Algae on plants

[aqua-man]

I love having plants in my 20g aquarium. I have 6 (3small and 3 tall). My problem is that i get algae on my the leaves and it stops the growth and sometimes kills the plants....any suggestions??? I leave my light on 10 hours a day, 15W, 18000K. Also does the light bulb need to be changed periodically?

 

[djlen]

Please describe the algae. At less than one wpg it's not all that easy to get algae on the plants. How recently has the tank been set up? If the algae you're experiencing is soft and brown, it's probably diatoms. Very common in new set ups.
Also, I question your tube's kelvin rating. But yes, and NO (normal output) fluorescent needs changing approx. once a year. They tend to lessen in output over that amount of time. It does make a big difference. For more options, I suggest that you consider upping your wattage to 1.5 - 2.0 wpg.

Len

 

[bongkoy]

I love having plants in my 20g aquarium. I have 6 (3small and 3 tall). My problem is that i get algae on my the leaves and it stops the growth and sometimes kills the plants....any suggestions??? I leave my light on 10 hours a day, 15W, 18000K. Also does the light bulb need to be changed periodically?

My plants particularly my Java Moss was attacked by hair algae and it was very unsighty to look at. I followed an advice of creating a "siesta" , 3-4 hours of light from 9am-1pm then darkness for 2-3 hours and lights again from 5pm-9pm. A timer will do this job. I decrease the overall lighting period from 12hours to 8, refrain on using fertilizer, controlled feeding , and increased water flow. The hair algae started to die back after 2-3 weeks.

I hope this helps.

 

[icecubez189]

15w for a 20G is pretty low, do you know the species of the plants you have? it may not just be algae killing the plants. they also need liquid plants supplement.

 

[hughitt1]

How often / how much are your water changes? Is the tank near a window or door that would allow sunlight to reach it?