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I've been noticing scattered brush algae spots on some plants in my 10g planted for a little while. It diesn't come off by rubbing leaves, and the pleco didn't touch it (now in a different tank). I've been reading on Amano Shrimp and Florida Flag Fish, and they both eat hair algae, but what about brush algae?

The current inhabitant of this tank is a male betta. I was thiking of the FFF (since they also like duckweed), but am not sure how well they would get along with the betta.

Another option is SAE, but I have yet to find one in my area.

What would be the best option to combat the algae, or should I dose with copper and never think of inverts again? It is not yet a big issue, but still looks bad IMO.

Harley,

The only fish that will eat this stuff is the SAE, but even they won't touch the old stuff. But I would feel a 10gal is too small for an SAE anyway as they do get a decent size.

BTW what kind of plants are we talking here ? Usually it shows up on the real slow growers like Anubias and ferns.

It's a bugger to deal with as it's so tough and hard to remove and because no fish will touch it (except the SAE).

But there is good news Tom Barr told me of 2 methods to deal with this pest, both of which I have tried on different tanks and both work

The key is Co2, the brush algae likes it Co2.

The first method is adding a lot of C02 and keeping it constantly high. 20ppm and above. The best way to do this is pressurised which may be a bit of an outlay for a 10galDIY could work but it's hard to keep the co2 rate constantly high (fluctuating Co2 levels would probably worsen the brush problem).

The other method is kind of a flip side of the same coin. Starve it of co2. This is done by not doing water changes. Tap water has a lot of Co2 in it.If the tank has a good stock of established plants and not too heavy of a fish stock, this would be the easiest method. I've used this in a well planted 5 gal that is also well lit (over 3wpg) and have never seen a spot of brush algae, even on the Anubias which are right under the light.

If you choose to use this method it may be best to remove affected leaves (if it's not going to ruin the plant). Just remember to resist the water changes, just top up for evaporation and do the regular filter cleaning.

The plants keep the Nitrates low so the fish are fine. The only drawback to this method is that the plants grow incredibly slowly, but this is not neccessarily a bad thing in a small tank.If the the only fish is a betta this method will work fine. (I've got a betta and a small school of WCMM's in a 5 gal using this system, they've been there for months and all are happy healthy and colorful without water changes).

If either of these methods don't appeal to you, the only other option is use faster growing plants where the brush algae doesn't settle or keep the slow growers shaded.

Last edited by bensaf at 15-May-2005 21:36

Last edited by bensaf at 15-May-2005 21:45

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

It's clinging to the Java Fern and Mini Aquatic Clover, the latter of which is just starting to get a foothold after abou two months. It doesn't seem to be collecting on the crypts.

I actually did my first water change on the tank this past week. That's when I noticed the stuff is def. brush algae, not hair or staghorn (was torn for a bit). For the past few months that it's been set up, I'v only been raplacing evaporation, about 1" every few weeks, and changing the filter pad, adding ferts, etc.

The tank has about 2wpg with the screw-in compact flourescents. I could try to add compressed CO2, as I have the 30g in the same room, which is being stocked with plants. The 10's about 50% planted, and I'm in the process of buying more midgrounds for the Betta to sleep on. I have drop-tile ceilings, so running the hoses and keeping them hidden wouldn't be impossible. I also work for a large industrial gas/welding supply company, so getting the setup wouldn't be hard either. Just the $$$$ part right now. The outdoor landscaping has taken front seat lately in the funds department.

Given this, would ading mroe plants and maybe a few ottos (for the green stuff) be the best bet, and see where it goes from there?

Harley,

More plants is always a good thing

Try a few faster growers, these will definately be able to avoid the brush algae, and will help balance things out.

If you have green algae the Ottos will definately help, they are real workhorses - non stop algae munching machines.

Surprised you had the brush algae if you weren't doing water changes. Do you have a lot of surface agitation (this will bring in some Co2) or have been adding any ferts ?

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Adding ferts, but not much agitation. For a little tank, the evaporation rate is pretty small. I have to add water to my other 10 about twice or three times as often as this tank, shows how much of a difference a different room can make!

Since you're the up and coming plant king, what would you suggest for a fast grower in a 10g with 2wpg? I was thinking more along the lines of crypts, but I can always go for bigger and better things. I just want to stay away from difficult plants... I'm not there yet!

By the way, there's not much green algae in the tank. I always thought the baby pleco was just keeping it down, but apparently the water sprite is sucking up all the good nutrients. Yay!!

Since you're the up and coming plant king

Far from it Harley ] I was completely wrong about the copper and the brush algae We're all still learning, I guess it'll never stop.

Hygro Polysperma or Difformis (Wisteria) would be good choices. Both very easy and will do good in 2 wpg. The Wisteria will be a bit easier to handle as it doesn't grow as fast as the Polysperma which will require weekly trimming.

Ludwigia Repens is a very pretty easy plant. It doesn't grow anywhere near as fast as the other two. Will do fine in your light and has nice small leaves so it will fit nicely in a 10.

Bacopa would also work. Again not the fastest grower but got a very nice color and shape.

There are others that would work - Hornwort, Anacharis or Water Sprite. But I personally can't stand those plants, think they're pretty ugly and a pain in the rear to deal with. But if they are your kind of thing and you like the look of it go ahead

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I've got water sprite in there, and tend to agree that it is a pain. Not at all what I expected. Almost impossible to keep rooted, have to trim weekly, and I can never get it to stay 100% green.

I do have new giant hygro plants in my 30g, and some leaves are coming loose from the band holding the bunch together. Could I try to make my own bunch from the clippings and see what happens, or do they need the stems too?

I'll start playing around online and see what's available. The wisteria sounds like a good choice. I was just always under the impression it needed higher light so I stayed away. Never hurts to try!

As we are all always still learning, I do trust your opinions, especially seeing pics of your plants... oh my they are gorgeous! And you weren't completely wrong about the brush algae... I probably just don't have enough plants to keep it away.

Last edited by harleysiber at 18-May-2005 05:20

Thank you Harley, glad you like the plants. Here's a photo I just took this evening of the 5 gal with no water changes. Still not quite finished, the Riccia has a bit of growing to do but getting there and the Wisteria needs to be thickened out.

The plant on the left rear is the L.Repens.

As you can see no algae (been running for about 6 months now). A very very easy to take care of tank. Might give you some ideas what can be done with a small tank.

bensaf attached this image:


Last edited by bensaf at 18-May-2005 09:41[/font]

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Nice, ben.

Is that a honeycomb I see on the far left?

Riccia balls that have not grown out.
The Riccia is placed under the mesh and grows out through it.

You can check theKrib.com for copper and BBA comments from Neil Frank. He had BBA much longer than me(I focused on the plants and adding enough CO2)and did a fair amount with copper and aquarium plants.

We(CDFA)use copper for weed control, namely algae and Hydrilla.
Generally we prefer not to use it as it does not decay into H2O and CO2 like most herbicides.
Copper is removed and exported by plants, they use the same transportor for iron uptake as they do for copper in many plants.




Regards,
Tom Barr


3rd annual Plant Fest July 8-14th 2005!
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Tom is correct it's Riccia tied down on rocks with some plastic mesh. It's got a bit of growin' to do.

The small bunch on the right was put in about 10 days ago and the big one on the left was put in yesterday. It will give you an idea of the growth rate. Reckon another 4 -6 weeks it will have filled out nicely and covered the mesh.

I have Riccia floating in the big tank which keeps growing and growing - hate to throw the stuff out so keep trying to find uses for it

The "mesh" actually came from some kind of spongy body scrub thingy I saw in a supermarket. It very stretchy. Just plonk a thick wad of the floating Riccia on top of a rock, cut a piece of the mesh of the body scrub off place on top and pull nice and tight , tie it up at the back to hold in place. Takes about 5 mins, it holds the Riccia very securely but still leaves enough room for it to grow out. Pull out the rock every month or so and give it a "haircut". I also bought the green body scrub so the mesh becomes invisible quickly :88).

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Is that Red Temple in the back??? Now I know that's more than 2wpg, those and riccia need very high light, don't they?

So the hygro won't be too big for a small tank I take it. Good! I'llbe doing more research and shopping this weekend then. Might as well try to grow out the 30g as well...

It is Red Temple. Actually it doesn't need as much light as other red plants (it's red for a different reason, the underside of the leaf is the red bit, the top of the leave is green) I've some in the big tank which is just atouch over 2 wpg does great, even brighter then this one.

Riccia is not that light hungry, usually the problem is getting the light to the bottom. In small tank like this not an issue. Will work in almost any tank as a floater.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Geesh... don't tell me that... the whole tank will be red temple. I was thinking of finding something to take the place of the Water Sprite, as it is taking over the whole top of the tank, and I'm still not impressed by what a pain it has been. You just gave me another excuse!!!!