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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #1437


>
>Hello!
>
>I have subscribed to the mail list for about 7 months and now I need
>someone's help. I've checked the archive on something going on in my tank
>and I'm not sure whether it is a disease or not.
>
>My bulb-type plants have an ever-increasing number of black dots that are
>hard to the touch and cannot be scraped off.
>
>As I am new to plants in aquariums, I don't have all the names for the
>plants, so here is a picture of the plant in question.  It can be found at
>http://members.home.net/grantmiller/myplants.html. Any help with this
>question would be of great help.  I've also included pictures of all of my
>plants. Is there anyone who could name them for me? I buy them from a
>wonderful little Chinese lady here in Vancouver, BC and I can never
>understand the names she gives me - with the exception of my Java Fern!
>
>Here are my tank stats for your diagnosis:
>
>- - 48 gallon community tank with tetras, clown loaches, etc.
>- - no snails that I know of
>- - I have a DIY co2 injector (pop bottle variety)
>- - 1 40w power glow fluorescent light
>- - PH is 6.6, ammonia 0 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, kH 2, gH 3.
>- - I do a 1/3 water change each week and add 2 teaspoons of liquid plant
>fertilizer at that time (Aquatic Stuff Plant Fertilizer)
>- - I feed the fish only once a day
>- - The light is on from 7:00 am to 10-11:00 pm.
>- - Temperature is 26C or 78F
>
>Thank you so much.
>
>Grant Miller
>grantmiller at home_com
>(an enthusiastic Newbie to aquatic plants)
>
Looks like green spot algae to me. CO2 is low or you haven't kept up on the
yeast changes will bring GS algae on and also there are so other causes for
this algae. Plant growth isn't up to snuff etc(you do have only less than 1
watt/per gallon) Too much NO3 too much fertilizer etc(this isn't the problem
in your case). It's a hard one to completely get rid of. A smattering on the
glass after a week or two is quite normal in many folk's tanks.

1# looks like Hygrophila polysperma 
2# looks like a plam tree    ......get rid of it, it's a terrestrial plant
and will die.
Don't feel bad, I tried to make it grow underwater too<g> a few years back.
3#Bulb plant Aponogeton ulvaceus good growth and a very nice plant in your
tank I suspect.
4# is A crinum or onion plant. Gets GS algae easily.

You could do well to add more plants and lower your lighting times
(10-12hrs/day), light is on the lower side consider adding another 40watt
bulb only for a 80 watt total. perhaps a Chroma 50 etc. would be a good
choice.
Check into getting some more plants and more light. GS is extremely hard to
remove once on leaves. Trimming then off is about the best way to get rid of
it and keeping conditions good so it doesn't come back again.

 If you live in BC there are good people in the local societies that can
mentor you some on plant tanks. This is the best way to get a good start.
Ask them for help also.
Regards, 
Tom Barr