# What is this?



## bhavik (27 Jul 2020)

I have this brownish stuff on my plants I have to keep pulling it off recently
Never had it before 
Tanks setup for years

i also have bba any possible treatments?


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## bhavik (28 Jul 2020)

Any help?


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## Siege (28 Jul 2020)

Hi, you need to provide a bit more info.

See link below for info required 👍 -  

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/please-read-the-guidelines-for-algae-help.60672/


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## REDSTEVEO (28 Jul 2020)

There are obviously some serious issues with the parameters of your water. Those plants are beyond recovery and should be uprooted and thrown in the bin. There are no treatments that will fix those problems without addressing the issues with your water.

Looks like you have got Severums or Geophagus, some big cichlids in there which are very messy.

But if you are asking for help, I'm afraid nobody on here is going to give you a 'Silver Bullet' solution to those issues without you providing a lot more detailed information, for example:-

1. Tank size and volume
2. Volume of water changed each week
3. Filtration capacity
4. Fish stocking levels
5. Using CO2 or not
6. Using fertiliser or not
7. Lighting period
8. All water parameters measured NO2, NO3, Ammonia, GH, KH, TDS, Microsiemens,
9. Tap water or HMA/RO water for water changes.

In order for people to help or provide advice they need information and your original post tells us nothing.

So unless you are prepared to do a lot of work in helping, no one else is able to help.

My advice, rip out all those plants and bin them. Start doing daily 30 to 40 % water changes. Clean everything and forget about keeping a planted tank with Severums.

Your call.


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## sparkyweasel (28 Jul 2020)

bhavik said:


> Never had it before
> Tanks setup for years


Also please tell us if you have changed anything recently. But I suspect things have been gradually deteriorating, culminating in the outbreak of algae.
Are those Jewel Cichlids in the pic? How many, and how big? Any other fish? What's your feeding regime?


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## REDSTEVEO (28 Jul 2020)

bhavik said:


> Any help?


Hello?


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## Melll (28 Jul 2020)

I believe Bhavik has Discus, Jewel cichlids, maybe a Severum in the tank.   

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-aquascaping-first-time.61669/


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## REDSTEVEO (29 Jul 2020)

bhavik said:


> Any help?


Hello?


Melll said:


> I believe Bhavik has Discus, Jewel cichlids, maybe a Severum in the tank.
> 
> https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-aquascaping-first-time.61669/



Hi Mell,

It would appear that you are correct. A combination of factors that all contribute to the current problems.

@bhavik looking at the pictures I can see the fish you have got in that tank, see photograph attached. What I can also see are the remnants of beef heart lying around uneaten. Yet despite the uneaten food, one of your Discus is looking totally emaciated, thin, narrow pinched forehead, and looks very unhealthy.

I would be surprised if that fish is still alive, if it is, it will not survive in the condition it is in,  and sadly neither will your plants.

I believe you might want to have a complete re-think on your priorities, either keeping Discus and cichlids, or plants, but clearly you do not have the experience to keep both.

I would suggest you go down the bare bottomed tank approach, much easier to keep clean and maintain.

Best of luck.


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## bhavik (4 Aug 2020)

hi thanks for the replies

1. Tank size and volume - 250L tank
2. Volume of water changed each week - 2 weekly water changes 40-50%
3. Filtration capacity - fluvial 306 + sponge filter 
4. Fish stocking levels - currently have 7 discus in the tank all small ones right now, the thin one has been moved to QT and being medicated a while back
5. Using CO2 or not - No co2 being used
6. Using fertiliser or not - only adding root tabs 
7. Lighting period - runs from 2-10 pm
8. All water parameters measured NO2, NO3, Ammonia, GH, KH, TDS, Microsiemens, - don't have info on this atm 
9. Tap water or HMA/RO water for water changes. - using tap water

I have kept jewels and discus for quite a while and had no problems only recently have I started to notice this outbreak of whatever it is 
as for the food I had taken the picture during feeding time hence it seems like a left over of food


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## bhavik (13 Aug 2020)

Hi any help please?


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## Melll (13 Aug 2020)

Hi there bhavik,

Are the cichlids, loaches etc all moved out now? 

Have you managed to do a water test ?


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## bhavik (15 Aug 2020)

Yes they have been moved

Yes I went to the pet shop and got it tested they told me all the water parameters are in normal limits but didn’t give me any numbers


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## Melll (15 Aug 2020)

Hi Bhavik,

Have you given @REDSTEVEO  idea any thought?  A planted tank or bare bottomed?  Have you removed all the plants?  Have you done the daily partial water changes as advised above?

You are not very forthcoming in providing information about the tank, etc, saying you have had the water tested but don`t have any figures is not helpful to you.

You may want to look into improving your filtration though, a Fluval 306 with all those fish is not enough.


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## bhavik (15 Aug 2020)

Hi I want a planted tank hence I have kept the plants in just removed the leaves that don’t look good. 
I have removed the plants that are pretty much dead.
Yes I have been doing the daily water changes

i did ask but they didn’t give me any values

I’m only asking as this hasn’t been a problem before it’s only started recently however nothing has changed in the tank

i’ll have a look into the filter but now there is only the 7 discus in the tank left


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## lilirose (15 Aug 2020)

Hi Bhavik, 

If you want a planted tank or to keep healthy discus, you need to know exactly what your water parameters are. You need to purchase a full water testing kit- not test strips, but a kit with liquid reagents. I'm surprised that anyone would try to keep discus without knowing their nitrogen parameters at all.


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## sparkyweasel (15 Aug 2020)

bhavik said:


> i did ask but they didn’t give me any values


Not very useful. Did they know what you wanted tested or why? When they said 'within normal parameters' were they thinking of a normal community tank?
I think you should get some test kits so you can test your water yourself. Ideally you want to know the parameters used by the breeder your Discus came from, people use a lot of different approaches to keeping Discus. A good starting point is to match the conditions they were raised in, at least to start with.
You also need to monitor the water quality.
Discus really need good filtration.

Putting a lot more plants in, especially fast-growing ones and floating plants should help with your algae problem, and might help your Discus too.


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## Melll (16 Aug 2020)

Hi bhavik,

I have gone back through your threads here over the last 3 years and it seems that you have always had problems with plant growth or lack thereof in this tank and the 200 litre tank you had previously.  It has occured to me that your tank/s have always been hugely overstocked with high bioload fish, a large pleco appears in some photos for example, Severums, Jewel cichlids, Discus also lack of good filtration on these tanks, Fluval 206 on the 200 litre and a Fluval 306 now on the 240 litre.  

Maybe you should not think about having a high tech planted tank with the Discus, go low tech, low lighting, use just epiphytes and some driftwood, increase the filtration by adding another canister filter.  Concentrate on having a healthy tank with healthy fish within it.  

For a planted tank, why not use a smaller tank, 10 - 100 litres, high tech, Co2 injection, good lights suitable for the job and a very light stocking of low bioload fish or even shrimp.

Following the advice of the very experienced people on here would be a good thing to do.  For example you were advised with your spray bar to have it about 2.5cm/1 inch below the water surface to create water movement to help with gas exchange and yet in some photos the bar was positioned about halfway down the height of the tank. 

In my opinion you need to choose which route you wish to go down, follow advice from those who have already made mistakes and have learnt from them, get yourself a good water test kit, get more filtration, be patient in your endeavours.  

I am no expert, I have had and got planted tanks, low tech.  I will be picking the brains of anyone and everyone when it comes to doing high tech Scaped tanks and I will be following their advice which is freely given out of the goodness of their hearts.  I personally would not ask for help/advise then ignore it and then come back time and time again asking for the same advice. 

Sorry if this sounds harsh to you but this is my advice to you.


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## hypnogogia (16 Aug 2020)

lilirose said:


> I'm surprised that anyone would try to keep discus without knowing their nitrogen parameters at all.


I’m equally surprised that someone keeping discus is using tap water and provides no indication of using water conditioner, RO or HMA.  Interesting g that there now appears to be one discus less.  I think @REDSTEVEO hit the nail on the head.


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## sparkyweasel (16 Aug 2020)

Melll said:


> Sorry if this sounds harsh to you but this is my advice to you.


Somebody needed to say it.


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## REDSTEVEO (17 Aug 2020)

@bhavik are you listening to the advice being given at all. I just had another look at one of you photographs. You really do have a strange collection of fish in one tank, and some of those really don't belong in a tank with Discus at all.

So your problem really is not with algae on your plants, but in fishkeeping in general. You have one Discus which is a 'dead fish swimming' I'd be surprised if it is still alive since your original post.

Then you have some monsters in there that shouldnt be there at all. The least of your worries at the moment is definitely not your plants, but the welfare of the fish you are trying to keep.

I'd give it up as a bad job, unless you are willing to do as @Melll and others say, follow the advice. Oh and dont buy any more plants


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