question about moving a plant w/ blue-green algae

[gale]

I have some hygrophilia in my 10g tank which has a lot of blue-green algae on it. I want to move it into my 20g which doesn't have the algae so obviously I don't want to spread it. It's only about 4 stalks, btw. Would it be worth it to put the plant in some solution and try to kill the algae before transferring it? If so what can I use, preferably something around the house. lol. thanks

 

[Yenko]

Just rub the bluegreen alage off of it. Alage control isn't a matter of killing the alage, its a matter of eliminating the cause of the alage. A healthy planted tank usually has many kinds of alage present, but growth is slow or nonexistent. Just cleaning alage constantly is like perscribing someone kleenex for a cold.

 

[gale]

Just rub the bluegreen alage off of it. Alage control isn't a matter of killing the alage, its a matter of eliminating the cause of the alage. A healthy planted tank usually has many kinds of alage present, but growth is slow or nonexistent. Just cleaning alage constantly is like perscribing someone kleenex for a cold.

Is that true for the blue green algae too? I know it's not a true algae but a bacteria so I didn't know.

 

[Yenko]

Yeah, there's bluegreen bacteria (cyanobacteria) everywhere. The last cup of water you drank probably had some floating in it. Cyanobacteria don't grow well without an excess of nutrients; so keeping nutrient supplies low (plants don't mind this) will keep alage growth to a minimum. That's accomplished by lots of plants and the lighting and Co2 to keep them growing rapidly and a low fish stocking. Frequent water changes also work; provided your tap water doesn't have any nitrates, phosphorus or potassium in it.

I prefer the plant option, it's less work, looks better, keeps the fish happier and I gain a preverse pride in knowing that I spend a fraction of the time on my tank that other people do and acheive a better result. I've gone 4 months (purchase a nitrAte test if you try this) without a water change, and although alage did grow, the plants held their own against it for a while. Things are still ok thanks to a low fish stocking, but once I get my new DIY canopy and Co2 hooked up things should go well.

I suggest you buy "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad; it's the best money you will EVER spend on fish.

 

[gale]

Thanks! I would love to have heavily planted tanks but our lfs doesn't sell plants and walmart...well their plants look worse than the dead fish floating in the tanks. I have to buy my plants online and the shipping is way more than the plants cost. I'm going to be propogating the plants I do have but that takes a while.