Got plants, still getting algae...

kreesdqban

kreesdqban

Miami Aquarist
Jan 30, 2009
293
0
16
Miami
I recently updated my lighting from a single 15w fluorescent fixture to two 50w cfl's on my 44 gal tank so that I could start with real plants. Right now I have 1 wideliv java fern, 3 sags, and 2 anubias nana and am still having problem with algae...

I'm thinking about adding CO2 but don't want to rush into it after hearing of planted tanks that have success not using it... I just started dosing with Flourish and will be buying KNO3 and KH2SO4 soon.

For the most part its green carpet algae with some brow algae on rocks and glass.
 
You need more then those "slow growers" to get rid of algae. You need fast growers---Stem plants are good ideas (Hygro, ect).
 
I actually never had algae until i started dosing with excel and i've used mostly "slow growers" in my tanks. i recently added hygros to my gourami tank and that cleared up the buildup of algae in my canister tubing, but the hair algae is getting out of control. I will be adding more CO2 to see if that does the trick and may get away from the excel for a while.
 
So what are more fast growers that are good with no CO2 and my lighting??
 
Water Wisteria, Ludwigia, Hygro, Water Sprite, ect.
 
with your light... almost anything.

you'll want to pack the tank full of plants and provide some shade for those slower growers before they become algae ridden. definitely dose everything you can, may need to or can't measure. ei helps and knowing your gh can help avoid some issues also.

the diatoms are probably unavoidable but should go away with time.

get yourself some floaters if you can. they'll help tune down that light and utilize co2 from the atmosphere so they won't be limited to what's in the tank. that should buy you some time while deciding what else to put in the tank. an amazon sword might be something to consider.

you may want to root feed those sags too.
 
I'll buy some NPK soon and start dosing but for now I'll probably look into getting some hygros or swords. I just ordered some christmas moss for really cheap also.

Flourish tabs are also under consideration.

Thanks!
 
How do I know if a plant is fast growing? Is moss??
 
no moss isn't. you want a stem plant. like mentioned up above HYGRO! stuff grows like crazy. remember that most algae issues are from lack of nutrients so you need to make sure you have enough of them all.

also... certain fish will eat that stuff up like crazy. brown algae (diatoms ) will be eaten by ottos, which are all around good algae eaters..

do you have any pics? green carpet algae sounds more like bga (blue green algae which isn't algae, its bacteria). if it's bga you might want to consider using maracyn
 
if it's bga (cyanobacteria) you might want to consider dosing nitrates first. then you can run the gambit doing blackouts, cleaning filters, gravel vac'ing, increasing circulation and last resort medicating with either direct excel doses, direct dosing h2o2 and finally hitting it with erythromycin. the antibiotics are a last resort though. it doesn't address the underlying issue, can kill off beneficial bacteria, is unnecessarily medicating your fish...

look up the root tab recipe by riiz in the sticky in the planted section. they're a lot better and cheaper than anything else i've tried.

www.aquariumfertilizer.com ... dry ferts work better and last longer.
 
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