Need a little help or maybe a lot of help?

[rich311k]

I have 36 gallon tank.

The tank has been running about a year and a half. About a month ago I bought a USA Current top with 2 65 watt power compact bulbs.

Since I installed the new light my 2 sword plants have grown almost to the top and I can barely keep up with the pruning on the anacharis, red ludwigia and the calbomba. (sorry about the spelling on that).

My anubias still grows ripped up half size leaves and I have BBA growing on all my older leaves.

My tank specs are:

PH:6.4
KH:3
GH:8
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0
I do not have a phosphate test. I will get one in September my wife has plans for me every weekend till then

I have a DIY 2 liter CO2 set up.

I dose with flourish 3 times a week.

I have read that KH can effect anubia growth. I have also read that no nitrates can lead to algae growth.

Should I:

1 Raise my KH level.

2. Raise my nitrate level

or 3. concentrate on figuring out the whole macro thing, and that will solve all my problems?

[Hoovercat]

3.
Seriously, with that much light you probably aren't dosing nearly enough ferts. Read the sticky at the top of the forum, get Chuck's calculator and dose macro and micro nutrients seperately. It's likely a potassium or micro (magnesium, iron, boron, etc.) deficiency that's causing the unusual growth of your anubias. You're at nearly 4wpg so without a doubt there's enough energy for whatever growth the plants are capable of and you're adding CO2 so it's almost sure to be a missing nutrient. What substrate are you using? Have you considered root feeding tablets?

[Hoovercat]

As a side note, you do need 10ppm Nitrates as your level which proves your not dosing enough Flourish. With 4wpg you'll go through Flourish like a wino through MD 20/20

[rich311k]

I have regular gravel I do put Flourish gravel tabs in once a month. I will do some more reading and I will try dosing the Flourish every day.

Thanks for your help.

[malkore]

Unfortunately, Flourish Comprehensive fert doesn't contain near enough nitrate for a high light tank.
Running with 0ppm nitrates you are treading on VERY thin ice. Any morning you could potentially wake up to an infestation of cyanobacteria.

As for the anubias, I've never had luck getting my anubias to grow nicely in a high light tank. It always has very thin, black brush algae which can't be wiped off without damaging the leaf. When I put the same plant in a low light, low nutrient tank (my 5gal betta tank) it started putting out new leaves which were much stronger, and all the algae disappeared.
Not saying it can't be done, but if there was one low light plant that I had to say didn't do well in high light, it'd be the anubias nana v. bartari.

P.S. cabomba - doesn't have an L...you were very close