Algae ID?

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Darkblade48

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Nov 24, 2004
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I recently discovered some massive algae on my Hygrophilia as well as my Java Fern.

Below are some pictures:


algae.jpg

One pruned leaf of Java Fern covered in this stuff

algae2.jpg

H. polysperma leaves covered by this

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could provide a good ID on this algae, as I'm not sure what it is myself, and if anyone has any proactive solutions, that'd be great to know as well
 
Here's an update with some more pictures as well

algae3.jpg


algae5.jpg


I was thinking diatoms, but this does not seem to be the case, as I never knew that diatoms could be this invasive. Also, if it were diatoms, why would my floating Hydrocotyle leucocephalia show signs of this?
 
qtaquaman said:
dont see any algae, but I do see dying plant leaves. No algae.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that this isn't algae, but is perfectly normal plant leaf death?

I'm kinda new to this plant thing as you can see, and I'm still pretty clueless :confused:
 
Can you remove it from the leaves? Diatoms should come off very easily, some other types of algae are tough to remove without damaging the leaves, but if it is in fact algae, you'll be able to remove it and see the leaf beneath. If the leaves are dying, they'll just fall apart and be a uniform colour all the way through.

It's hard to tell exactly what it is, pictures never do justice to the real thing.
Are there any algae eaters or snails in the tank? If not, and it is algae, adding some critters might really help the situation. If the leaves are dying, there's a reason for it - once you find out what's going wrong, the problem can be fixed.

Can you post your lighting type/level/photoperiod, CO2, pH, KH, ferts etc.? The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for someone to pinpoint what's going wrong.
 
I was thinking it was algae actually, and not dying leaves, due to the fact that I *can* rub some of the stuff off the leaves. Also, the brownish/black stuff seems to grow on new leaves as well, so I was also thinking algae.

There are some MTS in the tank, as I often see them come out during the night.

This is a 90g tank.
Lighting: 4 * 4 foot long T8's
Photoperiod: 11 hours/day
CO2: None as of now, thinking of using DIY CO2
pH: 6.5 - 7.0
kH: 4
ferts: PMDD (1 tsp traces, 1 tsp KNO3, 1 tsp K2SO4, 1 tsp MgSO4, all mixed in 167 mL of water)

Plants include: Java Fern, C. balansae, Ludwidgia repens, as well as H. polysperma.
 
If your pH gets is 6.5 - 7.0, with a KH of 4, your CO2 level varies between 12-38ppm. If you're fertilizing the plants, supplying enough CO2, and the tank is heated, I think the only other major contributing factor to growth is the amount of light. 160W of T12 over a 90 isn't very much light (~1.7WPG), it's possible that increasing the light would give the plants what they need to boost growth and outcompete the algae.
Is it feasable to put another 4ft fixture over the tank? If the lights aren't under a hood (or if the hood has space left inside) you could use a dual-bulb shoplight fixture from a home improvement store and add to your current lighting very inexpensively.

It also wouldn't hurt to look into some algae eaters - otos, bristlenose plecos and rubber lip plecos are great in planted tanks. They clean each leaf thoroughly without hurting the plants, and otos in particular really go for brown algae.
 
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From the picture it looks like plain old 'glass algae'. Diatoms are brown. Otos will eat both, but you have a slight imbalance that you need to correct.
Can you post a picture of the overall tank so we can see the plant density? My guess is that you are over fertilizing for the mass you've got in the tank but it's impossible to tell without seeing it.
CO2 would help a lot, although you're going to need 2 or 3 - 2ltr. bottles to supply your tank with a nice quantity of carbon. Pressurized would be a much better option for you. With your lighting neither is absolutely necessary. Just helpful.
Show us an over-all shot.

Len
 
Here's a picture

aquarium.jpg


And the link for those that might not be able to see it

Aquarium

Note the bad looking Myriophyllum and also the strange growth on the Rasbora next to the heater (I have no clue what it is, it doesn't look like fungus, but it might be)

Blinky, I have a box type hood that I DIY'ed and I don't think I could squeeze in any more lights, that's the problem
 
the Red algae looks like Red Beard algae. A book of mine mentions it. All I remember is it saying "Remove the leaves as soon as an outbreak occurs"
If it is Red Beard, no Algae eaters are supposed to eat it but I am sure there are many examples of AE's eating it out there.
 
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