Some Sort Of Algae On My Glosso

[AndyTaylor]

The Glosso i put down on Saturday has some sort of grey algae on it that has completely destroyed some of the leaves. It looks like thick cobwebs and is just floating in the water beside the plant attached to some of the leaves. The leaves seems to turn grey and just disintegrate... like they're turning to smoke in the water.
I had to take out 1 of the glosso plants yesterday because it just turned to grey mush, i didn't see the algae that time but i'm guessing it's the same stuff.
I've removed any of it that I could see.

New tank, just planted in the last few days. No stats at the moment. Lighting is 60W over 170L (low, i know) and my CO2 units are just starting to produce bubbles. I'll try to get some photos later.

Any ideas.

Andy

 

[@ombomb]

Eugh, that sounds familiar... Does it look anything like this:

If so it's probably a combination of a lack of a CO² and high phosphate levels.

Are you fertilising?



As a word of warning, if it IS that stuff, the only way I was able to beat it was by overdosing on CO² to controll it and then removing the infected leaves.

 

[AndyTaylor]

It could be that, hard to be surel from the photo, but i'd say thats it. Kind of grey and wispy. Yours looks more solid than mine @onmbomb, if you know what I mean.
Apart from my substrate the only fertilizer used was 1 dose of Interpret Flora Boost (10ml) while I was planting.
I'm sure I have low CO2, both my Nutrafin units seem to be taking ages to produse any bubbles.

 

[zig]

I dont know what it could be, no doubt its related to marine light you had in, you might just have to keep your fingers crossed on the glosso, if you see it spreading to the other plants then you can start to panic but for the moment now that you have the other tubes back in hopefully it will contain itself to the glosso and start to clear up.

On the question of lighting you could always try and have a look in B&Q on the Belgard Road (i think, nearly sure) for the lights mentioned by Donkey in this thread, post no.27 on the second page he shows a picture of what you are looking for, if you could find these in the right size you could save a lot of cash and these would definatly work just make absolutly sure they have the 6500k marked on them, if they do then you are in business..........i meant to go and have a look up there myself after he posted this but i just havent got around to this yet.

My Webpage

 

[AndyTaylor]

That lighting looks good..... given that I work for an electrical contractor I should be able to find something like that! I'll still be underlit with 2 x 36W though. Thats 72 W over 170L ( or 150 L -39.6 US GAL because my substrate took 20L to get it all wet) ....thats still only 1.8 WPG so a T5 conversion is still looking neccessary.

I'll sacrifice that Glosso if neccessary to stop the spread, hopefully now that the marine lamp is out it'll die off.
If not i'll blackout the tank for 24 hours. Fingers crossed indeed.

I haven't even got the tank full yet and i'n starting to have second thoughts about fully planted tanks!!

 

[zig]

Dont worry about it i bet it wont spread, any T8 tube that are between 3000k and 7500k will work, but most of them that you see outside of the lfs (that will work for our needs i mean) are usually either 3500k or 6500k, the 6500k would be preferable, but either of them would work.

 

[AndyTaylor]

Thanks, Zig.....I'm only joking about the second thoughts really! Even half planted the tank is looking good so it'll be worth it!
I'm going to head over to B&Q in Liffey Valley in a while and see what they have. Do you think that a T5 upgrade would be a good idea? Would it minimise the chances of future algae attacks?
Now if only Java would deliver my plants....

 

[AndyTaylor]

Well, the algae is still going strong. I had to remove 2 more glosso plants this morning. 1 of them was fine last night and grey/brown mush this morning. Whatever this is it loves glosso!
I had planted 8 seperate glosso plants about 3 inches apart and now I have 5 left. Looks like i'm out of the glosso growing race!

 

[@ombomb]

Personally I'd remove ALL the glosso asap before this spreads and start again.

Took me ages to get my algae problem under control, let alone beat it.

 

[zig]

Are you sure its not just the glosso dying off because of lack of light given that you only have 1 WPG over the tank right now, glosso loves light but maybe it wouldnt die that quickly, just an idea............

 

[jimbooo]

thats exactly what i was thinking but i thought this was a high light tank. if it's 1WPG that will explain it.

 

[AndyTaylor]

It's possibly due to lack of light, but there is a visible algae-like substance on the affected areas of the plants and no sign of the yellowing that i'd expect from low light.
This isn't a slow wilting, The plant just falls apart and turns from bright green to mush overnight. Anyway, some of the other glosso plants nearby seem to be growing fine, in that they're sending roots downwards. Thay are mostly growing upwards which is a sign of too little light, right? But they're still growing.
I'm inclined to go with @ombomb and take the whole lot out. It doesn't seem to be affecting any other plants that I can see so maybe i'll just leave the glosso out until the tank is established?
Has anyone else found Glosso to be so susceptible to algae like this?

 

[jimbooo]

hmm, well the light isn't ideal but by the sounds of it isn't the cause of the algae. when i planted mine i did a massive gravel vac of the planting area, then pushed some jbl ferrotabs (split into 4 pieces each) into the substrate to raise the fertaliser level in the substrate then planted the glosso. that way i am 100% sure the substrate has enough nutrients to get the carpet going. there maybe some decaying matter in your substrate under the glosso which is spreading the decay upwards to the effected plantlets. before giving up i'd rip it out and do it this way. just to see if theres anything suspect in there.

do you have laterite or equivelant mixed with the gravel? i cant remember

 

[AndyTaylor]

I've got Tetraplant completesubstrate but to be honest it's probably a little low in the substrate to be any use to the glosso. I just posted a question for you on just that in your pics thread. I've been planting the glosso in 1/4 plant clumps, i take the glosso out of the pot and cut it in 1/4 whereas yours is nearly in individual stems.
Could this have anything to do with it?
Having said that, would lack of nutrients not affect all the plants at more or less the same rate?
I'll try some Fert sticks later. The tank is newly setup so i can't see where any decaying matter would come from. I wish I had some photos to show y'all. It would make this much easier. I'll see if I can borrow a camera later.

 

[jimbooo]

Having said that, would lack of nutrients not affect all the plants at more or less the same rate?

in theory yes but i doube you have any other plants as small as glosso in the tank. bearing in mind plants can store nutrients. a big sword plant will take longer to show effects. glosso (in theory) cant store as much "food" in them.

The tank is newly setup so i can't see where any decaying matter would come from.

okay it's not that then. try the ferrotabs and see if that helps. there always useful to have in stock anyway well worth a buy.

sticking a whole tab under each big plant (amazon swords etc..) will give them a big boost.