Crypts Dying? :(

Austin

Can't seem to find much info.... any help? :s

Byron

I've never had hydra (as far as I know, certainly have never seen any), others here have mentioned them previously. If memory serves me, they are harmless to fish other than small fry, but others who know more can confirm. It might help to post a new thread in the Freshwater section, since more will see there than will here in Plants.

Byron.

Austin

Ok,

I've done 2 weeks of fertilizing 2 times per week. 2.5 ml of flourish (30 gallons worth). The hair algae seems not to be SO BAD anymore. The newer leafs of the Ludwigia have not seemed to have grown it as badly, which is good. There's still a lot in the tank left over though. But the new growth doesn't have it quite so bad.

The red algae is still spreading it seems which is very very annoying.

Also, I used root tabs and my dwarf saggitaria seems to be growing better (possibly from the increased liquid fertilizer as well). It's getting more leafs and the old ones with red algae are dying off finally.

The crypt problem is still not solved. The crypt did not melt or die like I thought. It simply lost all it's leafs except maybe 3-4. Which is odd because it lost many at the same time, which is unusual.

Byron

This all sounds OK to me. If the crypts are not losing more leaves, they are fine. This is a slow growing plant group, unlike swords and stem plants. If the plants retain the existing leaves, think yourself lucky. And if left alone with no disturbances (roots) and no sudden water parameter changes, they will settle and new leaves will emerge in time.

What exactly is this "red algae"?

Austin

Ya. I'm glad the plant didn't die. :) It's just odd that it lost more than half it's leaves over a week or so. This is abnormal for it. It grew like a weed for a while. =O

Here's the red algae. I think that's what it is. It seems to be getting "longer" on the edges of my Anubias. It also seems to have spread to my crypt in the last pictures. Growing around the edges of the leaves.

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Byron

That is brush algae. Although it usually looks black in colour, it is actually a "red" algae. It is also a pain.

It occurs in many tanks, but if kept in check I don't worry about it. I have had a couple bouts of it, and reducing the light period helped. It usually occurs when light is greater than the available nutrients so the plants can't use it and algae does. However, this is the tank with the one 15w tube? Or is it another?

Austin

This is my 29g. It has a T12 20 watt light. It's about 950~ lumens I think. (my 15watt t8 in my 44g tank is about the same lumens).... the lights are already only on for 9 hours a day so idk what's up. I always call it red algae cus for some reason I cannot remember brush algae! Dx But ya.... idk why it's there... =( I do fertilize a lot (2 times a week now). I have a lot of fish in that tank so I would expect lots of Co2 and nitrogen...

Byron

That helps a bit. I was afraid this was the tank with the minimal lighting...in which case my thoery would fly out the window.

You must pardon me, I respond to so many threads that I get them mixed a bit and it is important to know the whole story. So this is the tank where the other fert was being used, but now Flourish, correct? And the light is fine, I only have 25w over a 3-foot 33g and everything is balanced. I have the light on for 11 hours, and Flourish has been once a week but now twice. Thick floating plants too. Do you have floating plants in this tank?

Just occurred to me, I must also keep in mind that you have hard water, that makes a difference; algae is more easily rampant in harder water as it has the minerals but I suspect there is more to it, something to do with the carbonates as carbon which plants find more work over CO2.

Austin

Ah, I read the opposite about the hardwater thing. I read it is easier for red algae to grow in soft water. I think anyways. I trust you way more than the other sources though. :p

Tempted to just get a Siamese Algae Eater. Will amano shrimp eat red algae? I know I shouldn't have it in the first place but now that I'm at 9 hours a day of light, fert 2x a week. What's the next step? :S

Byron

The goal is to settle the balance between light and nutrients to prevent the algae (any algae) overtaking things. It will always be there if the tank is balanced and biologically sound. Keeping the light minimal but sufficient for the plants in balance with the nutrients is all it takes, it just takes some effort (sometimes) to achieve this balance.

The hard water things has to do with assimilation of carbon, an essential nutrient for plants. Most of the plants we maintain are soft water plants that assimilate most (if not all) of the carbon via CO2. Hard water has high carbonates, and these plants find it difficult to assimilate carbon from carbonates. There are exceptions, Vallisneria is very efficient at this which is why it grows better (in my experience) in basic water than in acidic soft water. [I used to grow it in my livebearer and rift lake cichlid tanks with no trouble but it would never last in my soft water tanks.] But at the other end, plants like mosses cannot assimilate carbon from carbonates at all. And many of the bog plants (swords, crypts, aponogeton) prefer CO2 to carbonates because for them it is easier. Algae however is quick to jump in and has no trouble. So the harder the water, the more prevalent (all else being equal) algae will be.

Byron.