Algae problems

[aklemmensen]

ok, I just added some pictures , they are being reviewed before publishing.
thanks again

[Second Hand Pat]

The pictures are viewable now.

[foggy01.1983]

Seen as you only have about 3 plants I would strip the tank completely. I would then clean the gravel and if you really want some in there, put only .5cm depth of gravel in.

The plants without sounding rude look like they have seen their best.

I would get a couple of plants which have been grown in pots and leave them in them and place in the tank.

This will make it much easier to clean and you can have the plants and some gravel. I also wouldn't bother with any plant food. You don't have enough to worry about. All you will be doing is putting in plant food to feed algae.

A easy nice looking potted plant like Amazon swords will look great and take very little care.

Atb Steve

[rickztahone]

Seen as you only have about 3 plants I would strip the tank completely. I would then clean the gravel and if you really want some in there, put only .5cm depth of gravel in.

The plants without sounding rude look like they have seen their best.

I would get a couple of plants which have been grown in pots and leave them in them and place in the tank.

This will make it much easier to clean and you can have the plants and some gravel. I also wouldn't bother with any plant food. You don't have enough to worry about. All you will be doing is putting in plant food to feed algae.

A easy nice looking potted plant like Amazon swords will look great and take very little care.

Atb Steve

I agree with this advice. I was under the impression that you might have had a lot more plants. For the amount of plants you have, you may have too much light and too long a period with them on. One thing to remember with planted tanks is that it is always better to overcrowd the tank with plants and then thin out later than the other way around. They outcompete the algae in that manner. The diatom algae you are seeing here is outcompeting your plants very easily. Either add more plants, or completly take them out as well as your hardscape and boil it.

[OC Discus]

Another step I took to prevent diatom was to cut tank light to 8 hours per day. It definitely helped.

The tank is not dark except at night. Room light gives visibility during the other daytime hours.


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[Skip]

YIKES!! Green Hair Algae.. good luck.. this is a bugger to get rid of

just leave the light off.. until it dies.. and UP your water changes..
its usually caused by an imbalance of water chemistry.. and light fixtures that are old.. and light spectrum changes..

another thing.. add more plants.. they will out compete algae

[aklemmensen]

Thanks Guys,

I am not offended by any comments. I have been struggling with the plants. I have been cutting down on light and upping water changes. I will boil the rock too and will try getting more plants. If that does not work, the heck with it, I will remove the plants and the gravel. I really appreciate everyones help. My dad had always had discus and they were a big part of my childhood. My dad passed away unexpectantly 2y ago and I recently had a baby girl that is why I got discus. So they are very precious to me and I shake over them more than you can imagine.

I will keep you updated on the progress.

Thanks again,

Anya

[rickztahone]

Good luck Anya, and thanks for sharing with us. I hope you get the issue under control. If you are in to plants, visit plantedtank.net or scapeclub.org and many times the members there will give out plants/trimmings for free so long as you pay the shipping. I know I use to give away about a 1/4 of a 5g bucket every few weeks or so locally, lol. Just look out for the threads that say RAOK (random act of kindness). Hope that helps.