Reddish brown rust-colored sediment and film in tank

[mzcmn]

Hey there,

I've been cycling my axolotl tank for months trying to get the right levels. Axolotl, "Spotty" is in a small tank awaiting transfer to the large one. The ammonia and nitrite/nitrate levels are finally acceptable after many months, but I am suspect about putting him in the tank until I resolve what this stuff is that keeps building up in the tank.

I have no substrate and on the bottom of the tank as well as on some spots on the side, there is almost a rust-colored film that keeps building up. Also, there are several piles of brownish red flakes that also keep building up.

I can siphon out the piles of flaky sediment, but the film I have to scrub off and wait for the matter to settle. It all seems to develop within days of cleaning.

What is this stuff, is it harmful and how do I get rid of it?

It's been a long wait for this tank and Axol is growing too big for the small tank he's in now. You can read more about my tank under the thread: "Question: Cycling old vs. new"

 

[mzcmn]

Here's the previous thread about my tank, in case there's anything of relevance there to the situation:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58702

 

[Ed]

The film is probably one of the many algaes that can grow in a tank. Normally you see brown algaes in lower light situations.

Ed

 

[mzcmn]

Is it harmful? What can I do to minimize algae growth?

 

[Clairey Beary]

Hi there mzcmn, the main thing you can do to reduce algae growth is to keep your tank out of direct sunlight. Do you have your tank near a window? I've also heard you can get algae growth due to an increase of either nitrites/nitrates (can't remember which it is, someone will correct me) in the water.

Hope this helps.

Claire.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Clairey is absolutely correct.

Artificial light can also induce this condition, try limiting the lighting to help reduce the growth.

The brown film is commonly called brown algae, although it can actually be bacteria, diatoms, algae, or any combination of the three. It is really not harmful, but unappealing to the eye. While I attempt to keep my water conditions pristine and in the nominal chemistry levels for my animals, I still get quite a bit of brown film on the glass.

As long as you do regular water changes and test your water often, the best way to get rid of the film is to use a commercially available algae scraper.

Caudata Culture has a ton of excellent information on this topic also, plus there is quite a bit of other great stuff on there too.http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/articles_newcomer.shtml

 

[Ed]

Very nice summary.

Ed