What's best soil substrate?

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Good morning. So I found out my l. E. D is the fluvial aquasky 530mm I have turned the l. E. D down so it's giving 50% light. To be honest it still looks as bright tho maybe just a little fainter
 
Hi guys. So I got the Seachem's Flourish Tabs and have placed them in the tank. I am just wondering do I still need to dose with liquid fertiliser?
 
Hi guys. So I got the Seachem's Flourish Tabs and have placed them in the tank. I am just wondering do I still need to dose with liquid fertiliser?

One tab close to the crown of each of the sword plants will provide what they need, at least in most cases, combined with nutrients from water changes and fish feeding. If you have non-substrate rooted plants (Anubias was mentioned earlier in this thread) and of course floating plants, these will not benefit from substrate tabs. A comprehensive liquid fertilizer (this is one that has everything needed and in proportion to each other which is important) might benefit, or it might cause more algae trouble. If you have floating plants, I would use a comprehensive liquid [Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is good] but sparingly.
 
The Anubias seem to be doing really well. New shoots every week
 
The Anubias seem to be doing really well. New shoots every week

Anubias, like Java Fern, and mosses, are low light requiring plants as they are, by comparison, slow growing plants. With less light comes less nutrients in balance. So the upper water column may be fine.
 
There is no algae on the tank the filter or any of the rocks. There is on the Anubias tho I don't mind it but should I be trying to get it off the Anubias and if so how?
 
There is no algae on the tank the filter or any of the rocks. There is on the Anubias tho I don't mind it but should I be trying to get it off the Anubias and if so how?

There is black brush/beard algae on some of the sword leaves in the photo in post #1. These leaves are yellowing which means dying, so this may not be an issue, as this algae frequently appears on dying leaves. Whether this is the algae appearing after the leaf is dying, or the algae causing the leaf to begin dying, I don't know. But the two do go together especially with sword plants. Not a worry, the dying leaves, if they are the outer leaves and there is new leaf growth from the centre of the crown; this is normal. The plant can re-channel nutrients from older leaves to provide nutrient for new growth.

As for the Anubias, black brush/beard algae will appear if the plant is under too intense lighting. This is a shade plant, and does best with floating plants over it. Try this and see if it helps prevent increased algae.

In all cases, the algae that is now there will not "disappear," the aim is simply to stop the increase.
 
Coming in late on this, again.

I agree that floating plants are a really good idea to reduce algae. (If you have any Labyrinth fish, make sure to leave a spot on the surface for them to breath, via a separator.)

Anubias needs to be above the level of the substrate. I don't believe in special substrates. I use play sand and I have for a year. I see no need to spend $20-$40 just to build a 10g tank. IMO.
 
When I look at the Anubias more closely the algae only seems to be on one leaf on the Anubias albeit the largest leaf. Is it OK to just cut it off at the base of the Anubias? What would the correct term be for the base of the Anubias?
 
If its just normal algae you can wipe it off
 
Do you have any snails? Mine love to eat the algae off my Anubias.
 
I think it's the black beard algae. No i plucked all the sanils out. I can't stand them. Although maybe your referring to a different type of snail. Is it diffrent to the ones that get in there from plants?
 
I have nerite snails in my tanks, and they do eat some - but not all - types of algae. These don't come with plants, you have to buy them.
 
I think it's the black beard algae. No i plucked all the sanils out. I can't stand them. Although maybe your referring to a different type of snail. Is it diffrent to the ones that get in there from plants?

All snails will eat algae, but like fish they are picky as to which species they will eat, and generally this will never really solve "problem" algae issues. The common algae that naturally forms part of the bio-film on all submersed surfaces is rarely even seen by us, but readily eaten by snails and some grazing fish (otos, Bristlenose, Farlowella, mollies, rift lake mbuna, etc).

A comment or two on snails...these small snails that may hitch a ride on plants or wood are your best friends in any aquarium because they eat organics (fish excrement, uneaten food, dying plant matter, algae) which breaks it down faster for the various bacteria to deal with. The organics will be there with or without the snails, and the snails add nothing to the bioload because they are only eating what is already in the bioload (unless one specifically feeds certain snails, not the issue here). So the snails are doing you a favour.

As to their numbers, they will exist at the level according to the available food. Even if you are careful not to overfeed the fish, the number of snails indicates just how much organics can accumulate in an aquarium, and this must be kept under control.
 

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