So New Light = Algae Problems. Who Would Have Guessed? Also Plant Questions.

[Kyle E.]

So I got a new Nicrew LED light to replace my old crappy non plant rated fluorescent. Needless to say my plants did not grow with the old light and they are much happier with the new one. However, I have noticed that the algae growth rate is a tad bit faster than it was before. And by a tad I mean a lot. Pictures 3 and 4 are this algae. I believe it is called green spot algae and it is the only algae I have ever had in my aquarium.

So I do not use any fertilizers (yet) and I have an amazon sword, dwarf hairgrass, and frogbit in the tank. Yeah no wonder my plants weren't growing before right?

So the frogbit has now started growing roots as you can see in picture 2, but the leaves are still yellow. I set up the new light on Christmas day. Has it just not had enough time to green up yet? Or is there another problem that is the reason they are yellow? They were in the tank for a few weeks before I got the new light and not doing so well so it could just be that it hasn't recovered yet.

The amazon sword and the hairgrass haven't really done anything besides pearling like crazy the first day the light was put on the tank and the occasional bubble now and again in the consecutive days.

So this combined with the algae makes me think I need to fertilize, right? Algae is caused by an imbalance in CO2, lighting, and nutrients so if I have too much light then I need more nutrients right? Is this the reason for the plant problems and the algae?

I want to get aquarium co-op easy green as my fertilizer. Do I really need the root tabs AND the liquid? I have some api root tabs left but I hear they are next to useless so I kinda stopped using them. They didn't seem to do much anyway.

To recap the questions as I find people forget some of them when they are buried in the paragraphs:
1. Why are the frogbit leaves yellow?
2. Is fertilization (or lack thereof) the reason behind the algae and plants not doing so great?
3. Are both root tabs and liquid necessary or would one suffice?

 

[eatyourpeas]

How many hours is the light on?

Based on your pictures, the algae appears to grow on the clay pot part that is not shaded by the frogbit. This makes me think you may need to cut the time a little.

What is the source of nutrients in the tank at the moment? Fish poo?

Added later: When I first got my Nicrew it took a little tweaking until I got the number of hours right. If you do not have nutrients in the substrate, tabs for the rooted plants and liquid ferts for the floaters are helpful. But I waited until I got the light timing resolved and then added Seachem root tabs (replace every three months) as well as Seachem Flourish and API Leaf Zone once a month. Very little to no algae.

 

[Kyle E.]

Yes the current nutrient source is fish poo. The gravel is not gravel vaced due to the hairgrass so it should be kinda nutrientish but not really.

The light timing is probably bad I didn't think about that. It is ahh variable to say the least. I turn it on when I get up, usually like 10:30am and turn it off when I go to bed, maybe 12:00am. This changes though depending on what's going on that day, etc. I might try turning it off earlier. The problem is that the tank is in my bedroom and so as I come in and out the room light would be turned on/off constantly. Would this be a problem?

 

[AilyNC]

Reduce light to 8 hrs. Can you adjust intensity too? I leave my nicrew on 50% and the plants for well.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Are you injecting co2? Presumed you are if the hair grass is pearling. If so, you'll need to provide a liquid fertilizer. Fiah waste alone won't suffice if you're injecting

 

[Fishiemang]

Get a bristlenose = problem solved.

My lights are on 16 hours a day. Blue "moonlight" all night. Pleco's devour the algae. Win win.

 

[Kyle E.]

@AilyNC No the intensity is not adjustable.

@mbsqw1d No I am not doing CO2. The hairgrass WAS pearling but not nearly as much as the sword, which had a constant stream of bubbles which at one point were so frequent it was a solid line with no way to tell apart individual bubbles. Like I said they now don't pearl much, that was just the first day.

@Fishiemang I didn't think you could fit a bristlenose in a 29 gallon. Maybe a clown pleco? But they need driftwood which I don't have. I would rather balance the inputs than just add critters to fix it I guess.

Can anyone comment on the fertilization? Could this be partially responsible for the algae along with too much light? Also I assume I will need to fertilize if I want my plants to grow anyway, correct?

 

[eatyourpeas]

I have the same light, but have it on a timer for 8 hours a day. Make sure the room light is on before the tank light comes on if you can, that way it won't startle the fish. Same at night, leave the room light on for a bit before and after the tank light goes off.

On the ferts, wait to see how the algae behaves once you adjust the light timing. Fertilizers will help with growth of plants, so they can be added once the algae is under control. A little algae is not a problem, but you do not want it to take over.

Ostracods are great algae eaters, so if you can put some in, your algae will be gone quickly.

 

[Kyle E.]

Hmm ok. I will try to get the lighting under control and then I will see.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Ferts are a must IMO, co2 injection or not. Plants dont get the micro nutrients they require from tap water alone. Seachem's Flourish is a reputable option. Dosing will take some working out, you can't really go off the bottle as everyone's planted tank is different.

 

[Kyle E.]

Ok I think I will go with aquarium co op easy green and not seachem flourish.

 

[StevenF]

The yellow leaves on the frog bit are an indication of a nutrient deficiency, Could be nitrogen, iron , Calcium or something else. It is often difficult to determine which nutrient is the problem by just looking at pictures. Generally algae needs very little in the way of nutrients to grow. Plants however need a lot more. generally if you fertilization is correct plants will do well while algae struggles. Pearling is a good indication your plants are getting enough nutrients but the more light you have the faster they consume nutrients.

Keep in mind there the are 14 nutrients plants if any one is missing your plant growth will slow, eventually stop, and then the plant may die. A shortage on any one can plant growth problems and trigger rapid algae growth.

 

[Kyle E.]

Hmm gotcha. It definitely sounds like I need to fertilize. Thanks for your help guys and I will update when something happens, hopefully for the better lol.

 

[Fishiemang]

You most.certainly can 'fit' a bristlenose in a 29 gallon. It would live it's entire life in there happily. They only get 4 inches long....give or take a half inch....

 

[Essjay]

It is better to find the cause of a problem and rectify that rather than get a fish you may not want just control a problem. It's fine to get a fish which also controls a problem if you want the fish for itself, but not if you don't really want it.