Brown Algae and Wilting Plants

[cobriaclord]

Hi,

My tank is relatively new, going for about a month now, and has a lot of brown algae. I also have two medium sized amazon swords and a small cryptocoryne. I have no idea what kind of light I have on top of my tank- its the one that came standard with the start-up kit. It says Aquarium Equipment Model 30 PS. Rated 120 VAC, 60 Hz, 20 W.

Now, my amazon swords are starting to look kind of wilted. I know they have enough nutrients because my tank is well-stocked.

I was thinking I did not have the right kind of light to grow plants. Is it true that you need certain kind of lights to grow plants because of the spectrum of light they emit?

I also have an aerator, which I believes decreases the concentration of CO2. However, I have a 37 gal tank and only three small plants so I figured that would be ok.

Anyway, I wanted to have my plants grow strong to outcompete the gross brown algae. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[phin]

brown algae = diatomes, all new tanks get som. usually, overfeeding is the main cause.

you have a 20w lamp on a 37 gallon tank. its not really enough light to grow anything. Maybe some java fern. But your amazon swords and crypts need more light.

You will want to upgrade you lights to at least 40w-60w of (flourescent) light. Shoot for some daylight spectrum bulbs (6500k), 5000k plant bulbs will also work.

All the kids now a days are getting them LED lights. You might want to look into some LED lighting for planted tanks. The wattage measurments are less for LED. LED Aquarium Lights | Green Leaf Aquariums

 

[bud29]

brown algae = diatomes, all new tanks get som. usually, overfeeding is the main cause.

In newly set up tanks, overfeeding generally is not the cause of diatoms. It is usually the result of high silicates (from sand substrates) or high phosphates in the water. They CAN be a result of poor tank maintenance but this is generally not the case.

 

[aqua_chem]

If your tank is a month old, the you are on schedule for a large diatom bloom. It will probably last a few weeks and then resolve itself. You can physically remove it by hand or with a toothbrush if you like. As far as your plant issues to, it might be a light issue assuming you have a T8, but without knowing what plants you're having trouble with I can't really see if you should be expecting issues or not.

 

[Rivercats]

Something else, both swords and crypts are heavy root feeders and you really need to get some root tabs to use in the substrate around them so they get the proper nutrients they need. Having a well stocked tank will not provide all the nutrients they need.

 

[cobriaclord]

What matters, the light fixture or the actual light bulb? I was reading the stats off the light hood. This is the light that came with the tank.

The crypto is not growing at all after I have had it for a month. The amazon swords are wilted.

I see that the brown algae problem is normal. Should I get plant fertilizer or better lights? I'd rather not spend a ton of money on lights...

 

[aqua_chem]

In a taller tank, a single T8 (which is what most tanks come with) won't be very much light at all. That's probably your weakest link at this point.

 

[phin]

What matters, the light fixture or the actual light bulb? I was reading the stats off the light hood. This is the light that came with the tank.

The crypto is not growing at all after I have had it for a month. The amazon swords are wilted.

I see that the brown algae problem is normal. Should I get plant fertilizer or better lights? I'd rather not spend a ton of money on lights...

You definitely need to update your lights. With just a single T8 on a 30" tank you have plenty of room to work with. DIY some lighting yourself, basically the only thing you have to spend any significant amount of money on is the bulbs. ($10-$20 each). Find some old flourescent fixtures, old blacklight fixtures, etc. Look at yardsales, craigslist, on the side of the road. You can take it apart and fix it under your hood. Yes, you will have a ballast for each bulb instead of a large ballast to drive multiple lamps, but its basically free. You can also get some regular screw in light sockets, splice them into your existing lighting wiring, and put CFLs in.

 

[cobriaclord]

You definitely need to update your lights. With just a single T8 on a 30" tank you have plenty of room to work with. DIY some lighting yourself, basically the only thing you have to spend any significant amount of money on is the bulbs. ($10-$20 each). Find some old flourescent fixtures, old blacklight fixtures, etc. Look at yardsales, craigslist, on the side of the road. You can take it apart and fix it under your hood. Yes, you will have a ballast for each bulb instead of a large ballast to drive multiple lamps, but its basically free. You can also get some regular screw in light sockets, splice them into your existing lighting wiring, and put CFLs in.

Oh man...thats very confusing...

So the hood I have only fits one bulb -
It says Marineland F18 T8 Natural Daylight.
The hood I have goes over 1/2 of the top. The inside of the hood is not reflective. Should I get some mylar mirror stuff to increase the light going into the tank?

Should I basically get another hood with a bulb? Will that be the cheapest way?

 

[phin]

Oh man...thats very confusing...

So the hood I have only fits one bulb -
It says Marineland F18 T8 Natural Daylight.
The hood I have goes over 1/2 of the top. The inside of the hood is not reflective. Should I get some mylar mirror stuff to increase the light going into the tank?

Should I basically get another hood with a bulb? Will that be the cheapest way?

Yeah, if you have room on top of your tank to add another flourescent hood, that is probably your best bet.

Depending on the size of your community you might be able to pick up a used flourescent fixture for a good deal as people are upgrading from T8 & T5 setups to LED all the time.