Algae problem starting to pick up speed

[Mustang5L5]

I set up my tank around the 2nd week of January. It's been planted ever since. About 3 weeks ago i increased my light output to about 2.1 WPG. I am not dosing ferts and am not running CO2 at this time.

I have typical plants suck as anacharis, amazon sword, java fern, banana lily, dwaft lilly, crypt wendii, bacopa and a melon sword. All the plants are growing well and healthy after about 3.5 months.

Only problem is a slight growth of what i beleive is algae on my tank walls, OLD plant growth and my driftwood. The gravel is relatively clean. The growth is brown in color, about 2mm in lenght and looks like a strand of hair. On my driftwood it grows so dense it looks like a fuzz swaying in the current. It also grows back fast. If i clean my tank walls it will appear in a few days and start to grow again.

FOr algae control i have 5 ottos and about 50 snails (MTS, small ramshorn and pond) and they don't seem to make a dent in it at all. The ottos always seem full and happy.

I run my lights for about 12 hours a day. Lately since the growth has taken off i've cut back to 8-9 every day

Like i said, the plants are growing well and the algae on the driftwood actually looks good right now and the tank walls are not that hard to clean. It's just he growth on older plant leaves that bothers me.

Anyway to properly identify this type of algae and curte the problem? Someone mentioned to me it might be diatoms.

The growth spurt seemed to have started around the time i upped my light output from 0.5WPG to 2.1WPG. I was running CO2 before but stopped at the same time i upped my light output since i was told i didn't really need it.

[trenac]

What are your water parimeters like KH, N03, P04, PH etc.? What type lighting do you have?

[Rolo]

Well the problem obviously seems to be your increased lighting. We need your parameters as trenac asked. You probabley should get the CO2 going again.

[Mustang5L5]

I have about 80W flourescent lighting on a tall 24" tank.

Water params i'll have to get back to you on, need to do an updated test.

[Mustang5L5]

Well after a bit of research it is Brown Algea

[Buck]

It's just he growth on older plant leaves that bothers me.

Its to be expected with your plant list...I am suspecting more the swords and older crypt leaves you are speaking of with regards to algae. All plants need pruning, as a plant matures the older growth gives way to the newer growth to keep the plant alive, its called survival. Most of the nutrients ( which you allready admit to not supplying) are used to keep the plant "alive", which is the new growth. When "enough" nutrients are available to the plant it will sustain the older growth as well as the new to survive.

Think of it this way... if you only eat enough food to "survive" and have no energy.... would you waste that little bit of energy that you mustered on a run around the block ? :roll:

I am not dosing ferts and am not running CO2 at this time

Feed them plants.... :lol:

[Mustang5L5]

Well perhaps "older plant growth" is the wrong term to use.

Actually my crypts and my amazon sword are not affected at all. It's mainly all over my Red Melon Sword and my Anacharis and all over the driftwood in my tank. I mean it's by no means a bad outbreak, but i want to stop it before it gets out of control if ya know what i mean.

Basically any plant growth over a week had this stuff on it. My Anacharis is growing like crazy so not all the new sprouts are covered since they are growing 2-3" a day. It seems like every weekend i'm cutting off sprouts that reach the top of the tank and replanting them. But i've looked at sprouts that are a week old and they are starting to get this stuff on them. The main stalks that i uses to transplant to my tank have long since been covered. They are still healthy though.

Nothing is dying in my tank. Everything is growing well. Fastest growing plants right now are the Anacharis and the Amazon sword. But like i said, nothing really on that sword but the anacharis is getting covered. The Red melon sword is growing well but all the established leaves have a slight brown fuzz on them.

I've since gotten my hands on some fertilizers and root tabs for the swords and started up my CO2 again. I've also cut back on feeding my fish. I was not overfeeding before, but wouldn't hurt to see if that does anything. There is not much fish mulm in the tank. It breaks down pretty quickly. I do a 20% water change weekly and quickly vacuum the bare gravel areas and don't usually pick up too much. Water has the normal humid smell but no odors at all really.

I have 6 ottos now and they seem to really love the stuff. At night they go nuts on it but they don't make a dent.