Mustangfreak Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 Hello all, I have a 14g cube with some ludwgia super reds, rotala indica's, temple, and a couple of others I can't remember. The tank has been going now for 5 months, and it was planted from the beginning. This is the light that I have, it was set to be on for 10 hours. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SBPVXCW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 For a while I could not keep my ludwigias from shedding their leaves and only keeping the very top leaves. So I thought added flourish tabs would be a good idea, and those were added on Sep 11. Then me being inpatient and crazy about the hobby, I bought the Coop's all in one fert and started dosing that on Oct 2nd, and then once more on the 9th. I had to fly out for a funeral on the 9th and didnt return until the 16th. When I got back home, I saw my plants had this black algae on them. I have since turned my light down to 8 hours a day starting at 10am. Is this too much nutrients or too much light? If I buy a brighter light will I need to begin re-dosing with the fertilizer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishPlanet Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 On 10/27/2021 at 8:36 AM, Mustangfreak said: Hello all, I have a 14g cube with some ludwgia super reds, rotala indica's, temple, and a couple of others I can't remember. The tank has been going now for 5 months, and it was planted from the beginning. This is the light that I have, it was set to be on for 10 hours. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SBPVXCW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 For a while I could not keep my ludwigias from shedding their leaves and only keeping the very top leaves. So I thought added flourish tabs would be a good idea, and those were added on Sep 11. Then me being inpatient and crazy about the hobby, I bought the Coop's all in one fert and started dosing that on Oct 2nd, and then once more on the 9th. I had to fly out for a funeral on the 9th and didnt return until the 16th. When I got back home, I saw my plants had this black algae on them. I have since turned my light down to 8 hours a day starting at 10am. Is this too much nutrients or too much light? If I buy a brighter light will I need to begin re-dosing with the fertilizer? Do you have any algae eaters in the tank? I find that my shrimp and snails clean the plants of algae very well. My Malaysian trumpet snails do a good job. You can also get a nerite snail. Or, you can lightly scrub the plants with a toothbrush to get rid of the algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 looking at the plants in the photo's, id say you need a bit more fertilizer, and a bit less light. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustangfreak Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 On 10/27/2021 at 11:33 AM, FishPlanet said: Do you have any algae eaters in the tank? I find that my shrimp and snails clean the plants of algae very well. My Malaysian trumpet snails do a good job. You can also get a nerite snail. Or, you can lightly scrub the plants with a toothbrush to get rid of the algae. I don't have any algae eaters right now. I have mystery snails alredy but I know they dont really eat algae. I may get a couple of nerites though! On 10/27/2021 at 11:48 AM, lefty o said: looking at the plants in the photo's, id say you need a bit more fertilizer, and a bit less light. Really? so go back to dosing once a week with the shorter light schedule? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katya Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 I have a similar-looking algae (although I would describe it as brownish; it's different from the green algae that I get on the tank sides). It comes right off with a toothbrush, but seems to grow back quickly. I only have my light on for 8 hours a day, with a two-hour break in the middle, and dose my five-gallon tank twice a week with Easy Green. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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