Uh Oh, What's Happening To My Plants?

[JasonMichael]

It will take a long time hence spraying a little excel/water 1:20 ratio mix over the algae clears it quickly and most people do it after finding out the cause.

Otherwise it can take forever to get rid.

P.S. If you do the WC before lights on do it a good few hours before.

This may be a silly question but what is excel lol

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Liquid supplement for CO2.

 

[coolie]

Just a question to the experts on here;
if lack of flow can cause these algae problems, how do you explain similar algar which grows in areas of fastest flow such as on plants directly in the path of the filter power head outlet?

 

[snazy]

I got BBA algae on just one anubias plant positioned on the most lit area of the tank, close to the filter outlet with a powerhead blowing over it so lack of flow is certainly not the cause for that one. None of the other anubias have it and I think the issue is just the light is too intense there. I started dosing ferts and liquid carbon afterwards, and guess what, the same plant got rid of the black algae and developed green spot algae on exactly the same leaves, go figure

So the light has a lot to do with it in both cases otherwise the rest of the plants would have got it too. It could be a combination of issues of course and it could differ from tank to tank but in my case I am out shopping for new lights because the current ones are iffy anyways(came with the tank)

 

[SO19Firearms]

Just a question to the experts on here;

I'll still have a go at answering it - More flow means more nutrient availability. (you can imagine if it was static it will take a while for nutrients elsewhere in the tank to make their way over), but equally if there isn't enough nutrient in the water, more flow won't always help enough in that particular area..... The plant's physical needs play a part in the whole process too - Light etc.....


IMO

EDIT:

anubias plant positioned on the most lit area of the tank

See. Hopefully that gives an example of how excess light means there still isn't enough nutrient inc CO[sub]2[/sub]) available even given the greater flow...

IMO

 

[snazy]

Just a question to the experts on here;

I'll still have a go at answering it - More flow means more nutrient availability. (you can imagine if it was static it will take a while for nutrients elsewhere in the tank to make their way over), but equally if there isn't enough nutrient in the water, more flow won't always help enough in that particular area..... The plant's physical needs play a part in the whole process too - Light etc.....


IMO

EDIT:

anubias plant positioned on the most lit area of the tank

See. Hopefully that gives an example of how excess light means there still isn't enough nutrient inc CO[sub]2[/sub]) available even given the greater flow...

IMO

How is that an example? It is pure speculation if you ask me to twist it like that. If that's an example of how high flow would provide less nutritients, then quieter areas of the tank would get even more algae, but they aren't. I know for sure flow isn't a problem in my tank but that plant in particular if anything, is probably getting excess flow and therefore excess nutritients, not less nutritients if it at all has anything to do with that.

Edit: And by the way, before I started getting any algae and dosing any ferts or CO2 I kept forgetting the lights on for more than 12 hours a day, so a lot of it for sure has to do with light.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Light does play a part yes but so does growth rate of plants, hence a lot of slow growing plants getting BBA.

 

[snazy]

I've got the tank planted with anubias all over, but the one with excess light got the BBA algae only. When I started dosing ferts and CO2 and reduced the light from over 12hours to 8 hours, I got green spot algae instead of the BBA algae on the same anubias, same leaves and none on the rest of the tank that didn't have any algae in the first place, also no algae whatsoever on the bottom leaves of the same anubias that get less light. From what I read GSA is caused by either lack of phosphates or excess nutritients and light which fits the bill in my case and before dosing ferts I wouldn't have had excess nutritients probably, so hence the green spot algae. I am wondering if you get bulbs that emit light in the right range/wave lenght maybe that can solve some of the problem.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

You can from one place that has the rights to sell them actually, John at aquarium gardening has some specifically for plant growth.

 

[snazy]

You can from one place that has the rights to sell them actually, John at aquarium gardening has some specifically for plant growth.

I didn't know it has anything to do with rights, learning new stuff everyday. Is there any online shop I can look at? For my other tank I got Dennerle special plant growth bulbs with UV stop and wondering if that's the reason I got no algae at all there so I was going to buy the same brand for this tank too.

 

[JasonMichael]

Liquid supplement for CO2.

Are you talking about the Seachem excel treatment?

 

[JasonMichael]

hey guys I've just installed the power head near the Co2 diffuser... man theres some serious flow in my tank now haha, the fish seem to be trying to swim against it and then get carried away in the direction with the flow.... is this normal? :\ or could the flow be stressing them?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Lots of fish like to swim in the flow, providing they're not getting blown around the tank they'll be ok, they'll more than likely find a spot they feel comfortable in, yes the flourish excel treatment will kill it just dont over do it.

 

[JasonMichael]

Lots of fish like to swim in the flow, providing they're not getting blown around the tank they'll be ok, they'll more than likely find a spot they feel comfortable in, yes the flourish excel treatment will kill it just dont over do it.

Great thanks Steveo! They seem to be alright and are swimming normally in other parts of the tank, I may upload a video link if I think there may be a concern!

 

[SO19Firearms]

It is pure speculation if you ask me to twist it like that. If that's an example of how high flow would provide less nutritients, then quieter areas of the tank would get even more algae, but they aren't.

I re-read my post and I can't see many mistakes in it or examples of twistification*.

Edit: And by the way, before I started getting any algae and dosing any ferts or CO2 I kept forgetting the lights on for more than 12 hours a day, so a lot of it for sure has to do with light.

Bingobango! Light levels that are to high (similar to excess duration) and algae means a lack of ferts and or CO[sub]2[/sub] - Because you weren't dosing either we can't know which. But you've definately experienced first hand that too much light in conjunction with not enough ferts and or CO[sub]2[/sub] will surely equal algae.

IMO

*I made that word up.