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October 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Is this algae?
Hi,
Title says all, if it is what's the best way to get rid of it? (reduce photoperiod? less dosing? more co2?)
If not, is it potassium deficiency? or?? please help!
thank you
Last edited by eiginh; October 6th, 2009 at 11:32 PM.
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Looks like the same stuff I have on my swords! I have not been able to determine exactly what type of algae it is but at least in my case it is very slow growing. The advice given to me over at plantedtank was remove as many affected leaves as you can and spot treat with Flourish Excel as needed for spots you just cant remove. To spot treat with excel...turn off your filter. Then use a medicine dropper or syringe to squirt the excel onto the affect area. Let sit for a minute or two so it has good contact time before restarting your filter. This method hasnt eliminated it but it has reduced it greatly for me.
Another way to spot treat plants is with hydrogen peroxide- OUTSIDE the tank!
Let me know if you learn anything else....this stuff is stubborn!
PS= I dose Excel as well as Potassium so it really shouldnt be a deficiency in Co2 or Potassium. Possibly KNO3. Where do you keep your nitrates?
Last edited by Nate McFin; October 7th, 2009 at 09:20 AM.
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Nitrates are usually around 20ppm.
I dose 1/8 KNO3, 1/32 K2SO4, 1/32 CSM+B Plantex, 1/32 KH2PO4. Measurement relating to teaspoon.
Cool mine is slow growing as well, at first I thought it was just debris in the tank floating around and covering it but then I realized it was only happening on one hygro plant. I also got light brown algae covering the Christmas moss (hence it isn't as crisp looking as most pictures of Christmas moss) Thanks for the tip and if I find more info of getting rid of it, I will gladly post it!
Last edited by eiginh; October 7th, 2009 at 11:20 AM.
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| Hi guys, mine too, tho I had increased direct sun this past summer before I caught it, but I prune some of the more affected ones. My nitrates about 18 or so.
Do your ottos eat it, mine are fat, so maybe they're ingesting it?
Dave | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I dont have Otos but snails seem to avoid it and go for the dust algae on the glass. My nitrates are also around 15-20. Mine really only seems to affect the swords. No crypts,no wisteria, no rotala, moss is fine, glass and substrate are unaffected as well. I have increased my excel a little to see if that helps until I hook up the pressurized Co2 system I am working on. I will try to get some picks up soon. Maybe Mathas or others might shed some light.
Out of curiousity how much light and how long are you guys running? Mine is 2.4 watts per gallon for 8 hrs.
Last edited by Nate McFin; October 7th, 2009 at 11:49 PM.
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I don't have oto's but considering of getting one
Mine is 3.6w for 11 hours with a 2 hour break so about 9 hours. I noticed it only happens on broader leafs in my tank it just started affecting the crypt leaves.
Pressurized system? NICE!!! How much is it costing you? | |
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| My 30long: low 1.3 WPG for 11hrs, 2ml excel daily {this is recent,poss unnecessary,so maybe discontinued}
10g: playing with light bringing up to 4.6 wpg 11hrs, DIY CO2 (passive diy diffuser), 1ml flourish daily.
Last edited by djbrist; October 8th, 2009 at 08:33 AM.
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| The pressurized system is actually going on a used 55 I picked up from Craigslist. The plant at this point is a Catalina light set up 4x54 Watts. Great light for the price from what I have read.
The pressurized system will run me around $200 the way I have done it. Including the Co2 tank. I picked up a Sumo regulator from plantedtank swap and shop for $100 it came with needle valve, bubble counter and solenoid. For a diffuser I am going to use a Hagen mini in tank filter pump. ($10 from Petco) I will buy a used Co2 tank from the local welding shop for $50. I am still looking at drop checkers. I may or may not end up using a pH controller. I have read pros and cons.
I cant wait to get ths thing set up. It has been awhile getting everything together and I still have to make a substrate decision as well as pick up the canister filter and inline heater. (Rena Xp3) My wife put me on a budget for fish stuff so I add to it each month.
LOL
Dave I really like the Excel myself. I noticed a big difference in the health of the plants once I started using it regularly. | |
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| It looks like it could be brush algae, i would turn your lights off for a couple hours during the day to give the tank a siesta, if possible, this will be fine for your plants and fish but it will break the algae's daily cycle. Plants are quicker to start the photosynthesizing when lights are on, algae takes a while to start.
Also siamese flying foxes are reported to eat brush algae, but mine haven't yet and i don't have any other type of algae in the tank with them. (as long as you get true siamese flying foxes)
Anna | |
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October 9th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I do turn it off for 2 hours from 1-3 pm.  Yes I will get an SAE. I also have brown algae growing all over the plants how do I get rid of that as well?
Thanks and much appreciated! 
PS how are the loaches doing? | |
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October 9th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by eiginh  I do turn it off for 2 hours from 1-3 pm. Yes I will get an SAE. I also have brown algae growing all over the plants how do I get rid of that as well?
Thanks and much appreciated!
PS how are the loaches doing? | I would guess the SAE's would eat that as well although i'm not sure what it is.
The clowns are fine, about to get 3 new friends this weekend that have been in quarantine for a week. Will try and get some pictures of them making friends, although you probably won't recognize yours now, i can't tell them apart!
Anna | |
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October 9th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| SAE = Siamese Flying Fox. The true one. I heard the fake ones have pokey dots instead of a straight black line. I'm acclimating him as I type http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/
Cool! I'm sure they'll like more buddies
Last edited by eiginh; October 10th, 2009 at 12:03 AM.
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October 9th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| My MM Platies eat algae off my plants. | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Looks like the third and fourth pic under brush algae http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=9
Otos do better in groups so consider that if you buy any. There are pics at the bottom showing how you can tell real flying foxes when you see one
Carol
Last edited by Butterfly; October 11th, 2009 at 01:47 PM.
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| That's what I have! woot! flying fox. I wonder why they call them that though. He hasn't started eating the algae yet hopefully he'll get hungry soon or she. It's hard to sex fish  | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| NICE!!! Thanks Butterfly! I hadnt seen any pictures that actually looked like this stuff until now. Now....to try to eradicate. I am going to bump up my nitrate dose after watcher change a little to try to keep the plants happy. I have already removed the most affected sword and I am currently soaking it in an excel and water bath to see if I can save it. I am going to use it to plant in the back of my filter to see if I can take it from submersed growth back to emersed instead the usual way. Hopefully I can get it to flower in the end.
Thanks for posting this thread as well....I learned a ton from it as I spent hours researching. lol | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Nate, instead of saving it you can clip it off and it'll grow a new one. | |
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