Keeping clean Anubias

[discus lover]

Hello everybody,

I have 100 gal. Discus thank planted with Anubias. So far it is the only plant I have found to really grow at 29-30 degree celcius.
The problem is that alga is covering the leaves causing them to look dark in color (brown to black). The problem is not occurring in my other tank where the temperature is lower (23-25c) and has the same lithning (power glow). Other than that there is no alga in my tank except the usual cleaning of the glass.

Lights are on 8 hours a day and my plants are growing slowly but steady. Is there something I can do to get rid of this alga on my plants ?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[discuspaul]

Don't know if this would help, but I've grown Anubias in my discus tanks (& other tanks) without attracting much if any of that algae you describe.
Even though PAR is now commonly cited & used to determine adequate or excess light intensity, I still find it very useful as a guide, at least for discus tanks which I maintain low-tech, to use no more than approx. 1 watt per gallon, and reduce the daily lighting period to no more than 6-7 hours.
For example, in my 75 gal discus tank, my lighting is 2 X 39w - T5HO bulbs - 6 hrs./day, with no algae accumulating on the Anubias (or any other plants for that matter).

Are your Anubias growing on driftwood ? If so, remove them & give the Anubia leaves a mist bath with H202 (hydrogen peroxide) for 15-20 minutes, then rinse & use paper towelling or some such to remove the dark blackish algae as best you can. Then replace the plants which should now be fairly clean to start over fresh. You may lose a few leaves at first but it shouldn't take long for the Anubias to resume their good looks & growth, if your lighting intensity is moderate and your lighting period lower than it is now.
Hope this helps.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/FTS-Osaka260/CopyofFTS-saka260007.jpg (http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/discuspaul/media/FTS-Osaka260/CopyofFTS-saka260007.jpg.html)

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Anubias/Anubias003_zps6f68a745.jpg (http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/discuspaul/media/Anubias/Anubias003_zps6f68a745.jpg.html)

[discuspaul]

P.S.
Double click on the photos to get full tank shots.

[discus lover]

Thank you for the answer,

Your tank is real nice.
I will reduce the lightning period. I have two neon of 40w t8 powerglow, they are maybe on the strong side.

You have so nice plants, apart from the anubias the plants i put in my tank grow for about two months and stop for eventually decay. Do you put something in the water ?

[discuspaul]

I use root tab ferts in the sand substrate for the rooted plants, and the occasional (once weekly) modest dosing of liquid ferts & Excel for the Anubias, although I feel the replenishment of minerals that come with large, frequent wcs contribute sufficiently to the Anubias' growth.

[discus lover]

4359843598Thank you discuspaul,

You seem to have the same taste as me in aquarium, discus in a nice planted environment.

I cleaned my anubias as you told me but i did'nt use peroxyde because i did'nt have some and by fear of putting chemical in my tank. I am very cautious with my discus.

You probably have a lot to teach me. I'm keeping discus in my tank for only a year.
Here are some pics of my tank and anubia once cleaned. I have 17 discus and 3 angels. I fear my tank might be overloaded and i'd like your opinion on that.

I'm looking forward to try the fertilizer tabs you talked to me about for some type of nice looking roots type plants. Hopefully it is going to prevent them from decaying.

[discuspaul]

Overstocked ?
Really depends on the size of your discus and angels.
Can't tell their size from your photos, but if the discus are in or near the 4" range, then I would say yes, you are overstocked for a 100 gal tank.
What's your water change routine like - i.e. frequency & volume ?
I find that a good compromise temp to keep discus & plants doing well is to maintain tank temp @ no more than 28 Celsius - 82 F.
Any higher than that and plants will not do very well.

[discus lover]

My discus are about4'' in average, a couple are 3'' and 5'' My 3 angels are 5-6''
I change 33% of the water every 3 days and vacuum the gravel once a week.

I lower the temp from 29-30 to 28c.
I might buy some new plants, i'm not sure because it prevent me from vacuuming all the bottom and dirt accumulate around the plants. With the anubias it is not a problem since i move them once in a while.

[fishmommie]

beautiful tanks, both of you

And good info on the algae vs annubias issue. I cannot keep annubias in my 90 gal rainbow tank as it is constantly covered in algae. Moved it to my 30 gal and it's algae free. The difference in the tanks are led lights (90) vs fluorescent lights (30). More par in the leds?

[Boundava]

More par in the leds?
I believe so...

[DrNic]

I'm having the exact same issue with my anubias and I'm glad to see this thread. I've got about 25-30 plants in various places around my 75G and they're covered in a combination of green and black spot algae. The black seems to be around the edges of the leaves with the green in the middle. New leaves come out green and clean but it doesn't take long before they're covered in the stuff. The leaves look horrible. Ironically I have NONE of the algae on my glass where I usually have this kind of problem.

I'm currently running 2xT8 6500K fluorescent bulbs on ~10 hours a day and do a 30% water change weekly. Next time I get a chance I will definitely try spraying them down with peroxide and reducing the light time down a bit.

What % peroxide are you using? I think there are 2 or 3 different %s available at the store.