Algae on plants

[AGroucha]

Hello all,

So i have this planted 35 gal tank that has been set up for a couple of months - everything was going great but in the last few days i've had an extensive amount of algae growth on plants that look like this:

The aquarium does not get any directs sunlight to promote algae growth and im making weekly 25% partial water changes. I have four 2-3 inch BN plecos in the tank with some fancy guppies.

Any ideas why i've suddently had this amount of algae growth? What can i do about it? Is there any kind of fish that will eat this type og algae?

 

[BBradbury]

Algae Problem

Hello AG...

Algae, under a little control, is a good thing. You have a healthy tank. Tanks take time after they are cycled to settle. Just means the fish, plants and water are still working to establish a stable water chemistry.

I can tell you that your water changes should be twice what you're currently doing. Small water changes still leave most of the dissolved toxins in the tank water. By removing half the water every week, you provide your tank inhabitants twice the pure water and you remove the nitrates and phosphates sustaining the algae.

I keep Hornwort and Anacharis in my tanks. These floating plants use nutrients in the tank water much faster than primitive plants like algae. I don't feed more than a little a couple of times a week and change a lot of tank water. The result, there's nothing for the algae to eat, so it doesn't grow.

B

 

[Mebbid]

Hello AG...

Algae, under a little control, is a good thing. You have a healthy tank. Tanks take time after they are cycled to settle. Just means the fish, plants and water are still working to establish a stable water chemistry.

I can tell you that your water changes should be twice what you're currently doing. Small water changes still leave most of the dissolved toxins in the tank water. By removing half the water every week, you provide your tank inhabitants twice the pure water and you remove the nitrates and phosphates sustaining the algae.

I keep Hornwort and Anacharis in my tanks. These floating plants use nutrients in the tank water much faster than primitive plants like algae. I don't feed more than a little a couple of times a week and change a lot of tank water. The result, there's nothing for the algae to eat, so it doesn't grow.

B

If there's nothing for algae to eat then there's nothing for the plants to eat as well. Algae grows with much lower levels of necessary nutrients than the plants in your tank need.

Algae grows on plants for a couple reasons.
First, it grows on plants that aren't growing. This means that they aren't getting appropriate amount of nutrients stalling their growth.

Second, its an imbalance between ferts, light, and co2. The moat common culprit out of this love triangle is co2. Lights being left on too long will also cause algae growth. Finally proper fertilization allows plants to grow.

What lights do you have?
How big is your tank?
What fertilizers are you using?
What co2 source are you using?
How long are your lights left on daily?

 

[BBradbury]

Aquatic Plants and Algae

By introducing floating plants, those like Hornwort and Anacharis that take in nutrients through their leaves at a much higher rate than forms of algae, you remove it's food source. Algae works the same as anything living. If you remove it's food it has nothing to sustain it's growth, so it doesn't.

If you have fish in the tank, you have a nutrient source. If you perform large, frequent water changes, you have another nutrient source. If you have an open tank, there's another nutrient source for the plants from the CO2 in the surrounding air.

There's plenty to sustain the complex aquatic plants that are designed to use nutrients more efficiently than algae. The more floating plants you have, the less algae you'll have.

Just an observation from the few tanks I have. I don't run the poster's tanks.

B