ask91888

Hey,

I've looked all over, and I can't figure out what this weird black stuff growing on my plants is. It seems to grow on the older leaves, making them whither and die...I have two otto cats, but they won't eat it, so it may not be algae...Does anyone know what this is, and how I could get rid of it? I don't want to use any algae killers, cause then my ottos would starve...

thanks,
Andrew

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Awsome22

Is it possible that the plants are dying from somthing else and this is a resualt of that:>?

Butterfly

Does it wipe off ? Do you recognize it from any of these pics?
http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=9
Carol

ask91888

I think that I may have two different types of algae...on some leaves, it comes off easily when rubbed, but on others, it refuses to budge. Some of it may be the plain brown algae, but I am afraid that the other stuff is brush algae.

I have pulled off the leaves that are really covered by the brush algae, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't gone for good. Any ideas how to get rid of it, other than pulling off leaves?

Butterfly

Algae grows from excess nutrients and light.
Keep your Nitrates down below 20 and watch any direct sunlight or strong light.
Sometimes overdosing (won't hurt your fish) flourish excel plant fertilizer will get rid of it. it provides what your plants need to grow thus starving the algae out.
Carol

KLA6373

I seem to have the same problem. Does the stuff feel hard, can you scrape it off with a fingernail? That is the only way I can get mine off. You are lucky its just on a few plants, I have it all over in my tank. Nothing I have tried has been able to fix the problem. I have even been in touch with several companies like Seachem to see if they can help me. The local water authorities have no idea why the water is reacting the way it is. I can scrape my tank down, and in a week it is back. I am considering taking the tank down, I just dont have time to scale the tank every week to keep it looking nice. Not to mention the plants cant take that either.

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ask91888

Yea, mine feels just like that, and looks like it too, and now it has officially taken over the tank. I have just given up, except when it comes to scraping the sides. The worst part is, I have no clue how it got in there. It might have come in when I added new plants, or it may have come from my water...

If you find anything that will get rid of it, please let me know, because I really don't want to take this tank down either!

KLA6373

Hate to tell you this, but you have very very very hard water. I had mine tested, and it was so far off the chart, they didnt recommend even putting ciclids in it!! I didnt believe it at first, but I have talked to the local water department, Seachem Labs, and the county extention office and they all agree, that even though it might not behave like 'hard water scale" it is for sure what it is. I have been told to use RO water, water softner pillow, or softened water. If I dont, it will just get worse the more water changes I do. Seems that the evaporation concentrates the minerals in the tank, and as I add more water I add more minerals. Over time the levels of minerals get more and more concentrated. I have stripped my tank again, removed the substrate, and am going to begin doing water changes with the softened water. I didnt want to use RO water becuase of all the other "additives" you have to use to make sure the fish have the stuff they need so to speak.

I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, I hope I can make it there before the bulb burns out! Good luck to you.