Confused on how to combat algae

[Demobanana]

So this might be a little long (I guess it all relative). Just saying beforehand. 

I wanted to start a 10g planted tank that wasn’t all epiphytes at the beginning of the year. I heard gravel and sand with fertilizer was best for beginners, so I set it up with some pea pebbles (not fun to plant and it was a horrible substrate for plants) and some pool filter sand (first picture). One day this nasty (what I presumed to be) staghorn algae came along and absolutely wrecked my tank. But what I saw it loved the most was my parrots feathers leaves, which had been growing pretty well beforehand. I say presumed because I’m still not sure if it was. There was regular staghorn algae on the broader leafed plants but the one on the parrots feathers were very short, almost black, and killed the plants via blocking out their light (basically 2nd picture but a lot, lot worse. The 2nd picture is just the effects of the new algae.) Anyways, I had to dump that out. Weird thing was the sponge filter I had going seemed to have the highest amount of algae concentration on the plants near it. But besides the point. A couple months back I decided to cover everything in sand (3rd picture- except fast forward a couple months till now. I guess I didn’t take a picture of my tank at the time.) , since I could not for the life of me root anything in the pea pebbles but sand you just dropped it in there. Of course, they weren’t the healthiest. Also a couple months back a green hair algae took over my tank and yesterday I managed to remove as much as I could off of the things I could but there was still some on the plants, plus a ~50% water change. And at this time I was dosing Easygreen once a week or 2. So I’m not sure if any of the prior events was based on the inconsistent light (I had a timer, but the tank was near a window) and dosing (I was skimping trying to make the Easygreen last longer by trying to get it to 1 dose/2weeks. also forgot to mention my HOB was already cycled. Ammonia: 0ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 10-20 ppm (they look wayyy too similar)

So my questions are- how do I get rid of the algae on my plants? People say algae’s a good thing but it has decimated my plants over and over. And at the same time what should I do about my plants? I hear people say that you need a good plant mass first for fighting algae, but it seems like sand, and floating it especially (cuts off flow and gathers more algae, also noticed the stems of those plants rot for some reason (any idea how to stop that?). I wanted to to do a dirted tank but it turn out I just narrowly missed the local dollar per gallon sale. I was also planning to dirt the tank, and even though I have all stem plants (except Val) I just am desperate for some healthy plant growth without older leaves detiorating or everything being covered in algae. Do you guys think some terracotta pots with dirt could hold the plants over for a little bit and bring them back? What do you guys suggest I do? There’s just so many differing ideas on the Internet and YouTube (that and forums like these are where I get ~90% of all fish/plant info)- use ferts, blackout, don’t use all in ones, water change, etc. I just want to know something that I can do that will help. I want to water change but the whole “grow heathy plants first” thing doesn’t seem to work too well for me if I can’t dose, and my water sprite was looking kind of yellow. And I also plan to go with the terracotta pot plan since it seems simple enough. Also my light is set at 6 hours/day, have a budget Nicrew but forgot the name of the model, the metal case gets insanely hot though. The only plant that looks like it isn’t getting too affected by the algae is my slow Jungle Val (even a Seachem root tab under it didn’t seem to to have a lot of affect) and my new water sprite (some parts are looking dead or beat up tho). And forgot to mention the only things I have in there is 1 lone cherry shrimp and one (temporary resident) bamboo shrimp. And a couple pond snails. And the rest of the pictures is just the destruction the algae has made on my plants, the algae I pulled out, my light, etc. Here’s the pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/FPh05ki

 

and I know algae is caused by an imbalance, an imbalance of what is what I’m trying to answer.

Honestly at this point any advice would be appreciated, kinda sad when I look over at my tank.

[Yanni]

What I would try to do is try to increase the flow in the tank. Algae usually has a harder time growing in a high flow environment. Although this is usually a temporary solution (unless you are going to keep fish that like high flow).The best way that would usually work is either carbon or hydrogen peroxide. These 2 chemicals usually are very effective in getting rid of algae. Also, a tip for getting rid of algae without using these tactics is to get a very hardy and fast growing plant. Usually, what you are looking for is something like a stem plant (ludgiwia, hornwort, rotala, etc). Floaters like frogbit, duckweed, or salvinia are really good too. When you are looking for good plants, I would look for a plant that has a good root system, so try to get plants from other local hobbiest or a LFS. 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

First of all I love your profile picture. You are heavy weapons guy.

Nicrew might be cheap but they can sure put out a lot of light. I've had branching green and staghorn algae pop up too. I've heard that staghorn's happy place is high light and low nitrates. That has matched my experience. I have one tank that I dedicate to fancy plants and rocks and had staghorn appear after a power outage reset my auto dosing pump and cut the nutrient supply without me noticing.

Once one of the nasty, tank wrecking algaes get a foothold, they are really hard to get rid of. Their growth can be suppressed but they will stick around and wait for an opportunity to come back. You can introduce algae eaters like amano shrimp and siamese algae eaters but you need the algaes to be weak/dead before they will eat them. Some master of nature might have a better answer for you, but as much as we try to avoid using them I still think there are times to use hydrogen peroxide or glutaraldehyde products like seachem excel and easy carbon. Used with caution, they can kill those algaes. They turn red once they die and become brittle enough for things to eat. 

If I had a plant that was totally infested with staghorn (which I have), I would do a few minute dip in a mix made from 1 part peroxide and 2-3 parts water. Over the next 24 hours all the algae on the plant should die and turn red. This works better for some plants than others. Things with thick leaves like anubias or bucephalandra likely won't be bothered but others with thin leaves like crypts, pogostemon stellatus octopus, stargrass etc.. might lose some leaves but will grow back.

I've also personally observed staghorn die from excel dosing.

That's my two cents, you can save the plants if you want to and then work on adjusting things so the algaes don't come back.

[Demobanana]

1 hour ago, Yanni said:

What I would try to do is try to increase the flow in the tank. Algae usually has a harder time growing in a high flow environment. Although this is usually a temporary solution (unless you are going to keep fish that like high flow).The best way that would usually work is either carbon or hydrogen peroxide. These 2 chemicals usually are very effective in getting rid of algae. Also, a tip for getting rid of algae without using these tactics is to get a very hardy and fast growing plant. Usually, what you are looking for is something like a stem plant (ludgiwia, hornwort, rotala, etc). Floaters like frogbit, duckweed, or salvinia are really good too. When you are looking for good plants, I would look for a plant that has a good root system, so try to get plants from other local hobbiest or a LFS. 

Ok...I’ll try. I’m kinda unoptimistic about getting more plants is because I heard bacopa (caroliniana if it matters) was supposed to be a good beginner stem plant, or even wisteria but man do they grow slow and their stems rot a lot on me. But when I float them they rot even worse. And I have no idea why when I float some stem plants the bottom of their stems just melt (even with fresh roots), kinda annoying. Right now I have a water sprite that’s been growing, doesn’t look like it’s done much though. Also, will I have to dose the tank for the fast growing plants? And I’m definitely not doing hornwort, if parrots feathers can get absolutely stomped on by algae I’m betting a good chance hornwort will be no match for it either.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Hi. Don't give up. I run low tech and I'm sort of a beginner compared to most here. I have to be careful about plants I pick because I run no heater and I don't dose ferts. I've learned my lessons. I've found Anubias and Swords are most reliable for me but they take a very long time to grow. I've scored a couple of times buying full grown plants from the big box stores. More recently I've gotten into other plants. If you want something FAST growing that will block some of the light and look super cool you might try Aponogeton. I was skeptical at first but you can almost watch it grow. If you can get them already starting to sprout or with leaves (I got a set in the "betta buddy" section of my local big box) that's best for near instant gratification but you can also buy them as bulbs. They are beautiful, the lightweight leaves flow with the water and move around.

Light is definitely an issue, I run a different brand light but they are as bright as the Nicrew I bet, I actually bought an inline Nicrew light dial style dimmer switch and have dialed back my lights until now in my main tank I have zero algae issues (also thanks to my clean up crew of snails and Otocinclus). I swear the dimmer has been one of the best things I've gotten for my tanks. 

I recently got some Bacopa myself. I posted on another thread earlier today that I found out typically most of the Bacopa you get is grown out of water. I recently watched a plant video Cory has on youtube about easy plants and Bacopa Caroliniana was one of those plants. He said plant them, then bottom leaves WILL start to melt- but the tops should start new growth (mine did) he then said to cut the tops and plant THOSE and you should be good to go. I left my bottom stems in because they had signs of new growth though the other leaves melted off so I'm just watching those now. 

The last thing I want to mention. I didn't use enough plant substrate when I started my 20 gallon. I put some of it at the back where I planned to put my plants and then covered the rest of the tank in river pebble- which as you know not great for planting. I've since redesigned the tank (you can see the tank I'm talking about and these plants in my profile under about me, is the first tank)- but I didn't want to redo the whole bottom of my tank so I just got really cool looking pots, put substrate in those and did something that works for me. 

[Yanni]

Quote

Ok...I’ll try. I’m kinda unoptimistic about getting more plants is because I heard bacopa (caroliniana if it matters) was supposed to be a good beginner stem plant, or even wisteria but man do they grow slow and their stems rot a lot on me. But when I float them they rot even worse. And I have no idea why when I float some stem plants the bottom of their stems just melt (even with fresh roots), kinda annoying. Right now I have a water sprite that’s been growing, doesn’t look like it’s done much though. Also, will I have to dose the tank for the fast growing plants? And I’m definitely not doing hornwort, if parrots feathers can get absolutely stomped on by algae I’m betting a good chance hornwort will be no match for it either. 

Many plants will do just fine without ferts. Hornwort is definitely a little annoying especially if it ends up dying as it will shed all its needle thingys. Bacopa is usually a slow grower. Its one of the stem plants that grow unusually slow. 

[Isaac M]

Hi @Demobanana, I I agree with @xXInkedPhoenixX, please do not give up. I have found that there is so much information available now, it is hard to know what to believe. I would highly encourage you follow 1-3 sources of information at most and learn from them rather than attempt to mix multiple resources together. 

Regarding the issue of algae in planted tanks, most algaes come from a lack of proper balance (and stability) between lighting, nutrients(this can include fish stocking), plant mass and carbon dioxide. So if one or all of these is high and the others are moderate or low, then the factors that are low will limit the plant growth. The algae will then take advantage of the factors that are high or are in excess. Algae will provide the balance your plants could not provide essentially. 

Looking at your aquarium pictures and post, I am no expert in Nicrew lights (I have never had one) but visually, it looks very bright in your pictures. At bare minimum, it is a moderate light and if not, a high light. You also have very light stocking and hardly dosing Easy Green. Bacopa is a slow growing plant, it is a good beginner plant but is still a slow grower. Wisteria and water sprite are also good beginner plants but will need sufficient nutrients to not develop a nutrient deficiency. I would also assume you have low carbon dioxixe but that is usually not a big problem (especially if you float plants) unless you have high lighting. 

So what does this all mean, I personally think your light is too bright for your aquarium, even at 6 hours only. The intensity is just too strong. I would attempt to dim it or just purchase another light that is not as strong. I would also increase dosing of easy green. I would only use organic soil in the aquarium or pot if you wanted to grow more plants that enjoy nutrients at the roots (bulb plants and plants that spread through runners like crypts, val, swords, etc). These 2 things should significantly help your aquarium with growing plants and reducing algae growth. I will not lie, all tanks will have some algae, but it should not be engulfing your aquarium. 

For your reference, here is a guide on plant nutrient deficiencies: 

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/plant-nutrient-deficiencies

I hope that helps! Hang in there, you got this! 

[Demobanana]

15 hours ago, Yanni said:

What I would try to do is try to increase the flow in the tank. Algae usually has a harder time growing in a high flow environment. Although this is usually a temporary solution (unless you are going to keep fish that like high flow).

You think it would help? I have a Whisper 40 on a 10g on low but yeah I'll crank it up a bit and move the filter to the middle to spread the flow more evenly.

16 hours ago, Yanni said:

The best way that would usually work is either carbon or hydrogen peroxide. These 2 chemicals usually are very effective in getting rid of algae. Also, a tip for getting rid of algae without using these tactics is to get a very hardy and fast growing plant. Usually, what you are looking for is something like a stem plant (ludgiwia, hornwort, rotala, etc). Floaters like frogbit, duckweed, or salvinia are really good too. When you are looking for good plants, I would look for a plant that has a good root system, so try to get plants from other local hobbiest or a LFS. 

hm...I have some Seachem Excel and I can get some hydrogen peroxide. And I know its weird but I feel like my 10g is too shallow for floaters but I can get my hands on some salvinia. Thing is about the stem plants is I need a reliable way for them to be healthy without causing algae (so no easygreen) but I dont have any nutritious substrate. Do you think a terracotta pot with some dirt would suffice?

[Demobanana]

16 hours ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

First of all I love your profile picture. You are heavy weapons guy.

lol made me laugh. Half demo/heavy main.

16 hours ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

Nicrew might be cheap but they can sure put out a lot of light. I've had branching green and staghorn algae pop up too. I've heard that staghorn's happy place is high light and low nitrates. That has matched my experience. I have one tank that I dedicate to fancy plants and rocks and had staghorn appear after a power outage reset my auto dosing pump and cut the nutrient supply without me noticing.

ok, reduced the light to about 5-5 1/2 hours. I would do 6 but I have ambient light coming in the room I cant stop. And low nitrates...like 10-20 ppm? Because thats where its at usually. Plus you said in your case the algae came because it cut your nutrient supply. Do you think I should keep dosing 1 squirt a week or no for the hair and staghorn algae?

 

16 hours ago, Lowells Fish Lab said:

Once one of the nasty, tank wrecking algaes get a foothold, they are really hard to get rid of. Their growth can be suppressed but they will stick around and wait for an opportunity to come back. You can introduce algae eaters like amano shrimp and siamese algae eaters but you need the algaes to be weak/dead before they will eat them. Some master of nature might have a better answer for you, but as much as we try to avoid using them I still think there are times to use hydrogen peroxide or glutaraldehyde products like seachem excel and easy carbon. Used with caution, they can kill those algaes. They turn red once they die and become brittle enough for things to eat. 

If I had a plant that was totally infested with staghorn (which I have), I would do a few minute dip in a mix made from 1 part peroxide and 2-3 parts water. Over the next 24 hours all the algae on the plant should die and turn red. This works better for some plants than others. Things with thick leaves like anubias or bucephalandra likely won't be bothered but others with thin leaves like crypts, pogostemon stellatus octopus, stargrass etc.. might lose some leaves but will grow back.

I've also personally observed staghorn die from excel dosing.

That's my two cents, you can save the plants if you want to and then work on adjusting things so the algaes don't come back.

I would but remember when I said I had an outbreak a few months back? Well...I had 2 amano shrimp. And people told me not to feed them so they could eat the algae. Well...one day I realized I hadn't seen them in a while and I figured they molted and hid (the bamboo and cherry shrimp molted a couple of times). Still feel kinda guilty and I dont know if Im going to accidentally starve them to death again. But i do have some excel. I'll risk my val. And if that doesn't work onto the peroxide dip.

[Demobanana]

15 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Hi. Don't give up. 

hahaha..giving up will mean my wallet suffered for nothing and possibly hundreds of hours wasted watching and reading forums about plants...but thanks for the encouragement anyways. 

 

15 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I have to be careful about plants I pick because I run no heater and I don't dose ferts. I've learned my lessons. I've found Anubias and Swords are most reliable for me but they take a very long time to grow. I've scored a couple of times buying full grown plants from the big box stores. More recently I've gotten into other plants.

Well I do like fast stem growing plants, and I do have ferts. Also, dont think I will ever need a heater unless its for something like rams, doesn't really get too cold where I live. And I have a Java Fern so I guess thats like anubias, and as for the sword I feel like my tank is too shallow for it but also I dont have a nutritious substrate and I've seen swords with root tabs, just don't like the look of them that way. But honestly I just try to get any plants people say are easy and are cheap.

 

15 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Light is definitely an issue, I run a different brand light but they are as bright as the Nicrew I bet, I actually bought an inline Nicrew light dial style dimmer switch and have dialed back my lights until now in my main tank I have zero algae issues (also thanks to my clean up crew of snails and Otocinclus). I swear the dimmer has been one of the best things I've gotten for my tanks. 

You think a dimmer would work? I though light was supposed to be like a puddle, so like x hours of a high quality light is equal to y hours of this cheaper budget light. But I'll look into em. And I do have bladder snails. Well, used to. I mean I still have a good amount but there was a lot more before and they all disappeared after i added sand to my big pea gravel...

 

15 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I recently got some Bacopa myself. I posted on another thread earlier today that I found out typically most of the Bacopa you get is grown out of water. I recently watched a plant video Cory has on youtube about easy plants and Bacopa Caroliniana was one of those plants. He said plant them, then bottom leaves WILL start to melt- but the tops should start new growth (mine did) he then said to cut the tops and plant THOSE and you should be good to go. I left my bottom stems in because they had signs of new growth though the other leaves melted off so I'm just watching those now. 

I did see the leaves change a bit from broader, more circular leaves to smaller, thinner leaves....like 4 months ago. Now even the new leaves that are a tiny bit older are acting weird. So it does get new growth but it keeps deteriorating and the stems sometimes just rot off for no reason after months of sand.

 

15 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

The last thing I want to mention. I didn't use enough plant substrate when I started my 20 gallon. I put some of it at the back where I planned to put my plants and then covered the rest of the tank in river pebble- which as you know not great for planting. I've since redesigned the tank (you can see the tank I'm talking about and these plants in my profile under about me, is the first tank)- but I didn't want to redo the whole bottom of my tank so I just got really cool looking pots, put substrate in those and did something that works for me. 

I feel like I used too much substrate honestly, theres no benefit since oxygen cant get down there too deep and I feel like it limits the space of the water column for the plants. As for the pots...exactly what I wanted to hear and truth be told should've started out with that. Planning on putting some worm castings in a pot and capping it (since I asked on here about dirted tanks recently) with some sand and gravel.

[Ken]

Here's what I did to win the algae vs plant battle in my 40 breeder. All the standard answers didn't work for me, as it seems they aren't for you either. My logic was to win the battle the plants have to out compete the algae so:

I added a second light (my tank is 18" front to back and 17" deep) some parts seemed a little dim. Plants need lots of light to grow right?

I cranked up the time to over 10 hours a day. The pictures are screen shots of my Kasa plug schedule and runtime.

I started using 1-1/2 times the EZ Green that is recommended. If you want the lawn to choke out weeds you fertilize the heck out of it right?

For the first month I used Excel per the package instructions. I figured my Val was done for anyway and if it killed it I'd try something else.

Threw in a big handful of Hornwort (if Allelopathy isn't really a thing then another plant can't hurt).

Within weeks there was no algae left. The plants really took off, Val included. I haven't seen any algae since.

If all the tried and proven methods don't work maybe try this.

 

 

[Demobanana]

9 hours ago, Isaac M said:

Hi @Demobanana, I I agree with @xXInkedPhoenixX, please do not give up.

Thanks! I mean I definitely know I can do this, just got to figure out how to defeat the algae...

 

9 hours ago, Isaac M said:

I have found that there is so much information available now, it is hard to know what to believe. I would highly encourage you follow 1-3 sources of information at most and learn from them rather than attempt to mix multiple resources together. 

Makes sense. Just want to get the good info out there and theres so much information out there.

 

9 hours ago, Isaac M said:

Regarding the issue of algae in planted tanks, most algaes come from a lack of proper balance (and stability) between lighting, nutrients(this can include fish stocking), plant mass and carbon dioxide. So if one or all of these is high and the others are moderate or low, then the factors that are low will limit the plant growth. The algae will then take advantage of the factors that are high or are in excess. Algae will provide the balance your plants could not provide essentially. 

right, just got to figure out what....

 

9 hours ago, Isaac M said:

Looking at your aquarium pictures and post, I am no expert in Nicrew lights (I have never had one) but visually, it looks very bright in your pictures. At bare minimum, it is a moderate light and if not, a high light. You also have very light stocking and hardly dosing Easy Green. Bacopa is a slow growing plant, it is a good beginner plant but is still a slow grower. Wisteria and water sprite are also good beginner plants but will need sufficient nutrients to not develop a nutrient deficiency. I would also assume you have low carbon dioxixe but that is usually not a big problem (especially if you float plants) unless you have high lighting. 

So what does this all mean, I personally think your light is too bright for your aquarium, even at 6 hours only. The intensity is just too strong. I would attempt to dim it or just purchase another light that is not as strong. I would also increase dosing of easy green. I would only use organic soil in the aquarium or pot if you wanted to grow more plants that enjoy nutrients at the roots (bulb plants and plants that spread through runners like crypts, val, swords, etc). These 2 things should significantly help your aquarium with growing plants and reducing algae growth. I will not lie, all tanks will have some algae, but it should not be engulfing your aquarium. 

Is bacopa slow? that explains it. Also, I do have a stem of wisteria in sand. It hasn't grown in months lol. And I heard light was like a puddle, will reducing the time "dim it"? And yeah I do have val and it seems a bit sad so probably going to have some pots in there.

[Demobanana]

31 minutes ago, Ken said:

Here's what I did to win the algae vs plant battle in my 40 breeder. All the standard answers didn't work for me, as it seems they aren't for you either. My logic was to win the battle the plants have to out compete the algae so:

I added a second light (my tank is 18" front to back and 17" deep) some parts seemed a little dim. Plants need lots of light to grow right?

I cranked up the time to over 10 hours a day. The pictures are screen shots of my Kasa plug schedule and runtime.

I started using 1-1/2 times the EZ Green that is recommended. If you want the lawn to choke out weeds you fertilize the heck out of it right?

For the first month I used Excel per the package instructions. I figured my Val was done for anyway and if it killed it I'd try something else.

Threw in a big handful of Hornwort (if Allelopathy isn't really a thing then another plant can't hurt).

Within weeks there was no algae left. The plants really took off, Val included. I haven't seen any algae since.

If all the tried and proven methods don't work maybe try this.

Hmmm...so more light, more plants, more ferts? If the other methods people have suggested to me dont work I'll try this one out. The only reason I cant immediatley do it is plants die when they root or float in my aquarium, thats why Im trying to get some dirted pots. As for the excel will have to try. What was your water change schedule then?

[Demobanana]

15 hours ago, Yanni said:

Many plants will do just fine without ferts. Hornwort is definitely a little annoying especially if it ends up dying as it will shed all its needle thingys. Bacopa is usually a slow grower. Its one of the stem plants that grow unusually slow. 

that explains it, thought it was supposed to grow a lot faster. Never seen hornwort in my LFS.

[Ken]

5 minutes ago, Demobanana said:

What was your water change schedule then?

Test Friday night and water change Sunday appropriately.

[Ken]

6 minutes ago, Demobanana said:

that explains it, thought it was supposed to grow a lot faster. Never seen hornwort in my LFS.

I got Hornwort from a local on a Facebook group. It grows fast enough I feel like Charles on Goliad Farms, pulling it out by the handful.

[Hobbit]

I know I’m kind of late to this thread, but I thought I’d mention that if your stem plants are rotting away but your other plants are doing okay, you may have a potassium deficiency. You’ll see the leaves get holes in them at first. Then the plant will grow fewer, smaller leaves, and the stems will get brittle and rot into nothing. Easy Green does have potassium, but I wonder if the algae is just using it before your plants can get enough? Hard to say. I’m kind of feeling @Ken’s advice here to up your ferts.

Something to keep in mind is that algae can adapt to changing conditions a lot faster than plants can. Looking at your pictures, I agree with you that something in your tank needs to change—just make a plan and try to stick with it for a while, only making small changes if possible. That’s easier said than done, of course!

As far as the amano shrimp, yeah... I’ve killed some too. 😓 They definitely need supplemental food, particularly food with calcium. I got some amanos to help with the huge hair algae problem I was developing in my 10 gallon grow-out tank. I had super bright light on the tank and the hornwort, water sprite, salvinia, moss, etc were growing like crazy. An army of ramshorn snails took care of most other kinds of algae, but the hair algae was everywhere. My baby fish were actually getting fin damage from swimming through it. The amano shrimp helped me tip the balance though, as well as dimming the light a bit by covering part of it with black tape. I did have to give the amanos a leg up in the beginning by manually removing as much algae as possible. Use a toothbrush to twirl up the stringy stuff like spaghetti, and if you can, take plants out of the aquarium and rub the algae off with your fingers.

If I were in your shoes, I’d probably reduce the light—since you said the tank is (was?) near a window it won’t need as much artificial light, get some amano shrimp and some high calcium food for them, make sure I had enough calcium (hardness, or GH) in the water as well, manually remove as much algae as possible, start dosing at least a full dose of Easy Green once a week, and then settle in for a bit and see what happens. There are plenty of valid strategies here though—that’s just the combo I’d personally pick.

If you want to try the pots with organic soil, I’ve done something similar in the past and it’s a great strategy if you want to keep a certain kind of substrate contained. I use ceramic dishes meant for human food. 😁

Hopefully there’s something helpful in there!