Plants not looking too good

[Fishyfanatic]

Two weeks ago I planted Crypts in my 10 gal tank. Three to be exact. They aren't looking too good. The leaves are trimmed with a little brown. I put a tab under each plant when I planted them. I am only using the light about 6 hours a day because I have a bad algae problem. Would this be causing the plants to look like this? The plant that I planted in my 5 gal tank looks GREAT. The crypts just aren't looking too good. Is this a sign that something else should be added to the tank?

 

[Jchillin]

12 hours of lighting is the usual norm for plants in a tank. So, instead of "nourishing" your plants, the algae is going to steal all the nutrients instead.

You can starve the algae by feeding the plants.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

So then basically just turn the lights on for 12 hours a day?

 

[greenmaji]

If you have enough light intensity then, yes increase the photoperiod.. I wouldnt go from 6 to 12 overnight but I would go up by 2 hours and give them a few days to adjust..before raising it another 2 hours..and so on..

 

[Jchillin]

Absolutely. You want to nourish your plants. But at the same time you want to get rid of your algae. Scraping and removing the algae, combined with PWC's will get rid of it and your plants will utilize enough nutrients to starve the algae.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I scraped the algae off of the front and sides of the tank. The back still has it, but I'm going to take care of that when I move. When we move, we are going to flush the canister hoses, clean the calcium buildup off of all the tanks, and clean all surfaces of the glass on all the tanks. The 150 has a nice water line down the back of it that is white in color (I'm assuming from the calcium) and we can't reach it since it's in the middle and the tank is only about an inch and a half from the wall. The 10 gal tank has algae all over the silicone. It's hard to get off without pulling off some of the silicone. That's why I haven't gotten it all off yet. Is there a better way to get it off than scrubbing the silicone off? It seems like that's whats happening every time I try to get the algae off.

 

[greenmaji]

Sounds like you need to use a tooth brush.. Fishyfanatic....
And the white line is most likely a calcium deposit..
I think JC was trying to tell you to get the algae off the leaves of the plants so they can out-compete the algae..

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I just rub it off with my fingers.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It doesn't look like algae. It just looks like the plants are about to die. But I'll try when I get home Friday. I'd ask James to do it, be he's so grough that he'd probably rip the leaves off.

 

[greenmaji]

I forgot how much light you have over your 10 gallon.. I remember that you had the algae problem in it for a long time... from a long photoperiod.. Im just wondering if your plants are getting enough light intensity..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'm pretty sure it's a 15 Watt Flourescent Bulb. I've battled algae with this tank since I set it up. I bought the Phosphate removing media but haven't used it yet. I am going to wait until the Big Al's order comes in with my Phosphate test kit. I was going to buy it from the lfs, but they were trying to sell it for $20 8O . I was going to test the phosphate first before trying to alter it.

 

[greenmaji]

I'm pretty sure it's a 15 Watt Flourescent Bulb. I've battled algae with this tank since I set it up. I bought the Phosphate removing media but haven't used it yet. I am going to wait until the Big Al's order comes in with my Phosphate test kit. I was going to buy it from the lfs, but they were trying to sell it for $20 8O . I was going to test the phosphate first before trying to alter it.

That sounds very wise!..

Im thinking that might not be enough light for the plants your trying to keep.. That would explain the algae problem as well... But the phosphates is worth investigation..

 

[FMJnaX]

During your photoperiod increase, you may want to try a "break" in the day. Apparently algae doesn't like any sort of stop in the action. I've found this helpful in my aquarium as well as on my outside whiskey barrel pond. If I "light out" for an hour or so, it keeps the water clearer for a longer period of time.

It doesn't cure the problem of course, but that's where your plants come in. I know algae is unsightly, but if you let your plants get what they need, then in time they will suffocate the algae. Remove as much as possible manually (as already mentioned) and then let nature run its course (with needed intervention of course).

 

[greenmaji]

I would try these plants if I were you and a large planting of them.. It should help your algae problem..
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2

 

[Jchillin]

Since I know a majority of crypts do well in low light, it's possible that they just didn't recieve enough light (or, photoperiod as greenmaji likes to call it).

If the leaves have shriveled up and appear limp...it's probably too late to save them. This is usually referred to as a "meltdown".

 

[greenmaji]

LOL.. I think that photoperiod explains the amount of time the light is on clearer than enough light, I would get confused with enough light might mean do I have enough watts? Thats the only reason I use the word..LOL..

PS.. JC.. I think Im going to have you using photoperiod here pretty soon!!! LOL

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The profile online showed that these crypts were low lights plants. With 1.5 Watts per gal, they were recommended to me by fellow AA members in my other threads. I'm going to try leaving the light on for 12 hours per day and see if that helps. The amount of light should be sufficient (watts) from what I have researched. At this point in time I can't have a lights out. Noone is home during the day to turn it off. We'll just see what happens with the phosphate test and leaving the light on for 12 hours a day.

 

[greenmaji]

you might just need a more dense planting of them then..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I might try that, I just have to actually find the plants again. Live plants are VERY hard to find around here and most people just sell high light plants. I was shocked when the place that I bought them sold the low light plants. So I bought all they had. Which just happened to be 4. I had originally thought I bought 3, but they gave me 4 by accident. I love it when they make mistakes.

 

[greenmaji]

You might want to ask one of the members that have a established tank if they have some low light plants that need pruned back.. you might be able to get some clippings...