What is this brown algae?

[MikeP]

I have brown stringy algae growing all over. Is there something I can buy that will eat it?

Thanks

[DanG]

looks like cyano bacteria, but cyano is usually redish.
Do you run a skimmer? When was your last water change? How are your nitrates and nitrites?

[fortheloveofcrabs]

Looks like cyano to me too. Could be early dino too. I'm not sure. The problem is probably high dissolved organics. Over skim for a while, and reduce your light period for a few days (or if you can, don't turn them on at all).

Hope this helps!

[StirCrazy]

Cyno is a bacteria, reducing lighting will not help this one.. but nutrent levels and such will as well as increasing water flow.

Steve

[fortheloveofcrabs]

Umm, not to be rude, but it is photosynthetic. In fact, cyano is believed to be one of the oldest bacteria today (some say as much as 3.5 billion years old). We actually owe this little brown mess quite a bit. It is thought that cyano was responsible for most of the early oxygen on earth. Cyano created this oxygen through photosynthesis.

[NanoReef]

wow....that was a great story!!! just kidding... i didnt know that! i had that same problem before i upgraded, we need to know your perameters and if you skim of not. but like StirCrazy said, up the flow and the problem will usualy fix itself. Good Luck

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by fortheloveofcrabs

Umm, not to be rude, but it is photosynthetic. In fact, cyano is believed to be one of the oldest bacteria today (some say as much as 3.5 billion years old). We actually owe this little brown mess quite a bit. It is thought that cyano was responsible for most of the early oxygen on earth. Cyano created this oxygen through photosynthesis.

If we were talking about the type of cyano comanly knowen as "blue green algae" I would totaly agree with you but seeing as we have a different strain with no green chloroplast I am not sure if these are photosynthetic or not. so I can't say I am wrong or I am right but I know I have had this kind in tanks which were in total darkness.

Steve