# What typically causes brown slime on artificial plants?



## cyclesnipas

This is driving me crazy as it makes my tank look awful and no matter how much cleaning and maintenance I do I cant seem to make it go away. Ive asked a few aquarium stores about this and have heard everything from- Its "just algae" you should buy an algae eater to its "some kind of toxin" you should buy this to get rid of it. Ok well which is it? Just algae? Phosphates? Nitrates? Silicates? Nitrites? None of the above? No one can ever seem to give me a positive answer. Im hoping you extremely knowledgeable folks can shed some light on this for me as your not just trying to make a sale. ;-)


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## Agent13

Its often Cyanobacteria... caused by elevated Nitrates and/or high phosphates. The "cure" is simply cut back your lighting schedule, reduce feeding or even stop feeding for a little while, manually remove it from everything you can and up your water changes. Test for nitrates and see if thats up. Also you can use a brand new tooth brush the scrub it off plants and decor and keep it up for a while until it stops coming back.
Don't need to buy a thing.. well maybe a tooth brush


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## fish monger

Agree with Agent13. Could also be inadequate filtration.


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## Flear

if it's cyano, i've never had this, but it tends to have me thinking there isn't enough water flow, ... but i've never had it so i dono.

if it's green dusk algae (maybe a different color) ignore it, it will clear itself up
if it's not "algae" at all, it could be poop-like stuff that's just settling onto the plastic plants, ... settling out of the water column.

if you think it's algae, let it grow till it becomes obvious
it will either resolve itself and clear up, or give you a better idea of what it is, ... if it stays the same, consider poop-like stuff settling out of the water column, ... in which case, look into a better filter system

---

could consider some live plants too


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## Tracy Bird

Cyano is blue/green the OP indicates its brown.

How long has the tank been set up?

What size is the tank?

Describe the fish you have in the tank.

I'm assuming no live plants as you reference artificial.

What filtration do you have?

What type of light is installed:

- Bulb type (T5-T8, Led)

- Bulb Watts

What is your lighting schedule, how long do you keep your lights on?

Is the tank located in an area of high natural lighting garnered through windows and or doors?

What are your water parameters?

Can you post up some images?

There are a lot of different algaes and additional info is needed to provide good suggestions.

I kinda sense your frustration - we can all relate!

I like to keep things simple, for now I'd hold off on adding chemicals or aquatic life which at this point may only fuel the fire and try to better determine what can be changed to correct the problem without adding chems and creatures.


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## Boredomb

Hey Tracy Bird cyanobacteria is typically blue-green in color, but it can be greenish-brown to black, or even red in color. So in this case it could still be cyanobacteria. Tho the questions you asked and if answered will help us further to know what it is. Thanks for your post there!!


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## Tracy Bird

Boredomb said:


> Hey Tracy Bird cyanobacteria is typically blue-green in color, but it can be greenish-brown to black, or even red in color. So in this case it could still be cyanobacteria. Tho the questions you asked and if answered will help us further to know what it is. Thanks for your post there!!


See.... you learn something new every day round here!

Thanks Boredomb


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## cyclesnipas

I might add that I have natural driftwood in the tank. Could it just be the tanins (doubt I spelled that right) staining the plants? But as requested- 45 gal. set up for over 5 years. 6 Cardinals, 6 Rummy nose, 1 G.Blue Ram, 2 small Angels, 3 Green Corys, and a 6-7" Royal Pleco. 2 Penguin 200 filters and a Maxi Jet 400 Power head with sponge filter just installed cuz Im treating for Ich but keeping in permanently. As for lighting Solarmax HE 42W T5. I usually run the light around 11-12 hrs. a day. there is no direct sunlight exposure. Im doing weekly 25-30% water changes with substrate vacuuming every/ every other week as needed. I feed once a day in the morning with flakes and frozen blood worms as a treat every other night or so. As for water parameters- Ph 7.2, Ammonia-0. Unfortunately (I know im gonna catch flack for this) I do not own any other test kits so Im not knowledgeable of the other parameters. I hope I covered everything as well as possible.


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## cyclesnipas

One other thing. Im noticing it seems to be worse on the plants in the rear corners which would lead me to believe it is a filtration issue(?) as these are also out of direct lighting. Im hoping the new Power head sponge filter will help eliminate any dead spots. I usually rinse the filter cartridges every few days and replace them every 2 weeks. Oh and im in the market for a new tooth brush ;-)


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## Agent13

Yes, sounds rather cyano like to me. Reduce your lights back to 9-10hrs. I'm pretty sure it's elevated nitrates given your run down of your setup and maintenance. While battling the cyano(which yes is often a clay reddish brown color is freshwater setups) you'll be needing to change your water at a much higher volume to both get rid of the C. and lower the nitrates. 
Running your setup 5-6 yrs I'll not consider you a newbie so I wouldn't worry about getting any other tests unless you just want to know. But Nitrates just happen in between water changes regardless and higher with a higher stocked tank. You are feeding the bloodworms a bit often so overfeeding is probably contributing to this. Are you willing to cut back on that a little?

BTW, whats your treatment for Ich? One of the cause for ich is also water quality issues so both could have been caused but the very same thing.


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## cyclesnipas

Finally some real, good advice on whats going on in my tank. Thank you everyone. I originally suspected nitrates so its good to hear im not totally clueless lol. Things just get a little confusing when you have people at stores telling you a million different things. Ok so the Ich treatment im using is Sentry ParaShield at 1 9ml dosage a day for 5 days. Im on day 4 now. Im gonna do the 5th treatment tomorrow, do a water change the following day then 2 more days of treatment. Good idea? Also I can def pull back on the lighting and blood worms as Ive only been feeding them those for the past week. What are your opinions on API Nitra-Zorb?


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## cyclesnipas

Oh and I believe the Ich was introduced by 3 Cardinal Tetras I purchased a week or so ago.


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## Agent13

cyclesnipas said:


> Ok so the Ich treatment im using is Sentry ParaShield at 1 9ml dosage a day for 5 days. Im on day 4 now. Im gonna do the 5th treatment tomorrow, do a water change the following day then 2 more days of treatment. Good idea? Also I can def pull back on the lighting and blood worms as Ive only been feeding them those for the past week. What are your opinions on API Nitra-Zorb?


I am skeptical of API Nitra-Zorb. No particular reason other then..well.. I just am. 

Is the Sentry ParaShield working? I haven't ever heard much positive feed back on that. If it's doesn't fix it then do a huge water change to get it out of there put new carbon in your fitter to also get rid of it then up your temp to 86f for two weeks. That alone is the best way to kill ick. You're already more then halfway through so I _guess_ finish it out?? Then heat your tank if your ich isn't resolved.


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## cyclesnipas

Im noticing less Ich spots however its far from gone. The only fish that have it are the 6 Cardinals though I saw 1 spot on the tail fin on the ram which appears has gone away. they seem totally unphased by it still have there colors, eat and swim like nothings wrong. I keep the temp at around 82 as it is so going up to 86 shouldnt be a problem. So ill finish the treatment, follow with a large water change, restock my filters and raise the temp to 86. Would it hurt to start raising the temp now? Maybe I should quarantine the cardinals?


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## Agent13

I'd wait. Meds and heat and ich are 3 stressors too many. Just finish the meds..asses your ich situation then and keep an eye out for a while and if it isn't gone or does come back then go ahead and heat the tank.

Normally I'd always say QT.. especially a new fish however the ich is already in that tank..not just on the fish so it's not necessary to QT..just extra work at this point.


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## cyclesnipas

Understood. I learned that oxygen can deplete during medicating as well as temp increases so yeah, that would be bad. Thank you soooo much for all your helpful advice! Hopefully I can put an end to all of these issues. Ill keep you posted.


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## Flear

plants love nitrates if your curious.
could get floating plants if you have any thoughts/concerns about cleaning your substrate that could/would fill with roots


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## Agent13

Flear said:


> plants love nitrates if your curious.
> could get floating plants if you have any thoughts/concerns about cleaning your substrate that could/would fill with roots


This is true, and more trustworthy then new nitrate "cures" on the market. Water changes too, but yes plants are good.


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## Flear

all our modern technology and science. the expensive filtration systems and drugs, ... and nature does a better job every time. cheaper too


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## cyclesnipas

Live plants love nitrates huh? Iv toyed with the idea of going live rather than artificial however im concerned my Royal Pleco will make salad out of whatever I put in. Also my other concern is heating the water to 86 degrees. Im under the impression that corys are sensitive to high temperatures no? Are there any others in my tank I need to worry about?


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## Flear

why would you raise the temperature ?
you could get some really tough plants like java fern and anubias, ... there are a few others that are resistant to goldfish, ... and those will eat pretty much anything

plecoworld.com or planetpleco.com (if i remember the websites by heart - both sites) have lists of pleco's, ... you could look for your pleco there and see what it's habits and diet consists of to see if you have anything to worry about.


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## Agent13

cyclesnipas said:


> Live plants love nitrates huh? Iv toyed with the idea of going live rather than artificial however im concerned my Royal Pleco will make salad out of whatever I put in. Also my other concern is heating the water to 86 degrees. Im under the impression that corys are sensitive to high temperatures no? Are there any others in my tank I need to worry about?


The corys will be fine. They don't want to live long term in that but a 2 week ich heat treatment is perfectly ok. I've even done it with my corys. Everyone in the tank will be ok at 86f. I have 9 tanks with a gazzillion different species of fish and there is not 1 tank I wouldn't treat for Ich with heat for 2 weeks. And I have if not the same..at least a VERY close relative to everything you have in there. Don't worry.
BTW, how is the Ich looking today? improvement?


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## Flear

my bad, i overlooked the ick treatment as the reason for raising the tempurature

i've also heard to add salt that causes the Ick to die.

i've had more success doing that then any medication treatment


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## cyclesnipas

Ok so I just dosed my last treatment with the Para Shield. The Ich is still present though def less than yesterday. Im thinking even if it goes away visually, I will do a larger water change, restock the filters and raise the temperature anyway just to be safe and make sure its out of the tank as well. Even if its only for a week. Also I just wanna point out that NONE of the aquarium stores suggested Cyano-Bacteria as a possible culprit for the slime on my plants. This is why I love this forum so much!  Thanks All!!!


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## cyclesnipas

And I always love advice that doesnt have me running out and buying half meds from the aquarium store! lol Thanks again!


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## Agent13

cyclesnipas said:


> Ok so I just dosed my last treatment with the Para Shield. The Ich is still present though def less than yesterday. Im thinking even if it goes away visually, I will do a larger water change, restock the filters and raise the temperature anyway just to be safe and make sure its out of the tank as well. Even if its only for a week. Also I just wanna point out that NONE of the aquarium stores suggested Cyano-Bacteria as a possible culprit for the slime on my plants. This is why I love this forum so much!  Thanks All!!!


This is why we have this forum lol. I have had only one fatasmic large chain petstore fish guy ever and he would have to tell me to not tell his boss the suggestions he gave me lol.(he moved in september and I miss him ). But in all fairness they are there for a job even if they don't know about fish at least they have a job . 
Your plan sounds fine..in fact a good idea really. Try doing at least 1 1/2 weeks though with the heat to be more sure. I understand after the meds you don't want to deal with this much more but at least this way you just raise the heat and watch them..not too much effort or $, right?

And you are very welcome. I'm sure down the line you're experience will help others. Keep us updated.


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## cyclesnipas

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## cyclesnipas

Ok now im getting agravated. This morning I turn on the light to find one of my cardinals has "vanished" I can only assume he passed overnight from the ich and is in one of the plants somewhere or the pleco got him. The ich is still present even after full treatment so that was a big-ol waste of time :-( so tonight water change and temperature raise for sure. Just hope i dont come home to anymore dead or missing fish.?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Flear

the 'natural' remedy i heard said add aquarium salt (not marine aquarium)
i dont' recall how much salt.

from what i remember of the reasoning was fairly simple
raising the temperature increases the metabolism of the ick

there is a stage after eggs are laid that the eggs are impervious to anything, no medications will touch them
raising the temperature causes the eggs to mature faster, after they hatch then they're vulnerable, ... then they search for our fish and we get to see the distinctive white spots 

i've had ick in my tank 2x, i resolved it both times with this

add salt (look up online to find out what the recommended amount is, ... i think it's one tbsp per 5 gallons, ... i have heard some plants don't like this, i didn't notice any suffering in my plants, ... *doesn't mean anything*, i only have a small variety of plants.

the salt is supposed to cause the ick parasite to die, the temperature increase causes the metabolism to work faster so they hatch sooner, and the salt is supposed to cause them to die.

if your only raising your temperatures, ... then ... the ick parasites hatch sooner, find a fish, have eggs, the egg sacks fall to the bottom of the tank, the eggs hatch sooner, ... and your compounding your problem instead of solving it.


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## Agent13

Actually the heat alone is effective. It does speed up the life cycle and once it's to the free swimming stage it's not tolerant of 86f and dies. There is a heat resistant strain(I haven't dealt with that ever though) from what I have heard that strain is better dealt with at 88f. The salt isn't necessary as the heat alone will kill it.. I've used this method as well as many others very successfully and with 0 fish loss. However if you feel you need a back up plan to assist the heat then salt would be the only thing I'd consider.. but still I prefer not to over stress the fish with multiple treatments. 


Sorry you lost a cardinal, cyclesnipas.


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## Flear

i didn't know 86 was a critical temperature, ... good to know
i think in my tank it was 82-86 about, ... i was hesitant about getting the heat up too much., ... i guess then it was better to do both.

but it's nice to hear that 86 alone would do the job, ... removing the salt afterwards is water changes only


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## cyclesnipas

Agent13 said:


> Actually the heat alone is effective. It does speed up the life cycle and once it's to the free swimming stage it's not tolerant of 86f and dies. There is a heat resistant strain(I haven't dealt with that ever though) from what I have heard that strain is better dealt with at 88f. The salt isn't necessary as the heat alone will kill it.. I've used this method as well as many others very successfully and with 0 fish loss. However if you feel you need a back up plan to assist the heat then salt would be the only thing I'd consider.. but still I prefer not to over stress the fish with multiple treatments.
> 
> 
> Sorry you lost a cardinal, cyclesnipas.


Yeah I was really unhappy to see him missing, been lucky so far. I didnt even find him during the water change so who knows where he went. But anyhoo, water change complete, filters restocked and heater cranked up to 86. Now... We wait...lol


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## cyclesnipas

How long should it take for a 200w heater to get a 45 gal tank up to 86 degrees? The tank was already at 82 when i raised the temp lastnight and theres a powerhead right next to the heater so I know theres plenty of circulation. It wasnt much higher this morn and the light is on in the heater so it is working. Is my heater not working right or is this normal?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## fish monger

Your room temperature would make a difference. Your 200w heater should raise your tank water 10-15 degrees above your room temperature. You might also check your thermometer for accuracy.


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## cyclesnipas

The temperature seems to have leveled off at 86-87 degrees these past couple days though I lost power today while at work which caused it to drop a little. No biggie. The problem is 1 of the cardinals is now dying from what appears to be a secondary fungal infection of the eyes and head. Is this a common issue with ich? I was told that ich can surpress the immune system leaving fish more prone to other diseases true? 2 weeks is a long time and I dont wanna lose anymore fish. Is there anything I can do to prevent anymore losses?


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## Agent13

cyclesnipas said:


> The temperature seems to have leveled off at 86-87 degrees these past couple days though I lost power today while at work which caused it to drop a little. No biggie. The problem is 1 of the cardinals is now dying from what appears to be a secondary fungal infection of the eyes and head. Is this a common issue with ich? I was told that ich can surpress the immune system leaving fish more prone to other diseases true? 2 weeks is a long time and I dont wanna lose anymore fish. Is there anything I can do to prevent anymore losses?


Well the cardinals are the ones that came in sick(can't remember for sure) right? They are going to suffer from as you said lack of ability to fight secondary infections. I wouldn't deviate from your current treatment. You must pick a treatment and commit to it.. otherwise you leave everyone else in the tank at high risk with the ich. I can't promise how well your cardinals will fair. You may lose a few but thats nothing of your doing. But do keep all parameters of the tank in check..namely the nitrate issue. Clean water and heat treat for ich. Don't do another treatment after another after another.. that compromises the rest of your stock.


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## cyclesnipas

Looks like Im finally making some lee'way. The ich appears to be finally going away and my tank finally looks clean and pretty again.  Thank you everyone for all your awesome and incredibly helpful advice. Once again I cant say enough how much I love this forum!


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## Agent13

Fantastic! Glad to hear things are on the mend.


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## cyclesnipas

Ok tomorrow will be the last day of the 2 week heat treatment for the ich. Im still seeing a few (2-4) spots, though small (scaring?) on 2 of the cardinals. Think Im gonna do a water change and vacuuming tonight or tomorrow and continue the heat treatment for 1 more week just to be safe.


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