Re: Crypt holes & ugly algae

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Rachel Sandage, who asks the best questions on the list, said:

> Can anyone tell me why my older crypt leaves get these holes:
>
http://groups.msn.com/rsfish/problems.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=43

These look like the holes that my bristlenose leaves when it grazes too
long in one place.  It tneds to do this only on leaves that have more
rather than less algae -- i.e., the older leaves.

Also, it seems like crypt leaves don't like to be touched much,
especially when not well established.  This might be an old myth but
it's a situation that, for all appearances, is testable and repeatable.

> 
> And why older leaves on many of my plants have these green spots with
> black 
> edges:
>
http://groups.msn.com/rsfish/problems.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=44
> 

I'll hazard this guess:
This appears to be algae (hot news, right?) -- enough has grown to
become visible.  This happens because the leaves have been around for a
long time.  Newer leaves, indeed most of your tank, may seem algae free
yet this will appear on older leaf surfaces.  Keep the plants healthy
in general, prune away older leaves if you can without mussing up the
rest of the crypt leaves.  I find that once a stand of crypt gets  well
established, it better suffers the abuses of pruning, yanking, etc.

Maybe (hopefully) a real cryptologist can better decipher the situation
for you.

Scott H.

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