[SwissCheeseHead]

My tank is a 36 gallon bow front tank that has been set up for about 3 1/2 - 4 months. It's a low tech tank that has a 30" Finnex planted +, PFS substrate and lots of low light plants that include wisteria, anubias, amazon swords, bacopa, ludwigia, java moss, java fern, Vals, etc. I would consider it moderately plated at least.

I dose with Seachem Flourish 2x a week at recommended dosage. Also dose with Excel at recommended dosage. I do a pwc once a week at 40%

BBA is getting all over my plants and I've been dealing with it since the beginning. There is new growth on my plants but they eventually get covered up with BBA.

This is not a picture of my plant but is looks similar to this, but not nearly as heavy. It is on all of my plants.

I have a 5.5 gallon tank that is low tech also, that's been set up for a month with eco complete, Osmocote+ in the substrate, Excel daily, with similar plants, but no algae on that one. I do not dose Flourish.

Any thoughts?

 

[g4search]

SwissCheeseHead,

it is difficult to know what you are dealing with if you don't show your own picture!! The gray "BBA" in the picture shown is not an algae, but a fungus. If you remove the dead plant material (wood) that the fungus thrives on, it will disappear quickly.

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

I'll upload something today when I get home.

Attached are some pics of my plants. Any insight will be appreciated!

 

[houseofcards]

How strong is your light, how many hours has it been running from the getgo?

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

I'm not sure how strong it is from the top of my head. The light is on from 9-noon, then from 5-9pm, so 7 hrs total.

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

There isn't any solid PAR data, but it would fall under low light conditions, I think. From what I saw, it was around 60 in the center at 18 inches. I would be around there if anything. That was one reading done by one person.

 

[JJ09]

If it's 60 par I think that's too much- somewhere on here there are several threads giving what par values constitute what light levels. I think for low-tech you want it more like 40par. I would cut your photoperiod back and hour, or diffuse the light (raise it, put a screen or sheet of plastic between light and tank, etc).

Both my tanks are low tech. I always had some algae until I cut the light back considerably. Now my ten-gallon doesn't have any visible algae at all. My bigger tank I'm still working on getting a balance...

 

[houseofcards]

For arguments sake if your at 60 par then your at least medium light. That would be a problem if your running a full light cycle and not giving the plants what they need. Your not dosing anything but Flourish and Excel. If you've had this issue very quickly that's usually a lighting issue with not enough uptake from the plants.

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

So raising the light or cutting another hour of photoperiod. How long would it take If I were to see results? A week or more?

I'll reduce it to 6 hrs since I have no way to diffuse or raise the light beyond the stock stands.