My First Foray into Live Plants

[Azhael]

Lovely!!!
I love natural plants (i´m a bit of a botanic nerd...), and the more the better!
The tank looks great, and i´m sure you´ve already experienced the advantages of using live plants.

 

[blueberlin]

Lovely!!!
... i´m sure you´ve already experienced the advantages of using live plants.

Thanks - indeed I have. I may have already mentioned one of them: my husband now stands staring into the tanks, which is new. Nice to have him quiet and in one place for awhile.

Now I am experiencing the joys of algae. Today I have come to the decision simply to find it pretty.

-Eva

 

[Jadore axolotl]

just my two cents Eva but when i want to get rid of algae (especially hair algae) in my aquarium i use Hydrogen Peroxide, i use 1ml per 10 litres as overdose will kill your plants and fish. i am not sure if this is axie safe though...

 

[blueberlin]

That is an interesting thought indeed. If anybody else happens to read this, maybe they have an idea? I know that peroxide is pretty nasty on a mucus membrane (never snort it!) (don't ask how I know that) and wasn't it Charlie Parker who swallowed it..? So possibly it could hurt an axolotl.

The hair algae (sounds like the right name for the one I mean, it anchors onto the edges of leaves and grows long) is the one I decided to accept as pretty, because the only treatment I have heard of so far is to pluck off the affected leaves. If you look at the above pics, you can see by the little dots that pretty much all of the plants have it now.

-Eva

 

[supergrappler]

When your tank gets more settled in you will find that your plants will start out competing the algae for nutrients. Some plants like anubias are slow growers and can get covered in algae. This can eventually lead to a dead or very unhealthy plant. I try not to leave my lights on more than 10 hours at a time. This way my plants are healthy and it deters algae growth, especially during the first few weeks of planting.

 

[blueberlin]

Hi supergrappler,

Thanks for that. My theory is that there are too many nutrients (due to infrequent wter changes in the last stage of cycling) and too much light. I have reduced the hours of light and am hoping for what you wrote - that the higher plants will soon be established enough that the algae don't get enough nutrients.

The tank plantings are between 3 and 2 months old.

Question: Should I be wiping off each plant leaf to remove the brown algae or will the plants manage this on their own?

Thanks,

-Eva

 

[Jadore axolotl]

i never take it of of my real plants, too afraid i'll damage them. i do however take it off of the tanks sides with a magnet cleaner thing and i take out the fake plants, put them in boiling water and when i put them back in the fish eat all the dead/cooked algae but i am not sure how that would work in an axie tank! then i add the peroxide to kill of anything else like on the gravel and the live plants.

 

[ferret_corner]

hey eva!! I try to rub the flak and crappola off all my leaves. Getting the debris off helps them stay healthy. Mine haven't developed those hard green spots but they did come with some. I scratched off what I could with my nails, for larger healthier plants if the leaf was really engulfed with it, I cut it off. its not doing the plant any good anyway.

After that site I sent - I've been scrutinizing my plants and snipping off any leaves showing decay. Can't say the plants are all that attractive but they look healthy.

 

[supergrappler]

I am not an aquarium expert, but in my experience I would say yes. Actually I never got too detailed in terms of algae eradication. I mean I dont scrub each nook and cranny with a toothbrush, but I do try to scrape the stuff off, or sometimes I can even remove it with a turkey baster depending on the algae type. Scientifically there are a plethora of variables which affect algae growth. But I usually just try to take the middle road and adjust accordingly.

I have no problems growing aquatic plants, but I cant keep duck weed alive for the life of me. Go figure huh? :ufo: