Wisteria advice.

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Stacey W.

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Dec 22, 2014
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Well, I've given up on my Wisteria. I have great algae free growth at the base of the stems. The tops are growing but are covered with hair algae. I've done most everything to get rid of it. They now are about 12" tall and are bare on the bottom 6"-8" of the stem due to algae ridden leaves that I had to cut off (ugly). Can I just cut the main stem? Or should I just pull it all and propagate the new growth. I also need to replace it with a tall plant for my angels and needs to also shade my anubius.

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I have some questions in an attempt to remedy the issue.

What light fixture do you have over your tank?
What size tank is this?
How long do you run your lights?
What size is the tank?
What carbon source do you have?
What fertilizers are you using? (substrate and water column)
 
Stem plants usually sacrifice their lower leaves in favour of new growth. They are trying to reach the surface where both light and co2 are plentiful.

Answering Mebbids questions will help us help you to find a solution.


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2 leds an Aquatop and Fluval full spectrum -ran 6 hrs/day
55g column style tank
No carbon
2.5ml Flourish after pwc (decreased amount due to algae ), root tabs for my jungle val

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2 leds an Aquatop and Fluval full spectrum -ran 6 hrs/day
55g column style tank
No carbon
2.5ml Flourish after pwc (decreased amount due to algae ), root tabs for my jungle val

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I'd look in to some liquid carbon. Sometimes plants can work without additional carbon but this problem is indicative of insufficient carbon. You can add carbon (liquid or gas injection) or you can reduce the plants need for it be reducing light intensity and photoperiod.


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I'd look in to some liquid carbon. Sometimes plants can work without additional carbon but this problem is indicative of insufficient carbon. You can add carbon (liquid or gas injection) or you can reduce the plants need for it be reducing light intensity and photoperiod.


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Liquid carbon will kill my jungle val and anacharis.

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Liquid carbon will kill my jungle val and anacharis.

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Well you have a decision to make. Lose those plants, inject carbon or try another plant than the wisteria. Lower light intensity/duration. Improve flow, use emergent plants. Increase surface agitation.

You need to maximise availability and diffusion of co2 or use plants that work in low light setups that don't have a high carbon affinity.


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I disagree, water wisteria does not need Co2! It grows perfectly fine without it, no need to go out and buy an expensive co2 system.

I would stop with the liquid ferts, those feed the algae. Instead place a root tab under the wisteria, they will still release some fertilizer into the water column. You could try bleaching the wisteria, that will definitely kill the algae! The ratio is 1 part bleach to 19 parts water, for about 2 minutes. Then rinse and place them in bucket with double dose of dechlorinated water.

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2011/07/20/dipping-plants-to-eliminate-snails/
 
I disagree, water wisteria does not need Co2! It grows perfectly fine without it, no need to go out and buy an expensive co2 system.

I would stop with the liquid ferts, those feed the algae. Instead place a root tab under the wisteria, they will still release some fertilizer into the water column. You could try bleaching the wisteria, that will definitely kill the algae! The ratio is 1 part bleach to 19 parts water, for about 2 minutes. Then rinse and place them in bucket with double dose of dechlorinated water.

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2011/07/20/dipping-plants-to-eliminate-snails/


Ive grown it myself without carbon or ferts. In fact, it completely took over the whole tank. I love this plant it looks great when it spreads and Provides lots of security to fish. It was a 64 Litre aquarium with a few easy plants and just plain black gravel.

If you place wisteria (most aquatic plants) on its own or with a few low light plants (Anubis) in a small shallow volume of water with ferts, good flow and some surface agitation, i'm sure it would do just fine.

But when you start adding these plants to large volumes of water with other fast growing plants (especially vals because it can use carbonates) the tables are slightly turned. Co2 (which all plants need) diffuses extremely slow in water and is often the limiting factor for plant growth.

It's really difficult to blanket statement certain plants without really know the environment that they are growing (or not growing) in. My last batch of this plant melted almost instantly. Totally different setup :)

Here's Tom barr's response

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/why-do-plants-lose-their-lower-leaves.20821/

Since light seems ok and the op is using fertilisers and hair algae is often cited as a lack of co2, by process of elimination I have gone with lack of carbon for that particular plant.



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I disagree, water wisteria does not need Co2! It grows perfectly fine without it, no need to go out and buy an expensive co2 system.

I would stop with the liquid ferts, those feed the algae. Instead place a root tab under the wisteria, they will still release some fertilizer into the water column. You could try bleaching the wisteria, that will definitely kill the algae! The ratio is 1 part bleach to 19 parts water, for about 2 minutes. Then rinse and place them in bucket with double dose of dechlorinated water.

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2011/07/20/dipping-plants-to-eliminate-snails/

Thank you Tropical Aquarist! I agree that you don't need CO2 with wisteria or at all. I don't want to use CO2 maybe excel which I have. I'm trying to only put in small amounts at a time. My coworker has 20 tanks all without CO2. I also have enough agitation between my hob and powerhead located in the bottom right of my tank pointing straight up. TA should I just cut the old growth and/or propagate the new growth?

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I disagree, water wisteria does not need Co2! It grows perfectly fine without it, no need to go out and buy an expensive co2 system.

I would stop with the liquid ferts, those feed the algae. Instead place a root tab under the wisteria, they will still release some fertilizer into the water column. You could try bleaching the wisteria, that will definitely kill the algae! The ratio is 1 part bleach to 19 parts water, for about 2 minutes. Then rinse and place them in bucket with double dose of dechlorinated water.

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2011/07/20/dipping-plants-to-eliminate-snails/
Liquid ferts dont feed the algae. Algae needs much lower nutrient levels than plants to grow. By limiting nutrients it will starve out the plants before it starves the algae creating more issues with algae.

Ill provide a link explaining that when i get home.

Thank you Tropical Aquarist! I agree that you don't need CO2 with wisteria or at all. I don't want to use CO2 maybe excel which I have. I'm trying to only put in small amounts at a time. My coworker has 20 tanks all without CO2. I also have enough agitation between my hob and powerhead located in the bottom right of my tank pointing straight up. TA should I just cut the old growth and/or propagate the new growth?

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Pruning and propogating the wisteria will result in more wisteria stems with more hair algae growing on it. Without changing how you handle your tank then nothing will change.

If there was a nutrient deficiency in the plants you would see it in their new leaves.

Your light is producing enough par to grow hair algae which should be more than sufficient to grow wisteria.

That points to lack of carbon. Your increased surface agitation in the tank further depletes the co2 in the tank creating an environment thats not particularly great for plant growth.

Its not an answer you want to hear, but im in agreement with caliban. The simplest (also most expensive) way to fix it is pressurized co2.

Other things you can try are changing your plants to allow you to add liquid carbon. Decreasing surdace agitation and hope that makes enough of a difference. Or lasyly, Add minute amounts of liquid carbon to acclimate your plants to the addition of it.
 
I'm mostly in agreement with mebbid, but still see no need to add co2 for such a simple easy to grow plant!

Also agree that you have to change something, or the algae will come right back! I would look at doing a siesta, who allows the plants to have 2 photo pieriods. Turn the light on for 5 hours, then off for 4, then on for 5, and off for the night. This is easiest done with a simple timer.

The algae needs to get consistent light for several hours so this stops almost all algae growth.

I'm interested in The liquid fertilizer link, let me know when you find it:)

I have found from personal experience after adding API leaf zone that all my glass is covered in algae a few days later. I can find a link in a second.
 
Sorry I'm so stubborn. I just want to go with more low to medium light without co2. Still trying to find the par level that I'm at with my 2 led's(aquatop and fluval full spectrum). I pulled out 3 stems of wisteria and replaced them with about 10 stems of pennywort today. I've decreased my dosing of flourish to 2.5ml after pwc for a month. I was told my lighting was not enough and now I don't know what to think anymore.

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Liquid ferts dont feed the algae. Algae needs much lower nutrient levels than plants to grow. By limiting nutrients it will starve out the plants before it starves the algae creating more issues with algae.

Ill provide a link explaining that when i get home.


Pruning and propogating the wisteria will result in more wisteria stems with more hair algae growing on it. Without changing how you handle your tank then nothing will change.

If there was a nutrient deficiency in the plants you would see it in their new leaves.

Your light is producing enough par to grow hair algae which should be more than sufficient to grow wisteria.

That points to lack of carbon. Your increased surface agitation in the tank further depletes the co2 in the tank creating an environment thats not particularly great for plant growth.

Its not an answer you want to hear, but im in agreement with caliban. The simplest (also most expensive) way to fix it is pressurized co2.

Other things you can try are changing your plants to allow you to add liquid carbon. Decreasing surdace agitation and hope that makes enough of a difference. Or lasyly, Add minute amounts of liquid carbon to acclimate your plants to the addition of it.


On the contrary, it is widely accepted by most on another forums that increasing surface agitation in low tech tanks help immensely. Their argument is that keeping surface gas exchange at the surface in equilibrium allows a lesser but constant supply of co2 whilst allowing oxygen to enter the system which is often depleted in lower tech tanks. Increasing oxygen maximise production of co2 by organisms that would otherwise be less efficient in oxygen depleted environments.

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/maxing-co2-in-low-techs.29856/

Interestingly enough. I noticed a positive effect when I added surface movement in my 19l Walstad but now I want to give this low tech approach another go.


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Thanks for checking Caliban. I have decreased my light intensity and cut the leaves off that were algae ridden. The algae growth has definitely slowed down.

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Thanks for checking Caliban. I have decreased my light intensity and cut the leaves off that were algae ridden. The algae growth has definitely slowed down.

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Good stuff. Good call on reducing light intensity. Try increasing surface agitation too. This should help also.


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After reading this thread about a week or so ago, although not too bad I was experiencing some algae growth. The green really short, almost like a dark green tennis ball fuzz kind. It was annoying me. Growing on a couple of my sword leaves and on top of a cave type decoration - all right under the light. I was trying to be careful with not putting hardly any of the flourish excel (liquid carbon) in because I was afraid it would damage my dwarf sag and corkscrew vals...but I figured I would give it a shot. I added one capful for my 75 gal about every day or two. It has definitely worked on cutting down some of the algae growth, so I am thankful to you all.

My next step will most likely be to set up the light on a timer, since it only has one programmed sunrise/sunset time...But it might be a pain if I have to re-set the time/schedule/intensities again by cutting the power. I'll have to look into it. Otherwise, I'll just use the low-intensity light that came with the tank in the morning and have the sunrise be set for around noon to cut down on the photoperiod.

Great insight - thanks for sharing and providing updates!
 
Good stuff. Good call on reducing light intensity. Try increasing surface agitation too. This should help also.


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I should have enough surface agitation between my hob and powerhead located in the bottom right corner of the tank. Seeing as it's a tall tank that was one of my huge dead spots. It's pointed straight up and actual helps a lot.

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