Brown Algae On Leafs

[sjolliff]

noticed today what looks like brown algae on a couple of my plants, think there called sword leaf plants?! iv got an aqua-glow bulb and power glow bulb which are on 10am till 10pm
what can be causing this?

 

[yasinullah]

brown algae characteristically grows during the cyling process, so its likely to be due to that i think, hopefully someone else can clarify

 

[waterdrop]

Twelve hours of light is probably way too much. If this is a new tank, many experienced folks start with only 4 hours of lights on, the very, very gradually raise it an hour at a time to reach 6,8,10 hours perhaps. I use timers to give a couple hours photoperiod in the morning when we get up and feed the fish. Then it comes on so we can see them for quite a number of hours in the evening.

What is your tank size and bulb wattage and bulb type?

Also, water movement is important and don't hesitate to gently clean away algae if possible during your water changes.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sjolliff]

Twelve hours of light is probably way too much. If this is a new tank, many experienced folks start with only 4 hours of lights on, the very, very gradually raise it an hour at a time to reach 6,8,10 hours perhaps. I use timers to give a couple hours photoperiod in the morning when we get up and feed the fish. Then it comes on so we can see them for quite a number of hours in the evening.

What is your tank size and bulb wattage and bulb type?

Also, water movement is important and don't hesitate to gently clean away algae if possible during your water changes.

~~waterdrop~~

Its a 125L tank with 2 20watt bulbs, one bulb is for plants and fresh and salt water fish for showing them up better the other is for fresh and salt water fish, they came with my fluval roma kit
the guide that came with the kit said 12 hours is best for plants growing etc

 

[OldMan47]

WD is right. When you first set up a tank, try starting at 6 hours. If that turns out to not be enough, it is easy to gradually increase it but stop short of 10 hours unless you just like the look of algae. Because every tank is different and every situation is different, my timers are everywhere between 7 and about 9 hours. All of them have been adjusted a half hour at a time until I was happy with the compromise between algae and plant growth. I only have a very small number of tanks with no algae at all and unfortunately the techniques to keep it that way are not something that I like to do. It is just too much like work to raise a crop of plants instead of relaxing with my fish. Here lately I have started using the Diana Walstad approach to planted tanks and am finding it possible to have almost no algae with much less effort than my high tech tank takes.

 

[sjolliff]

WD is right. When you first set up a tank, try starting at 6 hours. If that turns out to not be enough, it is easy to gradually increase it but stop short of 10 hours unless you just like the look of algae. Because every tank is different and every situation is different, my timers are everywhere between 7 and about 9 hours. All of them have been adjusted a half hour at a time until I was happy with the compromise between algae and plant growth. I only have a very small number of tanks with no algae at all and unfortunately the techniques to keep it that way are not something that I like to do. It is just too much like work to raise a crop of plants instead of relaxing with my fish. Here lately I have started using the Diana Walstad approach to planted tanks and am finding it possible to have almost no algae with much less effort than my high tech tank takes.

I put a dose of API leaf zone in to help
and iv put the lights on for 2 hours a day, how do i know what length of time is right?
to be honest with the lights been on for 12 hours the last 2 weeks the plants look like there dying with brown stains to some, 3 of my plants ( dont know what they called, but looks like a bush of grass) has black/blue leafs on it? they had some when i bought them but looked like they got worse?

 

[chrisrm]

I got an otto off my brother in law... he had a FAT belly for a few days... and no brown algae was to be seen! ottos love it.

 

[OldMan47]

I watch the condition of my plants to judge whether they are getting enough light but really try to push right up until I start seeing algae then back off a bit. Something very important to realize is that no amount of time will make up for a light that is not bright enough for the plants. If you have high or medium light plants, you probably do not have enough light in the tank unless you have added more light than the tank comes with. The lights most manufacturers will give you are good for viewing fish and not much more. Unless you focus on low light plants, your plants will die with that low light, even if you leave the lights on 7/24. What you will get with long light periods is plenty of algae. Some of the low light plants that will survive in most tanks include java moss, java fern, the Cryptocorynes and Anubias. Even vallisneria, a very easy relatively low light plant, requires more light than you will get from typical manufacturer supplied lights. I have used ChrisM's approach and had some control of single algae types, whichever type the particular fish like, but getting to the root of the problem is generally a better idea than trying to compensate with algae eaters.