# Plants and Algae Questions



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

This is a double post but I was asked to set up my own thread, so here goes...

My tank is 72x19x20 and is lit by two Marineland Doublebright LEDs which I keep on for two five hour blocks per day (with a five hour break between each block). The lights are rated as providing 3100 Lux 12" below. I was doing a lot of water changes initially (80-90% per week) and my plants were suffering. The guy at the LFS told me to back off to 25-30%. I've done that and the plants aren't dying off as fast but are still not flourishing.

I just started adding some Flourish Excel thinking that the addition of carbon might help the plants.

Any suggestions for improvements to benefit my plants?

Is it possible to have healthy plants while still having some algae in the tank? My rocks have a nice coating which I'd like to keep for my trophs (they snack on it all day).

What's the best way to get the algae off the leaves once the anubias have algae on them?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

One thing not often mentioned is how many plants one has in the tank to balance the nutrients. It is often talked that there is too much and it causes algae but sometimes not in specifics as to how many plants are needed. I'm like many who was not sure I wanted the trouble of plants so wanted to try just one or two. Big problem is that they were not enough and growing fast enough to use the nutrient load my fish were providing. As such, they and the rest of the tank became an algae farm. It seems pretty backwards but it may be easier in the case of plants to go "all in" rather than step in slowly. I was fortunate in finding a local plant that is a curse in the local water but grows and does the job of eating nutrients in the tank. I don't encourage anybody to go spend a fortune on plants which may die, but if you can find some really fast growing plants that are cheap, it might ease the game.

I should think your area large enough to have lots of plant growers who have to thin and trim out plants weekly. Maybe an ad for fast growing cheap plants?

Watch using the Excel if you have anacharus. It may melt them. I had to stop using it.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

An altnative to planting around 60% of the tank to combat algae is to create your own hood with a modified lighting spread. One low powered lit bulb can light the tank for viewingand algae growth on rocks, but the small pockets of plants can be grown by installing a spotlight above those specific spots. If you are handy, small led spot lights can b installed in a wooden hood. How handy are you or anyone you can bribe to give you a hand?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Good point that Numer 6 makes. I also was playing with DIY lights as I started plants and I did have some spots of light for the plants, with the rest darker. I find more water movement makes algae grow well also. The back of the tank where the powerhead fit was lush.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I should have indicated what type and how many plants I have. There are three varieties of anubias adding up to fourteen plants and a big clump of java fern that consists of about eight plants. So in total there are 22 plants (some of the anubias being of the petite variety).

The tank has a glass lid with no canopy. I'd prefer not to replace the lights (although I've thought about getting a T5 unit and selling what I have).

I considered adding Vallisneria (which are fast growing) but I like to bleach rinse (20:1 solution) new plants to reduce the risk of introducing snails. I've read that vals don't tolerate this treatment well.

I should also mention that some of the destruction to the plants is induced by my trophs (who don't seem to have read that java fern tastes bad and is supposed to be "cichlid resistant").

Here's a recent shot of the tank to give you sense of the plants and algae.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Glad you mentioned the val and dips. I was thinking of moving some val out of a tank overrun with snails and would have been dipping them. Anybody have thoughts on val and peroxide dipping rather than a bleach dip?

Nice looking tank and I like the green on the rocks. I assume the problem is keeping it off the glass without a daily workout?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

PfunMo said:


> Glad you mentioned the val and dips. I was thinking of moving some val out of a tank overrun with snails and would have been dipping them. Anybody have thoughts on val and peroxide dipping rather than a bleach dip?
> 
> Nice looking tank and I like the green on the rocks. I assume the problem is keeping it off the glass without a daily workout?


Thanks. I actually only have to clean the algae off the glass about once a week and it's usually just a quick swipe. My concern about it is more that it ends up coating the leaves of the plants. One of my questions is how to remove it from the leaves. I could do a bleach dip but worry that doing this regularly will harm the plants. Is simply wiping it off the recommended approach?

I'm curious too to know what alternatives there are for disinfecting vals. Based on the links below I'm guessing alum is the best bet but would like to hear other recommendations based on experience.

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/potassium-permanganate

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/eliminating-snails


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## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

Try adding some tropica tpn for micronutrients for the plants as well as the excel, if you choose to add vallis throw the excel away as it melts vallis and get tpn+ as it will need a bit of extra feeding. Anubis are quite prone to algae especally on older leaves, remove it by gently rubbing off with your thumb or remove the leaf entirely.
If you can try lifting the lights higher for less intensity.

Regards

Ollie


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Depending on your stocking list, you could also add fish/shrimp to eat the algae. It doesn't take care of the reason why you have algae, but it does keep it in check and under control.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I have a Siamese algae eater who does a wonderful job of clearing algae but it is hard to get across that I want it cleared totally in sections rather than the random streaks he makes. He goes across my glass and it looks like somebody has been in the tank running their fingers around! It just points out that there is algae on the glass!! :x

That's what you get when a guy works for room and board?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

I use otos, BNP, and nerite snails. They cut paths in the algae and then clear entire patchess 
I don't like SAE's cuz they stop eating algae when they get big and become aggressive lil (insert swear word here) :x


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*BelieveInBlue*
Siamese algae eaters never stop eating algae... You are thinking of chinese algae eaters.


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