Thinking of uplanting our 75 gallon

[labnjab]

We've had nothing but algae problems with this tank since we started it in Febuar. Hair algae, diatoms and cyno. I've tried increasing water changes and vacuuming, reducing feeding, and reducing and increasing the photoperiod. Its only low light, low maintainance plants so I don't want to get into co2 or ferts.

The plants have started to die recently so i think I'm going to rip them all out and just cut down the lighting to a few hours a day for viewing. I'll probably get some good looking fake plants because the goldfish love to play in them, but I'm done with real ones on this tank. We only have java ferns and a lot of anarchis but its dieing fast and looks bad so I think unplanting it and using fake will look 100% better.

Our community tank is a differant story. It looks like an overgrown jungle and we just do weekly 40-50% waterchanges on that one.

[Scrup]

Is the anacharis planted? If you let it, it will root.
Is it turning brown/black, or just being eaten?

I would suggest at least trying to figure out what it is thats killing it, as live plants IMO are much better than plastic ones in most applications (a little nitrate reduction in a goldfish tank is not a bad thing).

[labnjab]

They are rooted and are turning clear. They were doing great up until the last few months. I don't know what else to do. The light bulbs were new in march

[Red]

wierd lab, sometimes I have trouble with plants too. If you have a community tank, try horntwort for the goldfish they love it and it grows like a weed.

[stever_sl]

I went through all kinds of gyrations with a new 54g planted tank earlier this year, letting the biofiltration build up and the tank cycle thoroughly before adding fish but still having strange things happen when all the water chemistry numbers looked perfectly OK. I went through the murky water stage, then when it was clear the wood centerpiece got mostly covered with black brush algae that spread to the rocks and plants. Then that cleared up (except for one tuft on the wood, reminding me it's still there) and suddenly the whole tank and everything in it were covered with diatoms - including the plants, which stopped growing and lost some leaves. The diatom bloom cleared up too, and at that point my plants really took off. The hardest thing for me during this time (several months) was avoiding the temptation to tinker. Nature was obviously doing things and I don't like to mess with natural processes - I didn't even do water changes, which I think mask more problems than they solve. And eventually I got clear water, and thriving plants and animals. It's like everything had to work out their own interrelationships, and once that happens they were fine. Granted, it took all summer and most of the fall, but if you're patient and keep an eye on the water chemistry numbers (to make sure nothing untoward is happening with the biofilter) then things may resolve themselves in the end. Good luck!

[annageckos]

Cyno is a bacteria not an algea. I think it florishes in dead spots with little to no water movement. Diatoms will usally go away in time on it's own. Alot of fish love to eat it. I belive it thrives with excess silica. Now thread algea is a pain when you get it. Try a black out for a day or two at most. Suck up as much as you can with a turkey baster, it works well.

[Lady Hobbs]

I see nothing wrong with a person wanting to have a nice clean tank without plant problems. It's your tank to do with as you please. I've had numerous plants that have just melted and anarchis is one of them. ( Java moss, as well.) You can fill it with java ferns and wood and rocks and still have a nice tank with only tank lights.

[brianyu]

algae is something you always have in the tank , we only try to control them by cutting the lighting or add some cleaning fish like oto or fly-fox . Some more experience hobby they may try to balance thing with co2 , even that i thing they have some cleaning fish to help it out .

[annageckos]

I agree, Hobbs. If the poster do not want a planted tank fine, thier tank not anyone elses. I have never had much luck with anarchis. It took me some time and trial and error to fine the plants that do well in my tank.