Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] Algae/Larry

No I don't use CO2, I don't use plant fertilizers, no special substrates. I grow the java ferns in a 215 gallon tank, HO T5 lighting, minimal fish load (4 medium size angels, 3 botia striata, 4 juvenile bristlenose, and one very old gold barb that won't likely be around much longer. I dose that tank with Flourish Excel twice/wk because of hair algae issues I have in that and 1 other tank, still not sure why only those 2 tanks, but I was growing the java fern in there before I began dosing with the F.E. and it doesn't seem to have affected the growth rate of the plants. I have 2 species of wisteria, 3 species of crypts, java fern, flame moss, taiwan moss, water sprite, red ruben swords, and dwarf water lettuce growing in that tank and all are doing well. For substrate I use pea gravel in all of my tanks.

I love live plants in my tanks and have them in every tank, even the African cichlid tank. Plants grow well here as long as I accommodate their lighting needs. In one of my 65 gallon tanks with HO T5 lighting I have only naja grass, 1 large angel, 2 gold white clouds, and a bunch of rock work and I have to trim out the naja grass weekly just so the fish can swim through the entire tank. I have the same size tank, same lighting over the African cichlid tank and the naja grass grows well in there too in spite of the fish nibbling on it. Again, very lightly stocked with fish... 1 daffodil brichardi left now with a dwarf syno cat and an upside down cat. Another 65 gallon, same lighting, and I'm growing bacopa, willow moss, brazilian swords and frogbit... this tank also gets dosed with F.E. twice/wk because of hair algae issues, but like with the bigger tank, I've seen no change in the plants with the use of the F.E, just the elimination of the hair
algae. This last tank has 1 small angel, 1 small clown loach, and a small rubber pleco.

I have had many yrs of coaching and education by a wonderful man with a degree in botany. I still use most of the methods he taught me yrs ago and have never really had a problem growing any plant I desire as long as I make sure the needs of the plant are met. I have never run CO2 on my planted tanks except for 1, and that was temporary because I didn't see any changes in the plants, so I took it out. I have never used special plant substrates in any of my tanks... I hate that stuff. And I have never dosed my tanks with plant fertilizers because I've never found a need.

One thing I can say is that how the plants are planted makes a huge difference in success with them. Not all plants get planted the same way. Anubias for example, cannot have the rhyzome buried in the substrate, rooted plants should have just the roots buried while the crown remains above the substrate, etc. Planting the wrong way is a huge cause of people losing live plants with no obvious cause behind the losses.

All in all, its about balance. I prefer the natural aquarium methods for keeping my fish and plants healthy. This means lightly stocked tanks and LOTS of plants, proper lighting, and regular weekly 30% water changes. My nitrates never go over 10 and I don't have issues with ammonia or nitrite spikes. My pH remains stable. If I find a tank where I need to soften the water I use either RO water to do it or I work with welaby wood and/or almond leaves. I don't like chemicals around my tanks and other than the F.E. there is no chemical use allowed in any of my freshwater tanks tanks. My end results have always been the same... healthy, long lived fish (that gold barb I mentioned is almost 6 yrs old), healthy fast growing live plants, and very little work involved.

I am currently running 9 aquariums totaling about 1000+ gallons. 2 of them are saltwater reefs. Total weekly maintenance combined amounts to about 2 hrs/wk and this includes the nightly feedings. It doesn't get less expensive or easier than that... and I have yet to find a fish or a live plant that I can't keep if I so desire.

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Thu, 5/30/13, Larry Blanchard <labl02@aol.com> wrote:

From: Larry Blanchard <labl02@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [tropical fish club] Algae
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, May 30, 2013, 11:18 AM

On 05/29/2013 02:45 PM, Dawn Moneyhan wrote:

> I grow both anubias and java fern in hard water here and they do great. The anubias is a little slower growing in harder water, but the java fern grows and spreads so fast it surprised even me. My last addition of new java fern was about 2 wks ago. Each plant was about 5 - 6 inches tall. Today each of those plants is about 7 inches tall with new shoots both from the base as well as sprouts from most leaves. My pH here runs 8.5 - 8.6 out of the tap, averages about 8.3 - .8.5 in most of my tanks.

Maybe it's the Ph then. Mine runs about neutral. I've got two java

ferns variety "Tropica" which are barely surviving in my tank. And

they're supposed to be a faster growing variety. Are you using CO2? I

don't.

The other plants I have need constant trimming. And I scoop out some of

the floating plants 2 or 3 times a week. So it's not a general case -

but Java ferns and anubias are definite no-nos. Ain't life interesting?

Larry B

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