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Re: Pruning Vallisneria



Just to give my 2 cents, be careful in cutting back the Vals.
I had an overgrowth of Vals in a new tank (It looked more like a jungle than 
anything).  So instead of pruning, I started removing about half of the Vals to 
thin out the tank.

Within a week I had hair algae and green algae all over the tank.  Started 
combating with regular water changes etc. but nothing worked.  Two weeks later, 
I put in a bunch of riccia flutanis (floating) and cordoned it off to a 
corner.  Within a week, the hair algae stopped, and the riccia was overgrowing.

My conclusion is that the tank had a lot of nitrates/phosphates (I was 
experimenting with a new hydroponic fertiliser) and the Vals apparently enjoyed 
the nutrients and removed as much as they could.  When the Vals were removed, 
the algae took over.  Placing riccia into the tank absorbed most of the excess 
nitrates etc. and maintained stability.  Now, I'm stuck with the problem of 
getting my annubias back into shape with the removal of all the green spots.

Rodney
(rdorvill at sp_ac.sg)