5 gal tank just exploded with algae (kind of) could use help

[tabletopfishguy]

So essentially I have a 5 gallon planted tank with some mopani wood java moss, some buce and annubias, and running fluval stratum. Today I came home from work today to notice greenish/yellow algae covering my tanks substrate, seiryu stone and my driftoood this tank is very new (only a week old) and Im planning to put neos into it sometime by the end of this month or next month. Is it possible this bloom is from my light? Ive seen brown algae before but this doesn’t look like it, I rarely run into algae so im really stumped, tank has also been dosed with aqueon shrimp essentials and easy green by aq co-op. (switching to slaty shrimp gh/kh+ soon)

 

[Colin_T]

It's from the substrate, nutrients and light and no real aquatic plants to use that stuff.

You don't need a plant substrate fullstop, and certainly not when you have Spathyphyllum or Anubias or whatever they are in the tank. They are terrestrial plants that don't grow fast when kept underwater.

You don't need much light for those plants and you don't need to add much if any fertiliser for them.

If you want to keep the substrate, I would suggest adding true aquatic plants like Ambulia and Vallis; and marsh plants like Hygrophilla ruba and polysperma, and Echinodorus swordplants.

If you don't want to add those plants, get some floating plants like Water Sprite or Red Root Floaters and they will shade the substrate, use the nutrients, and significantly reduce algae problems.

 

[tabletopfishguy]

It's from the substrate, nutrients and light and no real aquatic plants to use that stuff.

You don't need a plant substrate fullstop, and certainly not when you have Spathyphyllum or Anubias or whatever they are in the tank. They are terrestrial plants that don't grow fast when kept underwater.

You don't need much light for those plants and you don't need to add much if any fertiliser for them.

If you want to keep the substrate, I would suggest adding true aquatic plants like Ambulia and Vallis; and marsh plants like Hygrophilla ruba and polysperma, and Echinodorus swordplants.

If you don't want to add those plants, get some floating plants like Water Sprite or Red Root Floaters and they will shade the substrate, use the nutrients, and significantly reduce algae problems.

So Im completely unsure if it matters which is why j forgot to mention but there js a BABY am sword finally starting to pick up on some growth in this tank (was in a different tanks but was just kind of sitting without growth until replanting) So there is that, But Ill most likely end up adding another sword somewhere in the tank since i have one readily available already, going to temporarily stop liquid dosing and cut a water 25% change. Thanks for the tips! I figured there was too much of something going of for the bloom to spark up, I should have just went with a completely inert unfertilized substrt. fell into the trap of (fluval stratum is perfect for any planted shrimp tank) which is a fair mistake. Regardless more research would have prevented this, again thanks!

 

[Mikeyboy123]

Agree, with the plants you've got you just don't need the aquasoil. As Colin says, the algae is most likely due to too much nutrient.

I'd get rid of it but if you want to keep it then get a load of fast growers in there and perhaps the algae will reduce in time.

I'd add a vallis and a bunch of egeria densa at the back and see how it goes over the next few months. If things stabilise out and the algae ceases to be problematic then great. If not, then a new approach may be required.

Keep us posted on how it's going.