Thready Substance?

[Sarah E]

Hello,

I woke up today, and found that one one of my peacock Fern plants there was a stringy substance. It's long, and it flows in the water.... almost like some of those salt water sea anemones (but much thinner) and other flowing plants.

It's almost feathery.

I have Feeder Guppies (which I'm breeding) and I've been pondering over whether these are eggs or not.... but if I remember correctly, Feeder Guppies are live-bearers...

Also, all of my Nitrate No2 is verging on the stress level.... could this be why my plant (and it's only one of the plants that has it) has this stringy substance?

Thanks in advance!

Sarah E

 

[eyring2210]

A picture or two will go a long way toward our being able to help. I am betting it is an Algae of some form. High nitrates and lower lighting will allow for algae blooms.

 

[Sarah E]

Here are a few pictures of the substance.

 

[eyring2210]

Here is a link to an article about different Algae types and the common causes for each. Aquaticscape.com It looks like you have thread algae. I had the same thing and just had to manually remove it until my other plants were able to out compete it. You will want to make sure that you are not overfeeding (very easy to have happen) or over-lighting the tank as well.

 

[Sarah E]

Okay thanks! I just learned today that I was really overfeeding! I was feeding every time, 3 times a day like the food told me.... Then, upon talking to some fish people at our local pet-store, they told me once a day, every other day!

 

[mfdrookie516]

You may be seeing that it's dying. Peacock Ferns are not aquatic, and will ultimately die when kept submerged.

 

[Sarah E]

Wow, really? The store we bought them from told me they were aquatic....

Would you suggest removing the peacock ferns?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yes, I'd remove it. If you have any other plants in your tank, I'd suggest verifying that they are aquatic as well. Lots of plants are sold as aquatic, when they're really not.

 

[Shane83]

Okay thanks! I just learned today that I was really overfeeding! I was feeding every time, 3 times a day like the food told me.... Then, upon talking to some fish people at our local pet-store, they told me once a day, every other day!

I would feed more often than they suggest. It is true that fish are opportunistic feeders and often fast for many days before gorging, but the idea of keeping aquarium fish is to keep them at their happiest and healthiest... And fullest. It is not so much the number of times you feed per day, but how much you feed each time, and whether or not they are eating it all before it decomposes. I feed my fish several times a day, but obviously decrease the dose depending on how many feedings you choose. 3 is not uncommon though often impractical for a lot of people.