Having A Few Hassles With Plants

[Imamosher]

Hi Guys I'm new to this forum and would like to thank you for any advice in advance....

I have had my tank set up for about 5 months now, I bought the tank and setup 2nd hand so have no idea what bulbs they are or how long they have been in use apart from that they are 2 x flourescnet tubes.

The problem I have is that the plants in the tank dont seem to be doing that well and are covered with a brownish layer which just makes them look dirty. I have been a bit of research on this and it seems that it could be DIATOMS....could anyone confirm this?

The lights on the tank are on for roughly 9 hours a day while I am at work. The fish seem to be halthy and i do regular water changes with and whenever doing a water test everything seems fine.

any help on this would be appreciated.

many thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

It does sound like diatoms; it's more common in new tanks but can turn up at anytime. I'd replace your tubes, in case they've lost a lot of power, which they can do after a year or two, although you can't see the difference by looking. Maybe try reducing the lighting to 6 hours as well.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

You will need to find out just a bit more info for us.. What are the wattage of the tubes and are they t5 or t8 etc. What volume is your tank? You'll know if its diatoms, just rub it with your finger, if its rough then it probably is