Algae And Sword Plant Discoloured

I have had a 125l tank running for 8 months now. It has looked beautiful until the last couple of weeks. I have added nothing new and not changed the lighting.

Recently it has become clogged with whispy green algae and also my sword plant leaves are going dark and patchy. (see pics)

What could have gone wrong here? How can I reverse this? Do the sword plants need pruning right back?

Thanks

Felix

your swords are fine, just algae growing on it, you should wash the wood and try and scoop a lot of algae out of tank
swords will grow new leaves

Sgooosh said:

your swords are fine, just algae growing on it, you should wash the wood and try and scoop a lot of algae out of tank
swords will grow new leaves

Click to expand...

Thanks Sgooosh. How can I stop the algae growing in both the tank and on the swords? it seems to have bloomed out of no where recently.

"Problem" algae is due to an imbalance of light and nutrients. But I also think there is a nutrient deficiency in the swords. Are you using any fertilizer, liquid or substrate tab? How long is the light on each 24 hour period, and is it consistent (meaning, a timer so it is on/off at the same time each day)?

Things can change in an aquarium due to various factors.

Byron said:

"Problem" algae is due to an imbalance of light and nutrients. But I also think there is a nutrient deficiency in the swords. Are you using any fertilizer, liquid or substrate tab? How long is the light on each 24 hour period, and is it consistent (meaning, a timer so it is on/off at the same time each day)?

Things can change in an aquarium due to various factors.

Click to expand...

I'm not using any fertiliser for the swords, should I be? Also I have the light on a timer 6am to 6pm, is that too long? Thanks for your help

nmesmeric said:

I'm not using any fertiliser for the swords, should I be? Also I have the light on a timer 6am to 6pm, is that too long? Thanks for your help

Click to expand...

Yes to both questons. Definitely reduce the duration, it can go down to six hours with no issues, but I see signs that the light is on longer than the plants need it (have nutrients to balance) and that is likely the algae issue. Turn it back to maybe seven or eight...it can be any period provided it is continuous, so have it on when you are usually home to enjoy the aquarium.

However, swords are heavy feeders, and without some form of substrate fertilizers they tend to weaken. Flourish Tabs are an excellent one. I would go with these, rather than the liquid as that may feed the algae more.