how do you get rid of algae on plants

[Randy19615]

Hi everyone,
I am learning the hard way  about plants have done a lot of trial and error and boy have made a lot of errors. I have had fun with it all. I have a 40 gallon tank my lighting is 2 20watt Phillips plant and aquarium lights combined with 2 60 watt floresent energy efficient lights. I have a fluval 205 filtration I am running a C02 injection by Nutrafin. I am using Plant gro by Nutrafin once a week with my 10% water change.

I first started to get black algae on my leaves of the java fern and now I am getting a bright green algae on my gravel and rock. I am wondering what I can do to help reduce the algae? should I stop my c02 injection? I am getting good growth from my plants I would hate to see them suffer but I am having a hard time keeping up with the algae.....

Is there a product that I can add that will stunt the algae growth?
I would appreciate any help you guys can give

thanks in advance
Randy

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[dan2x38]

Does the green algae on the substrate come off easily and does it smell bad? The black algae on th eplant leaves is it little tufts? Don't stop the CO2. Why are you only changing 10% of the water?

[Randy19615]

the green algae does come off easily, its the black algae that is making me upset it is all over the plants. I have always done a 10% water change weekly. Would you suggest I do a 25% water change?

[dan2x38]

Does the green algae smell bad?

[Randy19615]

I don't think it smells bad... when I was re planting some of my plants that the fish up rooted  the roots were black and they had a bad odor....

[Randy19615]

I just looked at my tank again, and my Java fern on the drift wood it has a white coloured algae on it.... I was looking online and there is a product called Flourish Excel would this help me?

[Randy19615]

Yes the Black algae is little black tuffs on the leaves and on the edges of the other plants

[dan2x38]

OK the green algae is it slimy and smells like a swamp or very musty? The reason i ask because blue/green algae is actually a bacteria not algae. I am still not clear on the other algae on the plants. Do you have pictures?

Here is a link to aquarium algae: http://www.guitarfish.org/algae

[Randy19615]

I just took these pictures.... hope they help

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[dan2x38]

Take some time and read the link I posted. It gives you cures for the different algaes. When you have algae it is because of an imbalance. Read the link then post back...

[Fishnut]

2 other aspects that need to be explored are:

1. Lighting; how much natural daylight does the tank get (direct sunlight or room brightness) and what kind of bulbs do you have above the tank?  There are many types of florescent bulbs, each with their niche for use.  How long are the lights on for?

2. Test your water parameters (I'm mostly curious about the NO2 and NO3)

When you do a water change, do you vacuum the gravel?  If you do, do you ever get these bubbles that come up from the gravel that smell bad?

People have been debating on the different brands of aquarium products on this site for a long time, but sometimes using cheep products will not get you the results you're looking for.  I have no experience with Nutrafin water chemicals and fertilizers, but IMO the food they make is cheep.  Seachem seems to be the recommended brand to use in the fertilizer department.

Do some research on natural biotopes...not that Hagen gimmicky info...because it give you a good idea of how everything balances in nature.  That will help you in getting your plants flourishing in the tank.

[fischkopp]

Looking at your pictures I would say Dan was on the right track. The stuff in the first pic looks like blue-green algae (BGA) to me. Given that you keep a regular maintenance schedule (weekly 25% on a tank this size) it can be triggered by low nitrate levels and low flow. Since you are already adding CO2 the plants may deplete too fast, so you may want to up it a little. Now, that wont help you to get rid of BGA, and it can be quite though, but your first step on this way would be a blackout - just search this site.

The second picture doesnt look like algae to me. Algae grows more likely on the sunny side, not so much in the shade. Is it a fern? Could it be some kind of spores? I am not sure on this ...

[dan2x38]

Link to black-out: http://ovas.ca/index.php?page=6 But this will not kill BBA. The brown spots look like some type of nutrient deficiency. Potassium deficiency can cause pinholes in leaves? Unstable CO2 is usually a cause of BBA... BGA like Fischkopp said can be low nitrates (nitrogen)... These are macro nutrients so I'd look at what Fishnut said about the brand of fertilizer. Also your fertilizer dosing might have to be changed either way you need stable levels of CO2 as well. To supplement CO2 you can use Seachem Excel but if you have spiral vals or egeria it will melt them. Your lighting... they are T12 shop lights?

[Randy19615]

Hi guys Last Wed I drove to Big Al's in Kanata. I purchased Flourish Excel, Flourish Iron and Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium. I have gotten rid of the light greem algae that was on the gravel. The dark algae is amost im possible to scrape off the rocks and will not rub off the leaves of the plants.

I have increased the co2 to the tank with a second injector, My lighting is now 3 20watt GE plant and aquarium F20 lights I took out the energy efficient 27 watt lights. The good news is the most of the plants seem to be growing fast and the new leaves dont have the dark algae on them. I am however getting hair like algae on the older slower growing java fern. 

I am not sure if I am giving my aquarium to much light I have the lights on a timer and I give them light from 9am to 9pm. I have to say thank you for all the ideas and help you have given

Take care
Randy

[dan2x38]

I think you still have a CO2 and lighting issue. For the amount of time you have your lights on there is likely not enough CO2 or constant levels. Also those lights are OK for low tech set-ups but for good plant growth they do not have high enough Lumens. Also a good light spectrum if 6500k.

At lights out take a cup of water test the pH. Sit this cup of water aside then 24 hrs. later test the pH again. If the difference is less then ONE you do not have enough CO2 i.e. 1st reading pH=6.2 - 2nd reading 7.2 this would be 30ppm ideal for plant growth. I calculate the ppms by multiplying the points difference by 3 i.e. 1st reading pH 6.2 - 2nd reading pH 6.8 - 6 * 3 = 18ppm which is to low.

One main cause of hair algae is to high iron. There will be all kinds of imbalances without proper CO2 & lighting any nutrients added by fish or you will not be properly used by the plants.

I used DIY CO2 for a long time and it worked until I wanted to increase my lighting to get more colourful plants then I started getting BBA mostly caused by poor levels of CO2. So I reduced my lighting added a 3rd bottle on my DIY generator every 5 days a different bottle was swapped out for a new mixture. No one bottle was older then 15 days ever. It worked but it was a lot of work. I saved up and bought a pressurized system.

[Randy19615]

I will do the test tonight... and like you suggested in 24hrs on the same sample.. Last Thursday I added another 1L bottle to the injection system I have been changing up my CO2 mix weekly with my water change I hope adding the second bottle will help I seem to see a change in the plants behaviour... good change is a happy change thanks again for all the help

take care
Randy

[Randy19615]

I was looking at my plants today and I scraped some of the algae off one of the plants. The algae was hard  and difficult to remove...

I have attached a picture

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[dan2x38]

Log the changes to your mixture. When you add more yeast the CO2 produces faster but burns out faster, this is not bad if rotating bottles quickly. Do you rotate the bottles on alternate dates? I use to use 2 litre soda pop bottles. Every 5 days a bottle was swapped out for a new mixture 1 bottle's mixture 10 days. I mixed 2 cups sugar and 1 tsp. yeast. Use warm water with sugar to activate the yeast before adding it to the bottle. A pinch of baking soda will increase the production of CO2 yeast bacteria likes harder water.

Make sure the bottle is very clean same as the water yeast needs a clean environment or some of the bacteria will die reducing CO2 production. I am also guessing 2 x 1 litre bottles is not enough either. I was using 2 x 2 litre bottles swapping out every 7 days 1 mixture 14 days and was starting to get algae that was on a 38g. I'd add a 3rd bottle swapping every 5 days means 1 bottle's mixture is in for 15 days.

If you have no Egeria densa of Spiral vals (these will melt) get some Seachem Excel it is a carbon supplement. Can buy 500ml. local for $20 or order it from www.mops.ca for $35 for 2 litres... post for a group order shipping is free over $200... Good luck

[tiff]

the small circles on the back of the java fern leaves are spores..it's just one of the ways that the java ferns reproduce

[Randy19615]

Thank you for the information....
Randy