[bigbites]

Hey guys..I posted about my Vals having what looks like early onset of hair algae. It's not rapidly becoming a problem so I am not sure of the best solution..

My question is this.. should I just remove the VALs or chop them down to the based and let them grow back?

I'd hate to simply waste the money I spent on them, but I do not want to risk the integrity of my tank as it's a start up tank and things are beginning to grow nicely.

I have pics of the plant in question here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=593834

Please let me know what you think.. I don't want to act too fast and rip them out if this is salvageable.. and I can't seem to find via searching other solutions..

 

[koiboi]

Amano shrimp make quick work of that in my experiance.

 

[Chris_Produces]

Amano shrimp make quick work of that in my experiance.

Yeah I've heard the same thing. Never tried them out, but some buddies say they do.

 

[monty1819]

The longer stuff looks like hair algae, which you can pull out with tweezers. The short hairs are normal for vals

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

 

[bigbites]

Ok.. the Short hairs are what I was worried about.. THANK YOU.. I was hoping it was just a hairy plant.. I have been able to pluck the long ones out with Tweezers like you suggest..

Maybe I'll just keep at that for now and see if it stays in check.

I love the Shrimp idea..but my tank is just beginning to cycle... Im going to stock it up after I know we are in the clear.

 

[Raymond S.]

If there is too much of it(light) then just keeping the light down to 8 hrs a day might
not be enough, but it is the first place to start from.

 

[jrman83]

Seems like a lot of light for your tank. WPG doesn't work for your setup. You can cut your light period and you may also need to tweak your CO2. Getting your CO2 where it needs to be in a high light tank is tougher than what most people think. It is not just a matter getting to green on your drop checker.

If it is a new setup I would cut the light to 6hrs to get things growing good and move up from there. I doubt you will see much growth difference by cutting the time. Blasting with a lot of light for a long period of time in a tank with all new plants may not be the best if you are new to all of this.

 

[bigbites]

Seems like a lot of light for your tank. WPG doesn't work for your setup. You can cut your light period and you may also need to tweak your CO2. Getting your CO2 where it needs to be in a high light tank is tougher than what most people think. It is not just a matter getting to green on your drop checker.

If it is a new setup I would cut the light to 6hrs to get things growing good and move up from there. I doubt you will see much growth difference by cutting the time. Blasting with a lot of light for a long period of time in a tank with all new plants may not be the best if you are new to all of this.

Im going to try that.. are you thinking I might need MORE co2? I did get the drop checker to Green.. the damn hair Algae is starting to spread.. Im going to have to clean things up tomorrow.

 

[bigbites]

Ok.. with my light system I can turn two bulbs off.. I did that today and adjusted the Photoperiod to 6 hours.. I turned up the Co2 a bit as well.. will keep turn it up daily until I figure out what is pushing it and we'll see if that helps.

The hair algae is not out of control..but it bothers me none the less.. I want my plants to flourish.. I also did a 50% water change and we'll start the new EI dosing week again tomorrow.

Im starting to get discouraged.. my problem is I don't yet understand all the "rules" of light vs Co2 vs ferts

I see all these beautiful tanks and just shake my head as I go through the learning process..

 

[monty1819]

I wouldn't get discouraged, takes some time... plants need to adjust and learn the rules of your tank too...

As for the beautiful tanks on here, most don't take pics of their "ugly" stages :icon_wink

 

[bigbites]

lol Thanks Monty..

 

[fablau]

Don't be afraid to cut those bad leaves from your Vals, the plant will put out new growth. It is always better to discard leaves affected by algae. Increase water changes as much as you can (2x a week) and your plants will get better quickly.

 

[bigbites]

Well update for you guys.. I cut my Photo period back to 6 hours (7-1) and bumped my c02 a bit and everything is looking GREAT..

I have new growth on just about everything..some of my plants are still struggling but I'll keep an eye on them..

I even cut my Cryps back to the base a coule of weeks ago and it's going crazy now.. I'll post a pic later because I thought it was going to die..

hair algae is much weaker now.. just a few threads here and there..

Can I assume that if the tank is responding well to this.. that I should just keep it as is until it starts to demand more light?

 

[Raymond S.]

The amount of plants(and size of them)determines the amount of light needed.
Once they are growing stronger and get some size to them you can add more light.

 

[bigbites]

Thank you Ray.. I was assuming that was the rule of thumb..but glad you confirmed