So New Light = Algae Problems. Who Would Have Guessed? Also Plant Questions.

[Kyle E.]

I agree. Also do plecos tend to rip up carpets? Cause a pleco does interest me (not for the algae eating). Although they are very messy, so I would probably want to hot rod my filter a little to make sure the bio load is not too much. Not that my tank is even completely stocked though, so it would probably be fine.

 

[eatyourpeas]

This is the reference chart I use for plant nutrients. It came from a great website:

How to Spot Nutrient Deficiencies in Aquatic Plants - Shrimp and Snail Breeder

A lack of nutrients can cause discoloration in aquatic plants. Many types of nutrient deficiencies affect the ability of a plant to photosynthesize.

aquariumbreeder.com

 

[Kyle E.]

Compare pictures 2 and 3. Picture 2 is today, 3 is a day or 2 ago. 1 is a better picture of the algae on the glass.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Are you dosing?
You may want to add a couple of amano shrimp, they are a great cleanup crew.

 

[Wills]

I think your problem might come from not having the best choice of plants in there. Hairgrass can be hard to grow especially in gravel, I'd go for one of the broader leaved grass type plants like Dwarf Saggitaria, Littorella Uniflora or Helanthium tenellum 'Green'. I think you need to then build on this with more fast growing plants like Hygrophila Siamensis 53b, Cardamine Lyrata or Limnophila if you get a good section of these stems going they will really help keep on top of your algae issue by using the nutrients up before the algae can. Good plant growth is a really good way out of algae issues.

Wills

 

[Kyle E.]

Sorry I was going to add more but then I had to go eat lol.

No @eatyourpeas I am not yet. I am quite sure I will order Aquarium Co Op easy-green root tabs and liquid tomorrow, but who knows when it will get here. I have 2 amano shrimp but all they do is hide under the sword. They keep the area around the sword clean though lol.

@Wills I wish I had posted here about a good beginner carpet plant before getting the hairgrass, but I would like to make it work now that it's too late for that. I have seen examples of people who are growing it quite easily so I think it IS possible, it just might take a little work. Yes if I had known I would have gone with pygmy chain swords or something lol. I am still a beginner at aquariums. Once the frogbit takes off it should help with that. It could help shade somewhat and be a nutrient vacuum.

What I was going to say is that I have been better about keeping the lighting schedule. I have it on for about 8-9 hours a day now. It IS helping, and there is not a crazy amount of algae everyday like before, but it is not fixed, although the fertilizer will probably help. What I was trying to show with the hairgrass comparison is that that same clump was bright green a few days ago, and now it is covered in algae. What algae is that? Black Beard? It is darker than the green spot on the glass. This will deprive the plants of light, right? Is there any way to get if off of the plants?

 

[Kyle E.]

Oh and also, the frogbit has grown more roots, but I did see the DG biting one of them off.
This is not a regular occurrence though and I didn't feed them yesterday so I guess I need to keep them well fed until it grows enough to survive the occasional munching.

 

[Wills]

Sorry I was going to add more but then I had to go eat lol.

No @eatyourpeas I am not yet. I am quite sure I will order Aquarium Co Op easy-green root tabs and liquid tomorrow, but who knows when it will get here. I have 2 amano shrimp but all they do is hide under the sword. They keep the area around the sword clean though lol.

@Wills I wish I had posted here about a good beginner carpet plant before getting the hairgrass, but I would like to make it work now that it's too late for that. I have seen examples of people who are growing it quite easily so I think it IS possible, it just might take a little work. Yes if I had known I would have gone with pygmy chain swords or something lol. I am still a beginner at aquariums. Once the frogbit takes off it should help with that. It could help shade somewhat and be a nutrient vacuum.

What I was going to say is that I have been better about keeping the lighting schedule. I have it on for about 8-9 hours a day now. It IS helping, and there is not a crazy amount of algae everyday like before, but it is not fixed, although the fertilizer will probably help. What I was trying to show with the hairgrass comparison is that that same clump was bright green a few days ago, and now it is covered in algae. What algae is that? Black Beard? It is darker than the green spot on the glass. This will deprive the plants of light, right? Is there any way to get if off of the plants?

You could always do a mixed carpet, I have dwarf hairgrass, Marsilea Hirsuita, Crypt Parva, Littorella and a little bit of Helanthium Tennelum. My H.Tripartita also creeps into the carpet sometimes if I let it. I think the mixed carpet looks more natural too and it means that if one of your plants fails a bit the others will pick up.

Wills

 

[eatyourpeas]

It is not BB, just brown algae. It feeds on the weak plants. I had it for a while until I got the tank balanced. This is the tank with the Nicrew light today:

 

[Kyle E.]

Hmm ok. So it should fix itself once I balance things?

 

[eatyourpeas]

It means you would have succeeded in having a balanced environment. It takes time, so be patient.

I agree with @Wills on the adding more plants approach. You may be fixated on a particular plant that decides not to thrive (some do get temperamental) so having different ones will allow you to propagate the ones that do well. Hairgrass was a disaster for me as it kept getting uprooted, so I went with the Chain Swords (you can see the little runners in the front of the tank, and they look grassy).

If the Amano are not out grazing it means they are afraid. Provide more shelter via plants or hardscape and they will be out more. In the end, more plants usually means happier critters.

 

[Kyle E.]

@eatyourpeas what plant is that in your tank in the background? The one that looks like it's taking over lol. Also how tall does it grow?

Edit:
I am ordering fertilizer from Aquarium Co op and I am thinking about getting a plant or 2 as well. I want to ask about a few. I specifically want fast growing easy ones to grow.

Pearl weed: Hemianthus Micranthemoides Has weed in the name so that might be good. Says it will get decently tall if you don't trim it? Also says skill level easy.

I don't really care for the look of anubias. I want kind of smaller leaved plants I guess, not such broad leaves.

Scarlet Temple: Alteranthera reineckii Has red on it so is probably not very easy to grow. Says "Not Demanding" skill level moderate.

Bacopa caroliniana: This one looks very promising. Says easy care, very hardy, and grows tall, and good looking. Says not super fast growth. That would probably be good long term but I am tired of having a bare tank lol.

Jungle Vallisneria: I feel like I have heard @Colin_T say don't get jungle vallisneria but it looks good to me. Easy to grow, tall, get's a dense bushy look.

Dwarf Chain Sword Helanthium tenellum: @Wills I am thinking about following your advice and getting this for a carpet as well, especially if the hairgrass doesn't work out. Says easy to grow, gets to 4 inches so I could trim to whatever.

Water Sprite: It can be planted in the substrate right?

Pogostemon Stellatus 'Octopus': IT SAYS OCTOPUS! Do you need any other reason? Care level easy, background plant.

Vallisneria: How is this different from Jungle val?

@Stan510 @mbsqw1d

I would like to order as soon as possible so please respond.

 

[eatyourpeas]

It is a hornwort. It gets trimmed every week, and it can go several feet if you let it. I always cut it way down and leave the tips.

 

[Kyle E.]

Hmm ACC doesn't sell that. They do flat rate shipping so I would like to just order from them while I'm at it lol. That hornwort looks AMAZING though. The tank does as well.

 

[Kyle E.]

Hmm I missed Dwarf Sagitaria.