Algae Issues

[Digitalgerl]

Can you help identify this type of algae. I have read thru the descriptions and pics of the most common types and this algae? on the leaves doesn't seem to quite fit. It has been there for several weeks - it does not create tufts or threads or hairs. It is dark colored-light to dark brown, hard to get off leaves and grows mainly on the broad leaf plants. I have a bluer.greener type that has now started to coat some of the gravel.
I have been dosing with micro and PMDD this last 2 weeks, just after the start of this outbreak and I can't bring it in to control.
40 gallon tank
130 wpg CF
CO2 pressurized system
moderately planted tank
Ammonia and Nitrite 0
PH 7.0
Kh 6
Gh medium
I don't know my nitrate and phosphate level and feel this may be necessary to get this under control. But I would like to know what type this is so I can read more about it.

 

[theotheragentm]

http://aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/2006/06/green-dust-algae-gda.html

Green Dust Algae is what it looks like to me.

 

[Digitalgerl]

Hi T. thanks for your response....I read about that one and it says that they favor the glass walls of the aquarium vs. rocks and plants. It is a very slow grower but it is spreading. I don't see much of this on the tank sides so I am not sure what to think..

 

[Purrbox]

Is it easily brushed off or does it cling so hard that you have to damage the plant to remove it?

 

[Digitalgerl]

No it does not brush off easily.

 

[tkos]

I have had that algae. Normally it seems to occur for me on older leaves. It is also a sign that the leaves are not healthy enough to fight off the algae. I normally end up having to remove affected leaves. Other than that I haven't been successful (though my fert regime is always in flux so that might be a consideration for me).

 

[black hills tj]

I see that you have 3wpg and CO2, however, do you dose ferts at all?

 

[Digitalgerl]

thanks..yeah I am not sure if I need to do a 5 day black out - never have done that and that will bring me to other questions if I must do that. My platys are busy eating it off the leaves but can't keep up. I didn't want to have to get any oto's or SAE's as I am wanting to stock with several lyre tail swords in the near future.
I am wondering if I should do a drastic clean of the substrate, plants or if it will just cause it to float in the water column and then just settle back onto things after all that hard work. Some kinds of algae I can leave alone and adjust nitrates and phosphates and it will disappear-at least that was what I understood from some of my reading. I am not sure what my best course of action is. Since using the macros and micros my corkscrew vals and red ludwigia and jungle val looks great! although the jungle val is showing signs of this dark algae as well. I want to take control but just don't know which plan of attack is best to try first

 

[Taelen]

That is exactly the stuff I have on my anubias near the top of the tank. I have been able to brush some of it off, but as mentioned some of it is on there pretty good.

 

[Digitalgerl]

Do you have any idea why you may have gotten it? Were you able to rid the tank of it and if so how???

 

[7Enigma]

Does the stuff on the substrate in the first picture smell bad if you remove it from the water? It looks a bit like BGA which is a sign of low nitrAte (or poor circulation in the tank). Since you don't know the nitrAte level (why not?) I would be dosing nitrAte in small amounts to be sure its not the cuplrit (but not until after you get a nitrAte test as your PMDD does contain nitrAte).

As for the pictures of the leaves that looks a bit to me like GSA which is generally caused by phosphate deficiency. You are running a good amount of light and so you will probably need to suppliment ALL the ferts the plants need, including phosphate and nitrAte which are normally in sufficient supply from the tap water and feedings. Your current dosing does not supply any phosphate and so would get some ASAP.

HTH

 

[Digitalgerl]

Thanks..I appreciate your reply. I ordered Salifert Nitrate and Phosphate tests. Had to wait to order it but knew I needed it. I picked up Fleets yesterday for dosing. The effected area of the substrate did not have an unpleasant smell. I did an extensive cleaning yesterday and water change. It actually was fairly easy to remove from the anubius, very little on the glass. Running my UV today. I was thinking of keeping the lights off for the next few day. Lunar lights would be on. Maybe a half way measure like that does no good and if it's going to be done it needs to be a total blackout - hopefully I won't need to do this as I should have the test beginning of next week.
Thanks again

 

[MyCatsDrool]

looks like marl to me.

clip off the affected leaves and find it's food source or the deficiency

 

[Digitalgerl]

sorry...I have never heard of "marl" Please explain. thanks

 

[majolo]

I've been keeping an eye on this thread since I get some similar looking algae (?) on my older Hygro salicifolia leaves. I never heard of marl before, either... A quick Google brought up this from the Wisconsin DNR:

Marl deposits

If the amount of carbonate (CO3--) is high enough, it will react with calcium in the water to form CaCO3 (marl). Marl precipitates out, leaving a white substance in the sediment-sometimes even producing elaborate underwater formations. Marl can often be observed as a white precipitate on plant leaves in hard water lakes. Plants speed up marl deposition by using carbon dioxide (CO2), which raises the pH and converts most alkalinity to the carbonate (CO3--) form. By precipitating phosphorus, marl formations help control algae growth in marl lakes.

Mycatsdrool, is this what you are referring to? The quote talks about white deposits, but from some other web references it seems that algae of various kinds can get layered in with the mineral deposit to color it. Anyway, my take so far is:

• 
  Marl is not algae per se, but can occur with algae;
  It will occur in high carbonate (i.e. hard) water (which mine definitely is)

But I'm not sure where it leaves us in terms of addressing it, other than switching to a softer water source. Mycatsdrool, can you comment on this?