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New tank algae problem

Hi @Cintain
Thank you for the first detailed post....that's very much appreciated!
You are very light with plant mass...
Employ the below Tutorial and also plant very fast-growing stems that are on the list!

Using stem plants as a filtering aid at Start Up!

The subject of using fast-growing stem plants as part of a filtering aid has cropped up a few times recently. This idea has been around for a long time so not new, it has benefits, especially for a new setup. 1. Improves water quality. 2. Reduces excess light. 3. Reduces diatoms. 4. Reduces...
www.ukaps.org www.ukaps.org
hoggie
 
GHNelson said:
Anubias.....looks planted in the substrate?
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Yeah... I realised my mistake later, when I re-read the description in another book (Sunken Gardens) and it said it's an epiphyte. I replanted the four Anubias nana mini, tucking them into the crevices between the rocks and the driftwood, and they seem really happy. I haven't tried to replant the Anubiad congensis, since it seems to be doing quite well where it is. it's put out new leaves, is growing, and always has a streamer of bubbles coming out of it when the lights are on.

Thank you for your reply, @GHNelson! Looking at the guide to using stem plants you referenced, I have three of the species you list, and two of them are growing quite well: Hygrophila difformis, Limnophila sessiflora, and Ludwigia (although this one is granulosa, don't know if that matters). The Rotala rotundifolia I planted two weeks in, and although its top leaves have turned pink/reddish, I haven't seen much growth yet...

I was thinking of getting some Salvinia auriculata and I just saw Ceratophyllum demersum at the shop today... would these work as well? I've been wary of them because I've read they can get out of control...

@John q Thank you for the clarification! CO2 and lights have been adjusted. Doing the lights at 65% for 6 hours with no ramp up or down.

@_Maq_ I also have a few plants that are listed as fast growers (see above), and like I said they seem to be growing the most... should I get more, you think?

@Andy Pierce Thank you for the heads up regarding the Cryptos! They seem to have a few new leaves, and as @palcente said, they look completely different from the original foliage. Should I still trim them back, meaning the old foliage, you think?


Wow! Thanks for all the advice, you guys! I love how responsive and knowledgeable this community is! OK, try to relax, Cintain... 😅
 
Hi @Cintain
Ceratophyllum demersum....would be a good surface/floating plant!
Take a few cuttings of the Hygrophila difformis, Limnophila sessiflora, and Ludwigia and leave them on the surface!
Doing that with reducing the lighting will help to stabilise the aquarium.
Salvinia....can get out of hand....they are a good indicator of low Nitrate or if something is not quite correct regarding an imbalance.
 
@GHNelson when you say stabilise... do you mean the algae will be scaled back? I trimmed the Limnophila and Ludwigia, but not the Hygrophila, as it's growing much more slowly

OK, so I started testing the water. For reference, I am using JBL Pro Aquatest liquid reagent test kit.
Initial test conducted after 6 hours of CO2 injection and 6 hours of light @ 65%:
pH: 7
KH: 7
NH4: less than 0.05 ppm
NO2: 0,025 ppm
NO3: 1 ppm

The next day I tested before the CO2 went on, and was surprised to find:

pH: 7.5
KH: 7

So quite an increase of pH overnight! Not quite a full point, but it is what it is.

Today I did a water change of about 35%, and the values came back as:

pH: 7
KH: 5

I am a bit perplexed... does this mean that something in the aquarium is adding carbonates to the water? If so what could this be?

I will test again after the CO2 goes off again tonight.

I am thinking I might need to test for phosphates as well, to see if there is an imbalance between these and the nitrates. Also, are my nitrite/nitrate values reasonable, given the tank has been running for three weeks and I've performed four 35%-50% water changes in the interim?

The fish are having a lot of fun, tho. the Ambastaia sidthimunki (one of my eternal favourites in this hobby, ever) seem to enjoy swimming together with the Otocinclus, so sometimes I have 21 fish schooling together all over the place (I might post a video of this in the Fish channel, it's just insufferably cute)...

As always, any help and advice greatly appreciated! Hope your tanks are healthy and your fish happy!

~C
 
GHNelson said:
Hi @Cintain
Ceratophyllum demersum....would be a good surface/floating plant!
Take a few cuttings of the Hygrophila difformis, Limnophila sessiflora, and Ludwigia and leave them on the surface!
Doing that with reducing the lighting will help to stabilise the aquarium.
Salvinia....can get out of hand....they are a good indicator of low Nitrate or if something is not quite correct regarding an imbalance.
Click to expand...
Hi, @GHNelson, so just a question... how long would you say to leave the floating cuttings for? The Limnophila and Ludwigia are growing like crazy and I've already trimmed them back twice since this message.

After 2-3 more water changes I am happy to report that the algae growth seems to have scaled back considerably... Of course, plant mass has almost doubled, and I'm running out of places to put more stands of these two plants.

My main problem now is cosmetic... the Microsorum and Anubias have both lots of leaves that are covered in algae. Should I trim all of that, or just leave it? Most of the leaves of the Java fern that have algae also have rootlets sprouting from their tips... can these be used to propagate them?

As always, any help/advice/pointers greatly appreciated, guys!

~C
 
Cintain said:
Hi, @GHNelson, so just a question... how long would you say to leave the floating cuttings for? The Limnophila and Ludwigia are growing like crazy and I've already trimmed them back twice since this message.

After 2-3 more water changes I am happy to report that the algae growth seems to have scaled back considerably... Of course, plant mass has almost doubled, and I'm running out of places to put more stands of these two plants.

My main problem now is cosmetic... the Microsorum and Anubias have both lots of leaves that are covered in algae. Should I trim all of that, or just leave it? Most of the leaves of the Java fern that have algae also have rootlets sprouting from their tips... can these be used to propagate them?

As always, any help/advice/pointers greatly appreciated, guys!

~C
Click to expand...
First, are the algae covered leaves healthy? Is it too much to manually remove? If it is a yes to either of those questions your best chance is to cut them unless you can manually remove 90% from a healthy leaf or spot dose with H2O2 or Gluteraldehyde until you can manually remove the rest. With increasing plant mass you will likely see it subside. My typical bar is "Is the algae growing, staying steady, or decreasing?" If it is staying steady or decreasing and the leaves appear healthy, I try to save it if possible.
 
Hi all,
Cintain said:
Most of the leaves of the Java fern that have algae also have rootlets sprouting from their tips... can these be used to propagate them?
Click to expand...
Yes <"Java Fern Help">.
Cintain said:
The Limnophila and Ludwigia are growing like crazy and I've already trimmed them back twice since this message.
Click to expand...
You can plant them.
Cintain said:
Of course, plant mass has almost doubled, and I'm running out of places to put more stands of these two plants.
Click to expand...
Good, that sounds really promising.
DeadFish said:
With increasing plant mass you will likely see it subside. My typical bar is "Is the algae growing, staying steady, or decreasing?" If it is staying steady or decreasing and the leaves appear healthy, I try to save it if possible.
Click to expand...
Good advice I think.

cheers Darrel
 
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