Aww man! Algae!

[Friendly]

I've had my 55 gallon tank running for more than a month now, and it seems that brown algae has grown on the sides. I cleaned the algae from the front of the glass (because it was blocking the veiw of the inside of the tank), but I left the algae in the back, and sides of the tank. I used a paper towel and just wiped the algae, which came off pretty well.

And I just recently upgraded the lighting from a 15 watt light fixture to a Nova Extreme 108 watt fixture. But the algae was growing well before I had the new fixture, so does this new 108 watt fixture cause the brown algae to grow faster?

And I was also wondering does the algae cause unwanted problems in the tank? And also does it have an effect on the live plants?

Thanks in advance for all your help, and god bless!

[Dave66]

Friendly,
Brown algae is diatoms, which is algae in a calcium carbonate shell. They show up within a month or two of setting up a new tank.
If you check out my Algae primer stickied at the top of the algae forum you'll see what to do about diatoms.
And no, it isn't your lighting. Nor is it toxic, and it doesn't bother live plants.

Dave

[Friendly]

OK, thanks Dave, if it's not toxic, or will not harm my live plants, then I wouldn't worry. Eventually I'll get to cleaning the rest of it, or maybe just get some Otocinclus fish.

Thanks Dave!