Help! I have deficiencies

[Ruud]

Hello

I'd like to think I am aware of most of my own deficiencies 🙂 but I struggle to still understand my water deficiencies causing this to my plants:

My aquarium is a 100L, with soil, my water parameters No2, 3, PH, KH, GH are all 'normal' - however my plants are turning unhappy and I have blackbeard algae on most of them and on part of the wood . Pictures:

 

 

 

My Crypto is turning red/brown, my swords seem to be melting and as said I have bearded algae. I have been putting in Flourish excel since a few days to hopefully battle the beard algae but what else can I do. Is this because of a lack of fertilizer, or will putting in fertilizer only make things worse?

 

Thank you all

Ruud 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Ruud

[Mmiller2001]

9 minutes ago, Ruud said:

Hello

I'd like to think I am aware of most of my own deficiencies 🙂 but I struggle to still understand my water deficiencies causing this to my plants:

My aquarium is a 100L, with soil, my water parameters No2, 3, PH, KH, GH are all 'normal' - however my plants are turning unhappy and I have blackbeard algae on most of them and on part of the wood . Pictures:

 

 

 

My Crypto is turning red/brown, my swords seem to be melting and as said I have bearded algae. I have been putting in Flourish excel since a few days to hopefully battle the beard algae but what else can I do. Is this because of a lack of fertilizer, or will putting in fertilizer only make things worse?

 

Thank you all

Ruud 

Need more information. What is normal? What lights? How bright? How long are lights on? What nutrients are you dosing? How often are you dosing?

Is that a crypt or a Java fern?

Edited February 13, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Ruud]

Sorry if the information I have provided is inadequate. 

First of all, I think its a Java fern indeed. My lights are the Nicrew classical led lights, an on for 8 hours a day. 

Water parameters:

NO3 = 10

NO2 = 0

GH = 7

KH = 6

PH = 7.5

The tank is stocked with 10 tetras, a pair of Swordtails with a baby, pair of balloon mollies, and a Gourami. 

Thank you

Ruud 

 

[Mmiller2001]

2 minutes ago, Ruud said:

Sorry if the information I have provided is inadequate. 

First of all, I think its a Java fern indeed. My lights are the Nicrew classical led lights, an on for 8 hours a day. 

Water parameters:

NO3 = 10

NO2 = 0

GH = 7

KH = 6

PH = 7.5

The tank is stocked with 10 tetras, a pair of Swordtails with a baby, pair of balloon mollies, and a Gourami. 

Thank you

Ruud 

 

Are you currently dosing a fertilizer. What's your light schedule?

[Ruud]

Currently not, thinking it would make the BBA worse? My light schedule is 4 hours in the morning between 9 and 13 and then 4 at night between 18 and 22h

[Mmiller2001]

I would find a good all in one fertilizer. Healthy growing plants is your best defense against algae. To kill it off, you can dose Seachem Flourish Excel. It wipes BBA out. And dosing should get your plants back in shape.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Ruud]

17 minutes ago, Mmiller2001 said:

I would find a good all in one fertilizer. Healthy growing plants is your best defense against algae. To kill it off, you can dose Seachem Flourish Excel. It wipes BBA out. And dosing should get your plants back in shape.

Thanks! I have a Dennerle universal fertilizer and will get on it right away! Anything I can do with lightning? add hours or just stay the course there?

[Mmiller2001]

13 minutes ago, Ruud said:

Thanks! I have a Dennerle universal fertilizer and will get on it right away! Anything I can do with lightning? add hours or just stay the course there?

Well, I've read siesta periods can cause problems. One trigger for BBA is fluctuating CO2. When your light is on, plants consume the available CO2, then the light go off, they release CO2. So the thinking is siesta periods are triggers for algae. If you can, shoot for a straight photo period. Shoot for 12 hours. If algae grows, drop light intensity. If it still grows, either drop intensity again or drop an hour on the photoperiod. Just make sure your changes keep the plants healthy.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Ruud]

Thanks, that's really solid advice and seems to make sense. I will do a big waterchange tomorrow, then put in the fertilizer for this week, keep on adding Flourish excel and change the regimen of the light to for instance 10 in the morning till 10 at night and see what happens over the course of a few weeks! Will report back!

Thanks again!
Ruud