Why does this keep happening for gods sakes???

[NickD]

There’s dirt always getting stuck on my plants and it makes the tank look so dirty, please help!

[Jeff]

Tell us more about your tank: how long it's been set up? Fish, lights, filtration, Nitrates? 

[lefty o]

looks like algae, not dirt.

[NickD]

@Jeffits been set up for a couple months, I know lighting and number of fish don’t do anything. I use 2 sponge filters and nitrates are average

@lefty oits brown if u look closely, it’s dirt not algae 

[lefty o]

algae comes in brown too!

[AtomicSunfish]

A bit tough to tell from picture if it’s diatoms (brown algae) or mulm (detritus or debris). If it is, as you say debris, then that suggests mechanical filtration is inadequate and/or water changes are not vacuuming away enough detritus from the substrate. When’s the last time you gently cleaned your sponge filters? Do you want to start using HOB as well?

If it’s diatoms, then that has to do with levels of light, nitrogen, and other nutrients in the tank.

Edited April 18 by AtomicSunfish

[Tony s]

If it's brown algae it will disappear over time. or get a few snails to eat it. when your silica levels drop, it will go away. unless you have a cheap black substrate made with ectra silica. I did. it took several months to go away. and covered everything in 1/4 inch of brown goo. I left it without fish for 3 months and kept dusting off the plants. eventually it cleared. but such a pain. so mostly patience, unless you're getting silicates from an outside source. like your water or substrate 

[NickD]

I use 2 10 gallon sponge filters but should just get 2 20 gallon sponge filters? 

[Tony s]

On 4/17/2024 at 9:09 PM, NickD said:

I use 2 10 gallon sponge filters but should just get 2 20 gallon sponge filters?

maybe add a hob, temporarily? sponge filters are great in some ways. mostly biological filtration. they are mostly bad at mechanical filtration. taking stuff out of your water column. there are various techniques to improve it. but a lot of the gunk still ends up bank in the tank. where sponges excel, is using one air pump for multiple sponges. but you're looking for more mechanical filtration. the best source of that for a small tank is a hob. if you have small fry in there or shrimp, then a prefilter will be best. but that also cuts down on mechanical filtration. 

[NickD]

What’s the best hob for a 29 gallon plz provide links 

[macdaddy36]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:10 PM, NickD said:

What’s the best hob for a 29 gallon plz provide links 

I like aqua clear filters. You can look them up on amazon

[Flipper]

I love my Seachem Tidal HOB.  Lots of room for layering inside.  Starting at the bottom, I have:

The blue course sponge that comes with it, followed by a less course sponge, then a fine filter sponge, and last, a bag of bio filter media.  I buy in bulk and cut to fit.

This way, most of the mulm/brown diatomes stays in the filter and you can clean it in old tank water along with your water change.  I clean filter once a month and I'm careful to change out only 1 sponge each time so that you keep the good bacteria in the other sponge.  I swear by a good HOB but I also have a small sponge filter in that tank.  Hope this helps you.

On 4/17/2024 at 9:10 PM, NickD said:

What’s the best hob for a 29 gallon plz provide links 

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Tidal-Filter-Sicce-Gallon/dp/B07NJ28T1X

[johnnyxxl]

It's probably diatom algae which will just keep appearing until the silica is eaten up by then.  Bladder snails and pond snails love that stuff.  

[Flipper]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:38 PM, johnnyxxl said:

It's probably diatom algae

I agree with Johnnyxxl ....... Unless, by some strange coincidence, you're having the same or similar problem as I am/was.

My plants and some of my substrate were just covered in brown stuff (last few months).  I knew it wasn't diatomes because it wasn't a slippery biofilm.  Upon real, real close inspection, I realized it was little individual, brown crumbs.

I thought "WHAT, MY FISH CANNOT POOP THAT MUCH?!!!"  I have 7 nanos and a 2 inch, full grown pleco in a 20 high with good filtration.  😳  And, I never had this problem before now.

So after more sleuthing, I realize that the crumbs were thickest in areas near a piece of Malaysian driftwood that is 2 years old.  Pulled it out and could tell it was getting soft and breaking down, threw it away.  Vacuumed the gravel and plants and most of it is gone, not all.  Now, I monitor my tank for a month or two and see if I fixed the problem.

I realize that a small part of my brown crumbs may have indeed been fish waste, so I know that won't change, but I cut the food back a bit.  I make sure I pull out dying leaves, maybe leave a couple for my shrimp.   I wish I had better vision; might have resolved this earlier.

Just something to ponder.  What's in YOUR tank?

[Flipper]

On 4/17/2024 at 8:09 PM, NickD said:

I use 2 10 gallon sponge filters but should just get 2 20 gallon sponge filters? 

As I said, I have a small sponge filter but rely on my HOB to catch the majority of the gunk.  I use the sponge filter more for aeration in the water column and the attached ACO curved tube to shoot water across the surface.  That horizontal jet stream shoots over, hits the waterfall of the HOB and circulates it so my water really gets circulated down into all tank areas. 

If one had that much mulm in a sponge, even if you covered it with a bag to remove it, it would dump most right back into the water before you got it above the waterline, and then would just polute the water again.  HOB has a basket where most mulm stays until you pull the basket to clean. 

That's the logic I use.  My tank is healthy and fish are still happy with me after 2 years.