Algae and spotty java fern

Byron said:

Two different things, one good the other less so. The black spots in rows on the underside of the fronds (= leaves, but being a true fern they are called fronds) are spores from which new plants may grow. Not a problem.

There is black brush algae on some of the leaves in the first photo. Problem algae, whatever species, is caused by an imbalance of light/nutrients, and it is resolved by restoring or establishing that balance. The light intensity and spectrum are important (the duration can be altered but it does not compensate for problems with intensity or spectrum if these exist), and the available nutrients which come from fish being fed, water changes and any plant additives. Any data on the light and plant fertilizers?

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Rocky998 said:

Yes, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and ph... Also, algae can be a great sign of life in an aquarium but can easly be scrubbed off the glass

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Lamie said:

That's good then. I'm glad. Yes. I haven't checked the levels for a few weeks. I will do that today. Thanks

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Lamie said:

That's good then. I'm glad. Yes. I haven't checked the levels for a few weeks. I will do that today. Thanks

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Rocky998 said:

Could we see some pictures and what is your tank parameters?

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Byron said:

Two different things, one good the other less so. The black spots in rows on the underside of the fronds (= leaves, but being a true fern they are called fronds) are spores from which new plants may grow. Not a problem.

There is black brush algae on some of the leaves in the first photo. Problem algae, whatever species, is caused by an imbalance of light/nutrients, and it is resolved by restoring or establishing that balance. The light intensity and spectrum are important (the duration can be altered but it does not compensate for problems with intensity or spectrum if these exist), and the available nutrients which come from fish being fed, water changes and any plant additives. Any data on the light and plant fertilizers?

Click to expand...

Byron said:

Two different things, one good the other less so. The black spots in rows on the underside of the fronds (= leaves, but being a true fern they are called fronds) are spores from which new plants may grow. Not a problem.

There is black brush algae on some of the leaves in the first photo. Problem algae, whatever species, is caused by an imbalance of light/nutrients, and it is resolved by restoring or establishing that balance. The light intensity and spectrum are important (the duration can be altered but it does not compensate for problems with intensity or spectrum if these exist), and the available nutrients which come from fish being fed, water changes and any plant additives. Any data on the light and plant fertilizers?

Click to expand...

Bruce Leyland-Jones said:

...And don't forget to address the causes of algae in your tank.

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Bruce Leyland-Jones said:

Visit your local supermarkets girly make-up section and buy a pair of the sharpest* scissors they have.
You can then use these to trim plants in future and, in this instance, you can either remove the leaves or just the edges.
(NOTE the correct comment about spores above).

*Sharp scissors are necessary, to avoid crushing plant material.

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itiwhetu said:

The more plant you have the less algae you will have. Get your tank to over 50% plant and your algae problems will go away.

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Lamie said:

That's the problem. I just don't know what the cause is. I checked the parameters today. All fine(I think). No direct sunlight. Bit of indirect sunlight. But maybe it's the nutrients and I just don't know what. Thanks

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Rocky998 said:

I do not know how to "kill" off algae in an aquarium so I'll let others give some tips on that.

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• More real plants.
• Less organic waste.
• Less light duration.

Bruce Leyland-Jones said:

• More real plants.
• Less organic waste.
• Less light duration.

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Lamie said:

That's the problem. I just don't know what the cause is. I checked the parameters today. All fine(I think). No direct sunlight. Bit of indirect sunlight. But maybe it's the nutrients and I just don't know what. Thanks

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Byron said:

I mentioned the cause, it is an imbalance. To sort this out we need to know the light data--intensity, spectrum (the Kelvin rating), how long the light is on each day, and is it consistent by using a timer or ad hoc. All of these lighting factors are important. As for the nutrients in balance, are you using any fertilizer? What is the GH of your water?

Do not use hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer that has been used under field conditions to control I. multifiliis. High doses can cause gill damage leading to fish mortality (especially at high temperatures) (Schmidt et al. 2006; Noga, 2010). Some may argue that "high doses" would not apply, but that is no reason (and may not be true anyway) to risk fish when there are safer methods.

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