What's this brown stuff?

[Glitchfish]

Hey guys, Just a quick question? What's this brown hairy dusty stuff, I at first thought it was dinoflagellates, but I have battled them before and won.. I have tried sucking them off but with no luck :(! I then thought are they diatoms.. but they're much too hairy for diatoms.. then I thought hair algae.. but it's not green :s Please help me! It's also on the glass :s but it just brushes away like dust :s! gah So confused! Just for people's curiosity, my aquarium is almost two years old :O!

[Nano sapiens]

I suspect it is a type of cyanobacteria (some are brown).  Typically, you can blow it off and then in a few hours it'll come back if the lights are left on (or the next day if they are not).  It's quite common and can persist a long time (I battled this for 9 months until the bloom disappeared).

 

Reduction of 'red' wavelength light, in particular, can help as can a shortening of the photoperiod.  Removal of excess detritus, too, and careful feeding.

 

Good luck!