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Re: Hair algae and Echinodorus leaves

<Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 07:47:05 -0500 (EST)
From: "Roger S. Miller" <rgrmill at rt66_com>
Subject: Thanks and low-tech hair algae

<snip>
Second, one of my kids has a 10 gallon tank lit with 1 15 watt GE PL/AQ
bulb (on for maybe 18 hours/day) and a little north light; UGF, no
fertilizer, no CO2.  She probably changes about 30%/month but she's a
little erratic that way.  She keeps a moderate fish load; a few danios
until they all dropped off at the age of 2 1/2 years, and now no danios,
but 6 juvenile tiger barbs and a dwarf frog.  She has C. wendtii, A.
barteri nana, H. polysperma, hornwort and (here's the problem) *lots* of
hair algae.

I've seen hair algae in similar tanks in sunlight, but never before with
only 15 watts of normal flourescents.  She puts a reasonable amount of
effort into the tank.  Any ideas how she can keep the hair algae down
without even larger applications of elbow grease?


Roger Miller

In Albuquerque, where its cool and sunny, and we're moving quickly into
the windy/dusty Martian Weather season.<Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 18:22:27 -0500>


IMHO it is likely a problem of nitrate/phosphate accumulating naturally
by the time: usually doing partial water change more frequently should
keep algae down.
I think your daughter's plants simply cannot absorb the over abundance
of N and probably P from decomposition because their slow metabolism.


<From: Dana Davies <weeber at flinet_com>
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #57
<snip>
My question is this: On all four of my amazon swords, I've noticed that
new leaf growth is longer and thinner than the pre-purchase leaves. I
don't fertilize, and everything else seems to be growing well. Are the
different-shaped leaves normal, or is this a sign of unbalanced water
chemistry.

Thanks,

Dana
weeber @ flinet.com>


good question, Dana.
I'm handling the same problem and only w/Echinodorus (bleheri in my case).
my substrate is fertilized with a tablet per plant every other week;
liquid fertilizer is added as well in the PMDD style and CO2 is provided by
a yeast reactor. since all other plants are doing well and are low 
light demanding
I suppose it is a matter of light so that's why I'm thinking to add an 
additional tube.
I too was thinking whether the water chemistry could have anything to do.
now, thinking better, one plant sprouted a new leaf that's deforming, 
like twisting
on itself but with a side shorter than the opposite (I can't expalin better).
if I remember well, such a behaviour might be related to a lack of Calcium (??)
I know my water is fairly high in hardness so?? Hope someone has a better idea.
--Alex