrites, and some nitrates, so it seems like the tank is now cycling, and I was hoping the algae growth was maybe another positive sign, or an indication of something bad.



I took a pic, as I really couldn't find much for a good picture of diatoms/brown algae, so I was hoping someone here might be able to give me some form of confirmation.

Again, as long as it's not something harmful, I really don't mind having it in the tank(while it's still under control) and I would actually prefer keeping it, since when the goldies go into their 55g, I was hoping to use this tank for a shrimp farm, so algae might be a nice bonus for the shrimp.









(It looks rust colored like it's affected by the pot, but it's an identical color on the plants)


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## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

It looks like diatoms to me. If it can be brushed off easily with your fingers then it is. It's very common in newly setup tanks and harmless.


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## Castro235 (Mar 4, 2010)

jeaninel said:


> It looks like diatoms to me. If it can be brushed off easily with your fingers then it is. It's very common in newly setup tanks and harmless.


Like I mentioned, I'm not really worried about getting rid of it, I'm actually glad to have it if it is just normal algae that isn't harmful.

Hopefully it's something my(potential) cherry red shrimp will enjoy.


Just want to make sure it's not something that will have some negative effects on the tank(other than aesthetic)


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Your red cherries will LOVE it.


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## JohnnyD44 (Dec 5, 2008)

ditto on all that, I had it for about a month once I converted to a planted aquarium..


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## Castro235 (Mar 4, 2010)

aunt kymmie said:


> Your red cherries will LOVE it.


Great to hear!

The shrimp are still all a potential thing, Ideally i would like to do a red cherry farm, and slowly add some to the goldfish tank, since it seems like it's a hit or miss whether they can survive or not, and I would love the idea of them living with my goldfish.

I might not end up with red cherries, but they're my first pick, but I'm almost considering japonica shrimp since they seem a bit bigger and therefore maybe a bit less likely to be an immediate meal, but that will all be in due time.


For now, the 55 gallon is mostly barren, it has a whopping three(albeit giant) rocks in it, one of my 10gallons fake plants(since the three plants take up way too much space in the 10 anyways, and there's that hope of bacteria moving along with it) and it's running through the sump to filter out what still hasn't settled from the playsand substrate(Surprisingly the water already tooks a ton cleaner, and the filter floss looks nice and brown, so it seems the sump filter at the very least is working)


I'll post some pics somewhere, probably in a new thread once the 55 is set up with it's plants, decor, inhabitants, and all that good stuff!


Thanks alot for the replies, really good to know the algae is something that will be nice(in my opinion) as I don't find it an unsightly nuisance, but more of a tasty snack for a few thing!


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Great, we look forward to your pics!


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