[kyle_5rb]

my 20 gal with my babie p's, has some sort of brown algae on the glass, it's easy to remove, but what is it?, why is it brown?, should i be worried?

 

[rchan11]

Diatoms are single celled algae, brownish in color. It starts out as a dusting on the substrate that rapidly turns into a mat that can cover the tank over in just 5 days, provided that they have a surplus on nutrients available.

The cause: excess nutrients, silicate and silicic acid are the ingredients for a diatom bloom. Silicic acid enters the aquarium by using tap water; substrate can contain silicates that leach out over time. RO/DI units can filter silicic acid out, but only for a limited time. Eliminating silicates can control diatoms.

I got rid of mine by dimming my lights.

 

[kev4321]

shorten your light timer 2 hours or so... less light should get rid of that problem