Algae? Bacteria??

[JuiceBox52]

Went over to my boyfriends house, this tank has been re set up for just under two weeks, only two fish, no ferts. The lighting has been 12 hours/day but I’m reducing to 8. There was no sign of anything like this before I moved the tank

It doesn’t look like cyano, but it’s growing in webs like it, and it wasn’t here last week. It’s on everything! Help!

 

[Rocky998]

I have a teensy bit of that in my tank as well... I just assumed it was bga.
Is your boyfriend knowledgeable on aquariums or does he just help you with caring for it with feeding and water changes?
You could try blacking out the tank if there are hardy plants in there.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I have a teensy bit of that in my tank as well... I just assumed it was bga.
Is your boyfriend knowledgeable on aquariums or does he just help you with caring for it with feeding and water changes?
You could try blacking out the tank if there are hardy plants in there.

He follows my instructions and helps me but isn’t particularly knowledgeable, he’s learning though

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Looks like cyanobacteria to me. Just a different kind.

 

[connorlindeman]

I agree it looks like cyano to me.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Nooooooooooooo!!!!

 

[Rocky998]

Sorry Juice... Hopefully it's a somewhat easy fix for you

 

[Byron]

I'm more inclined to think it's an algae, but it doesn't matter, as my suggestion to deal with it is much the same.

Reduce the light photoperiod, you can go down to six with no trouble, do it an hour at a time and give it a week or two to see results before further reduction. The intensity of the light may be a factor, but lets try other easier fixes to avoid new lighting. But, can you reduce the intensity? Some LED lights have this feature.

On the nutrient side, these plants need nutrients. With only two fish, they need supplemental fertilizer. I would first start with substrate tabs, and Seachem's Flourish Tabs are about the best; they do not leech into the upper water column so they cannot feed algae/cyano. Liquid fertilizer will be needed for fast growing non-substrate rooted plants, like the floaters. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement is one, if you are in the US there is also Brightwell Aquatics MultiFlorin. Be sparing in using this. What is the GH (this is a primary source of calcium and magnesium)?

A definite recommendation...floating plants. Really, good floaters have an almost unlimited array of benefits for an aquarium, and here a major one is their shading the light and using a lot of nutrients so this will help avoid over-fertilizing. Water Sprite, Water Lettuce, Frogbit; some stem plants do very well floating, like Pennywort.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I'm more inclined to think it's an algae, but it doesn't matter, as my suggestion to deal with it is much the same.

Reduce the light photoperiod, you can go down to six with no trouble, do it an hour at a time and give it a week or two to see results before further reduction. The intensity of the light may be a factor, but lets try other easier fixes to avoid new lighting. But, can you reduce the intensity? Some LED lights have this feature.

Unfortunately it is not LEDs, they’re fluorescent bulbs

On the nutrient side, these plants need nutrients. With only two fish, they need supplemental fertilizer. I would first start with substrate tabs, and Seachem's Flourish Tabs are about the best; they do not leech into the upper water column so they cannot feed algae/cyano. Liquid fertilizer will be needed for fast growing non-substrate rooted plants, like the floaters. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement is one, if you are in the US there is also Brightwell Aquatics MultiFlorin. Be sparing in using this. What is the GH (this is a primary source of calcium and magnesium)?

GH on average is 12ppm, I will be getting ferts, just haven’t yet, and the plants have been thriving so far

A definite recommendation...floating plants. Really, good floaters have an almost unlimited array of benefits for an aquarium, and here a major one is their shading the light and using a lot of nutrients so this will help avoid over-fertilizing. Water Sprite, Water Lettuce, Frogbit; some stem plants do very well floating, like Pennywort.

Yes! I have salvinia minima, right now only a bit and it will take some time to cover since I threw the majority away when moving. I had water lettuce, but the roots quickly grew to over 18” and blocked out too much light, and the ground plants were dying. Hopefully when the salvinia creates more cover it will help

 

[CarissaT]

Unfortunately it is not LEDs, they’re fluorescent bulbs


GH on average is 12ppm, I will be getting ferts, just haven’t yet, and the plants have been thriving so far


Yes! I have salvinia minima, right now only a bit and it will take some time to cover since I threw the majority away when moving. I had water lettuce, but the roots quickly grew to over 18” and blocked out too much light, and the ground plants were dying. Hopefully when the salvinia creates more cover it will help

Depending on how it’s put together, you may be able to put some black tape or something like that over parts of where the light shines down, or remove one bulb, or put some black behind the light so the reflector isn’t as powerful. I think you definitely need less intensity. The light intensity drives the speed of plant growth which means they are apt to run out of essential nutrients faster…once a nutrient is gone and the plant has used up it’s own reserves, it starts to die or sacrifice leaves, and an unhealthy plant is an algae feeder then. Plants also have an adaptive period if they are moved where they have to settle in before they will really start growing. Algae does not have this, so a new tank with too much light and not enough nutrients for the plants = perfect storm.

‘Try and get out as much as possible physically, make the changes to the photoperiod and intensity and add fertilizers for your plants and hopefully it will settle down then.

 

[Byron]

On the GH, that is fine. I have 6 or 7 ppm and the fertilizers mentioned were sufficient. They are low in calcium and magnesium because many have harder water and thus no shortage, which is why I asked, but as I said I had no issues. The substrate tabs did make a huge difference to my swords.