My tank is about a month and a half old and I have been pretty much following your advice to the T. I have noticed that the decorations in my tank have started to accumulate what looks to be algae. Its not green but more of a tan/brown color. Should I scrape this off and do a water change or leave it on? Or something else?

Thanks as always!!!!

If it bothers you, (it does me) Then you can take the decor out and clean it... I usually fill a bucket with a mild bleach water solution, leave it soak for a couple hours, and then scrub it.. once clean, dump the bucket out, rinse, and fill with clean water. ADD DOUBLE DECHLORINATOR, (prime or whatever), and let it sit for a few hours. then you can put it back in the tank!

It's not hurtfull for your fish, but if you want to take it of, just scrub and rince your decorations from time to time.
Use a new scrubber that has not been used with any soap, for any soapresidue will kill your beneficial bacteria.
Usually algae growth is a result of too many lighthours or overfeeding.
I scrub if nescesary when doing a waterchange.

The first thing that comes to mind is do you have an algee eater and if so is it eating it. If you dont have one you need to get one if you do and it's not eating the stuff then yes you should clean it.

against the glass wall, scrub it and allow the system collect it.
against the decor, yeah, pull them out and scrub outside the tank
and then put them back. in my case, i did not mind at all and was
surprised it clears up as it aged.

PAUL wrote:


how long did it take to "age" and clear up? I get brown algae on a ceramic head that my clown loaches hang out in. The brown stuff bothers me, so I take it out every tank cleaning and wash it off with plain tap water. Are you saying I could just leave it and eventually it will go away (instead of cleaning it every week!) that would be awesome!

this coral was full of green and brown algae a week after i set it up.
i did not mind it but after 3 months, it becomes white and clean.