[jimtony63]

I keep getting a coating of algae on my Amazon sword's leaves. Any advice? I have siamese algae eaters in the tank but they don't seem to be taking care of the problem. I've started to remove the algae from the leaves with my fingers but I don't know if this will hurt the plant. The algae looks like the brown kind, which is strange because there is plenty of light in the tank and I thought that type of algae thrived in low light conditions. Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

 

[gnomemagi]

^^ I have the same at the moment in high light conditions - I think it is coming from some sort of excessive nutrient.

I have a 90G mildy planted at the moment and I got 7 ottos - I'm lucky at the moment because my cichlids don't see them as a food source. They are doing a great job cleaning that stuff up - I would recommend them if you have suitable tankmates.

 

[Noahma]

is this a newish setup? It could be Diatoms. If it is, they will eventually clear up. Just keep wiping it off the plants.

 

[DavidZ]

any pics, if mild Diatoms Otos will do a greeat job, you might not have the real SAE

 

[Franzi]

If your tank is full of swords, stick with root fertilizer tabs since that's where they get the majority of their nutrients. Liquid ferts mainly feed the algae.

 

[carlstreeter]

I agree with Franzi. Since I put in root tabs, my swords grow so fast that there's no time for algae to attach itself. I have GSA on other plants, but not on the swords.

 

[jimtony63]

Thanks - I'll try your suggestions!