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Looking worse for wear

C

Christor

Member
Joined
8 Dec 2011
Messages
105
I have had my tank set up now for one week, and the plants are growing, as I can see from their roots(mostly cuttings) but now the leaves seem to have a brown scum growing on top of a few, isnt very noticeable but wasnt there when planted, odd leaf going brown at the tips

as a new planted tank keeper, and fish keeper in general was wondering what possibly causes could be? just the plants melting a bit? or something more serious? I am using a 1000lph filter so water movement isnt an issue but maybe the use of soil and its leaching could be? though it was left for a few days before to evaporate SOME of the ammonias, readings have been around 0.75
 
what size tank are you using?
how heavily planted?
stocked with fish if so what/how many?
do you have a clean up crew in there to keep stuff clean?
 
Its a rio 125,
Very heavily planted(can check my journal)
No fish
No cleanup crew

the tanks ammonia is still damn high, so may do a water change, otherwise not sure what to do, thanks for the reply
 
lots of regular water changes, wipe the leafs on water change until it stabalises and you can stick some clean up crew in there then just gotta wait for it to settle down
 
Cheers man, is it an alage or what? or just from them being new? also should i start trimming leaves that are browning off or looking bad? or is it just putting the plant through needless damage
 
think its just a build up of dust and debris from the substrate I have it in my little tank too especially after disturbing the substrate. I tend to vacum the plant leafs as i'm siphoning out the water for the change and it goes away again until I decide to disturb the substrate again
 
ah cheers, does look like it to be fair and ive leaves etc about need collected too, so on the agenda to do!
 
Hey, I thought at 2 wpg it would be ok, but it could be an issue alright I shall ask him :) thanks
 
Hi Christor

Brown algae in the initial stages of a planted tank's life is very common. I get it myself sometimes, especially with an immature filter.
Click to expand...

I agree, maybe the sediment has also settled on the plant leaves as well. Perhaps a water change would be a good idea anyway, it couldn't hurt, use it to rid the tank of any sediment on the plants etc.

As for lighting, I experimented with 2 x 24watt HO T5 bulbs over a 13 gallon tank for about 2 months (high light can reduce the CO2 compensation point), and the results were surprisingly good but algae started to creep in from the edges so I reduced the output to one, which is working very well.

However, from now on I will be using a t8 luminaire with 2 x 15 watt bulbs, which I think will be perfectly adequate. Any more and there is an increasing likelihood that algae will eventually become a problem and there is always the risk that the plants will suffer as the initial growth spurt subsides.

Stick with it and I am sure it will settle down soon.
 
Thanks everyone, it must be brown algae alright then as it looks very like it, wasnt sediment just as I had it well soaked and spent a good hour filling from a small measuring jug on a plate, tedious but necessary!

just curious but is brown dead bits on the edge of some leaves be common? is it just melting or what?
 
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