How can I discourage staghorn algae?

[Irksome]

Assuming that it is staghorn.... I have had it in low quantities for a while but recently it has started to cover the leaves of my newest plants. It doesn’t come off of the leaves here it is established. I am not adding liquid fertiliser, lights are on for 6-8 hours and are medium intensity. Water changes with sand vacuuming happen 2-4 times a week. Can anyone suggest a water change/lighting/fertiliser regime that may help?

 

[seangee]

What plants do you have? Liquid fertiliser may actually help. Adding more plants will almost certainly help.
Another possible cause is that your lights are too bright for the plants you have. You don't really want to reduce it below 6 hours but may need to dim it, either by using a dimmer or by adding floating plants which will filter the light. I used to see this regularly in my community tank before I added the frogbit (more plants + reduced light intensity). Haven't seen any for ages.

 

[Irksome]

What plants do you have? Liquid fertiliser may actually help. Adding more plants will almost certainly help.
Another possible cause is that your lights are too bright for the plants you have. You don't really want to reduce it below 6 hours but may need to dim it, either by using a dimmer or by adding floating plants which will filter the light. I used to see this regularly in my community tank before I added the frogbit (more plants + reduced light intensity). Haven't seen any for ages.

Thankyou for this advice. There isn’t much space for more plants. The plants I have in the 10 gallon are limnophila, hygrophila difformis, hygrophila polysperma, Brazilian pennywort. There is frogbit but it is small and sparse. The other tank is 6 gallon and has African water fern, rotala rotundifolia, hygro polysperma, susswasatang, pennywort and some Asian salvinia, this tank also has problem slime algae that I am working on that is affecting the floating plants.

 

[seangee]

I would try ferts. Seachem comprehensive supplement or TNC lite (don't use the complete) at the recommended dosage once a week. You have some fast growing plants and the logic behind this is that if you can stimulate the growth of those plants they will out compete the problem algae and starve them.