Algae on plants

[Lukes]

Hey all, I have a tank which I have posted before but I am getting this slight algae on most of my plants, ludwigia, anubias's and hygrophila I rarely get algae on the glass but I do scrub it every Friday night when water changing. I do a big water change of around 70% every Friday or failing that defiantly Saturday!

Lights are on for 8 hours
Co2 for 8 and a half, 2 hours before lights and 1:30 before they go off

I dose tropica premium 3 pumps a day which is 21 pumps a week (recommended for my tank size is 13 pumps) I do use the specialised tropica 3 pumps also but only every few days and the days I dose this I do not dose the other premium so it's still 21 pumps a week just maybe 4 days premium and 3 days specialised

Best angle I could get to show the algae off

Drop checker is as far away from the co2 diffuser as possible, co2 diffuser is back right the drop checker is front bottom left

Anyone know what I'm doing to get this algae, under dose / overdose of anything particular

Thanks for the help as always

 

[bridgey_c]

Here is my 'amateur' opinion.

I get this with my siamensis too. When the plant chooses to grow extra leaves from the lower nodes it 'gives up' on the older leaves. Instead of having 2 older leaves at the node it grows 3,4 or 5 new ones. Its energy goes into the new leaves and I think you will see it is just the old leaves that are being left behind and now suspectible to algae. I would just nip the old leaves.

I could be completely wrong though and maybe there is no need to sacrifice the old leaves.

 

[Mick.Dk]

I think your plants just need more of the correct fertilisation - Hyg. siamensis in particular.
Your tank look like being high in amount of plants and low in amount of fish (which I should compliment you fore!!). Therefore I would recommend you use primarily (or maybe only) the Tropica specialised. This product is developed for your type of aquarium, containing the macro-nutrients (N,P and K) that could otherwise be present from high amount of fish and fish-food.
The Tropica premium is developed for aquarium low in amount of plants and high in amount of fish. It does therefore not supply the macro-nutrients, since these will generally be provided in plenty from fish and fish-food.
In short/conclusion: your plants need more macro-nutrients............
The dosage, you must find by starting a little low and then increase little by little over time, untill colour and growth are right. You can safely use several times the recommended dosage on bottle, since this is quite conservative estimation. Doing such large waterchanges weekly will ensure you never over-dose........but you also re-move lots of nutrients every week, making itca bit expensive........30 - 50 % should be enough.

 

[Lukes]

Thanks for both replies, I wasn't sure if I was over dosing or under or lacking a particular, I will start to fully use the specialised at 3 pumps a day and see how this goes then up to 5 and see how that goes, I indeed have many critters in the tank, some shrimp, and 3 kuhli loaches, 3 pearl gourami 2 female and 1 male and some endler guppies I would say they get on perfect together! I wouldn't like to live in a crowded house therefore why should the fish! Unless they love a big school haha

 

[bridgey_c]

Hi Mick,

Is H. siamensis a particularly hungry plant? I don't get this sort of growth and shedding of leaves on my siamensis in my low tech tanks, just my high tech ones that are EI dosed. Any hints on which nutrients in particular it might be a deficiency of?

Having just re read my post I meant 'susceptible' not 'suspectible', hahaha, that's funny

 

[Lukes]

I know a few months ago I had several of these plants all kept dying due to potassium, they seem to need a lot of potassium so I do drop a little extra around 3ml of seachem potassium a day after a water change and that seems to have sorted with the regular tropica dosing

 

[David Shanahan]

It's been a while since I saw one of the JBL diffusers. Nice looking plants.

 

[Lukes]

It's been a while since I saw one of the JBL diffusers. Nice looking plants.

Yeah I find it reliable, dislike the tiny bubbles in the water from the atomisers/ ceramic diffusers,

I also find the spiral bubbles going up the JBL diffuser interesting some may say it's an eyesore

 

[Mick.Dk]

Hi Mick,

Is H. siamensis a particularly hungry plant? I don't get this sort of growth and shedding of leaves on my siamensis in my low tech tanks, just my high tech ones that are EI dosed. Any hints on which nutrients in particular it might be a deficiency of?

Having just re read my post I meant 'susceptible' not 'suspectible', hahaha, that's funny

Yes, it's a hungry plant. I think we tend to forget that not only does it grow quite fast, but the many new branches produce leaves quite large in size too. This is a costly affair, so if in need the plant will transfer mobile nutrients from oldest leaves to new growth.
In High Tech, the plant will ofcourse grow faster - needing even more nutrients.........

 

[David Shanahan]

Yeah I find it reliable, dislike the tiny bubbles in the water from the atomisers/ ceramic diffusers,

I also find the spiral bubbles going up the JBL diffuser interesting some may say it's an eyesore

I had one when I first started out. I used to stare at the bubbles going around and around for ages sometimes. Precious memories