Could you post a picture?
Where did this plant come from?
I've had my tank for 8 months and haven't made any changes to it. A plant appeared out of no where about two weeks ago and continues to grow. Does anyone know what it is? I have some glow tetras, a bristlenose pleco, and a couple of nerite snails.
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Possibly a Hyrgophila polysperma, though it’s kind hard to tell from the picture
I tried to take better pictures of it and I'll add them below. Once it reaches the top of the water it moves out instead of up.. if that makes sense. When I was taking new pictures I noticed two more are starting to grow. Should I take them out and dispose of them? Could they be from uneaten parts of algae wafers for the pleco? I'll add a pic of the brand I give him too.
When is the last time you added a fish to the tank?
The pleco was the last one I added and that was 4 months ago. I bought him because I was getting relentless hair algae that I would wash off the decor but it would grow right back. I'm not even sure what caused the hair algae. The snails were a month before the pleco.
I can't solve your plant mystery other than to say that it was probably a hitchhiker of some kind. I just bought some assassin snails and was a little horrified to see the store tank they were in covered in duckweed. I made sure to keep them in a quarantine jar before adding them to my tank to make sure that I didn't add any duckweed to any of my tanks.The pleco was the last one I added and that was 4 months ago. I bought him because I was getting relentless hair algae that I would wash off the decor but it would grow right back. I'm not even sure what caused the hair algae. The snails were a month before the pleco.
But I think I can help with the algae. Algae is caused by an imbalance of too much nutrients and/or light in the tank. Bristlenose plecos are a cool fish to have. But they don't address the root causes of algae. Which could be leaving the lights on too long, too much exposure to sunlight, etc. Overfeeding is a big one too.
Live plants can be a great help because they outcompete algae for nutrients. But if the nutrients in the water are in excess of what the plants need, then you can still get algae.
It's just a matter of finding a balance of the light and nutrients that your tank needs.
Ah thank you.. I am guilty of working too many hours and leaving their light on for too long more often than I know I should. I know I need to get an outlet timer but haven't made that happen yet.
The glow fish really seem to like the strange plant and hang out around and in it. Do you think it's safe to keep or should I take it out?
The glow fish really seem to like the strange plant and hang out around and in it. Do you think it's safe to keep or should I take it out?
Najas guadalupensis aka Guppy Grass, covered in Cyanobacteria. As others have said, hitchhiked in from something and is probably getting too much light.
Guppy grass can be very useful. Helps with water quality and fry, shrimp, snails... love it. But just be aware that it will grow like crazy and need to be kept in check, unless you like that kind of thing. Here's my 125 gallon tank after pulling out a solid 5 gallon bucket of Najas guadalupensis and Ceratophyllum demersum. Still has about 7-9" worth of floating growth.
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Guppy grass can be very useful. Helps with water quality and fry, shrimp, snails... love it. But just be aware that it will grow like crazy and need to be kept in check, unless you like that kind of thing. Here's my 125 gallon tank after pulling out a solid 5 gallon bucket of Najas guadalupensis and Ceratophyllum demersum. Still has about 7-9" worth of floating growth.
THANK YOU! That looks exactly what it is! Thank you for solving the mystery! Should I be concerned about cyanobacteria 😳 I noticed new ones started popping up too. I'll keep watch on it because I only have a 20 gal tank 😔
Further update... get a light timer to solve the cyanobacteria 🤦♀️
Reducing the light will help with the cyanobacteria, but may not get rid of it. Nothing will really eat it so maybe just wipe/siphon out some here and there. There are chemicals you can use, but I've never bothered. Some people will say more water movement/agitation helps, but that hasn't been my experience. I've had it many times in many of my tanks. It just looks bad, but isn't dangerous to the tank.
If it were me, I'd get rid of it and replace it with a plant I chose myself. Live plants are really good for a tank and the fish love them. There are some really easy ones like guppy grass or anacharis.Ah thank you.. I am guilty of working too many hours and leaving their light on for too long more often than I know I should. I know I need to get an outlet timer but haven't made that happen yet.
The glow fish really seem to like the strange plant and hang out around and in it. Do you think it's safe to keep or should I take it out?
And IMO a light timer is essential. Not only does it help in fighting algae, but it's healthy for the fish to have consistent times for lighting. They have circadian rhythms too. Thing to remember is that fish don't have eyelids. So going from total darkness to light or vice versa can be very jarring for them. I have lights that I set to turn on low and gradually brighten and then ramp down. You can also make sure that the room is lit by daylight for at least 30 minutes before the tank light comes on and that there are room lights on at least 30 minutes after the tank lights go out.
Algae is the result of an imbalance. Too much light and/or nutrients in the tank. A timer helps because then you can control the light. Live plants are helpful because they outcompete the algae for nutrients. Overfeeding can put excess nutrients in the water so watch out for that.
Me neither. I have HOB filters and I attach baffles made of plastic water bottles to disperse the outflow. I have to replace those periodically because algae grows directly where the water hits the baffling. I don't have much algae in my tank. But the worst of it is the lip where the water pours out of the HOB filter.Reducing the light will help with the cyanobacteria, but may not get rid of it. Nothing will really eat it so maybe just wipe/siphon out some here and there. There are chemicals you can use, but I've never bothered. Some people will say more water movement/agitation helps, but that hasn't been my experience. I've had it many times in many of my tanks. It just looks bad, but isn't dangerous to the tank.
I wouldn't recommend a chemical fix for algae. Those chemicals can have effects on the fish and other livestock. And they don't address the root causes of algae in a tank.
Cyanobacteria may also be called blue green algae, but it is not an algae.
Flow, air, agitating the surface … won’t help with algae. If you’re having issues with algae close to the outlet of a HoB, maybe get some moss in that area if you like the look that is. Most moss will do well in/out of water in those situations.
Flow, air, agitating the surface … won’t help with algae. If you’re having issues with algae close to the outlet of a HoB, maybe get some moss in that area if you like the look that is. Most moss will do well in/out of water in those situations.
It's not particularly bad. I'm fortunate enough that that's the worst I see of algae or cyanobacteria in any of my tanks. I have a lot of fast growing floating plants that outcompete most algae for nutrients and I limit the duration and/or intensity of the lighting in my tanks.Cyanobacteria may also be called blue green algae, but it is not an algae.
Flow, air, agitating the surface … won’t help with algae. If you’re having issues with algae close to the outlet of a HoB, maybe get some moss in that area if you like the look that is. Most moss will do well in/out of water in those situations.
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