Anubias

[Mawade1984]

Do you think it would be a good idea to just cut off the leaves of my anubias that are covered in black hair algae?

 

[Marine swimmer]

Do you have algae eaters? If you do dont feed them and they will eventually attack the algae in an all out war!!!
Do you clean the tank regularly because no regular cleaning plus over feeding causes algae to grow which is bad
I am just saying my opinion dont know if it is correct.
To slow down algae growing dont use overhead light to much thats how they grow. But it is your decision do you want to cut it off or leave it?

 

[Mawade1984]

I do have an algae eater, a bushy nose. He eats away but doesn't seem to really touch the black hair. I do regular cleanings. I have tried to cut back in feelings but with fry in the tank I feed them 3 small meals a day. I have recently quit leaving the light on all day and in fact changed bulbs from a grow light to a reg light.

 

[Marine swimmer]

Algae eaters eat algae slimy version
There is another fish that eats hairy algae but i don't know name sorry.

 

[Marine swimmer]

There may be another way
There is a plastic colander small that floats on water and holds food fish eat it i got one at home it works
Sucking catfish are bottom feeders and try not to go up and current allows food to get out of holes here and there

 

[FreshyFresh]

I've read that Siamese Algae Eaters will eat black hair algae.

I know I get frustrated with the anubias in my 10g. It needs decent lighting to grow, but grows so slowly, algae forms on the leaves. A section of it that I put partly in the shade in my 55g does much better.

 

[Mawade1984]

See my 20 long doesn't really have a spot for shade lol. Thinking about trimming off the leaves that have algae. The leaves below those have none. I took everything out last weekend and soaked everything in peroxide. The black hair has turned slightly red so I don't know if it helped or not?

 

[OrangeCones]

Red on black-beard algae is a sign its dying. Fish that eat plant matter can eat it.

The problem with cutting off the leaves that have it, is that it will just take hold on the lower leaves now that they are not shaded. Anubias are not the fastest of growers, but the algae indicates an imbalance in light, carbon, and other nutrients.

How long are your lights on per day? Does the tank get any direct or indirect sunlight? Does your ammonia and nitrite levels stay zero? What is your reading of nitrate before you do a water change?

 

[Mawade1984]

I have been turning the light on in the evenings, from about 5-9 roughly. It gets indirect sunlight from our French doors in the other side of the room. Not sure of readings. Haven't gotten the kit yet to test water

 

[OrangeCones]

Only 4 hours of light daily then? Tropical plants do better with a consistant schedule of lighting closer to 10-12 hours. If you have that volcano of bubbles in there as your avatar shows, that will off-gas your dissolved CO2. If you can supplement with a liquid source of carbon (or remove the bubbler) and provide a more steady 'tropical' lighting period (timers are cheap), the plants should grow better and be able to outcompete the algae.

 

[Mawade1984]

Yea I was turning it on from 7 am till 9 or so at night. I figured that was to much and that's why the algae grew.

So the bubbler is a bad thing? That helps put oxygen in the water. Would the filter be enough for that? It's a penguin bio wheel. Not sure of exact size, can find out when I get home...

 

[Thyra]

It is my understanding that bubbles put very little oxygen into the water. It is the movement of the water on the surface caused by the water splashing in from the filter that mostly oxygenates the water.

 

[OrangeCones]

A filter's return need not 'splash' to provide good oxygen levels. Just a gentle ripple will be enough.

Healthy plants put far more oxygen in the water too!

 

[Thyra]

That's a better choice of words, OC.

 

[Mawade1984]

Ahhh. I always thought you had to have a bubbler to help with oxygen. With the spillway from the filter being where it is... Guess I don't need the volcano! I will have to take it out and see if that helps any. Should I be putting the plant food in or is that just making things worse?

 

[OrangeCones]

Should I be putting the plant food in or is that just making things worse?

What plants do you have beside the anubias? I wouldn't any any fertilizers until you figure out the balance you need. More fertilizer means more light and more carbon, or algae will fill the niche.

 

[Mawade1984]

Anubias, sword, maybe a balansae (I forgot what it was) and some kind of skinny leafed something that looks like hair grass but not sure

 

[Mawade1984]

The color on the algae has turned to a white/grey color. Could that mean it is dying? I've always heard red means dying.

 

[OrangeCones]

Black-beard algae is really just very dark red. As it dies, it becomes lighter. So first you will see red, then pinkish, then grey/white. Think of it as bleaching.

Red does not always mean dying. If so, I have tons of 'dying' plants.

 

[Mawade1984]

Good maybe it's dying! Thanks for sharing knowledge! as always, much appreciated!!