keeping anubias algae free

[zar]

Hi all

I was wondering if anyone here is managing to keep his anubias algae free. I read that as they're a slow growing plant and need low light they are very prone to getting algae. Mine seems to get this dark green algae on the leaves no matter in which tank.
Is low light the secret to keeping the algae off, should anubias be placed under other high growing plants so that they don't get too much light onto them?

[Nitecongt]

i just cut the leaves off that end that way.

[tanzy]

I wipe my anubia's leaves with paper towel, every water change.

Kell

[fish_r]

to keep them algae free u really need to shade them with other plants, they require bugger all light. i find they also grow better if u plant the roots "just dont bury the rizome"

[zar]

Thanks guys, i'll try shading them with other plants and see what happens.

[ILLUSN]

what fish_r and tany said are the best 2 ways, bristlenoses will also help, just dont put them in tanks with swords.

[zar]

ILLUSN

are bristlenose guaranteed to eat my swords. I've kept peppermints with no problems for a while now. I was thinking of adding some bristlenose to my tank actually...

[ILLUSN]

theres no guarante with fish keeping :)

peppermints are fine, these things seem to love my beefheart mix over everything else, I've now had trouble with 3 largish common bristlenoses eating the leaves of my swords, though 3 from 11 or so isn't too bad. I've never had a peppermint touch a sword (or any algae for that matter)

[zar]

Thats true, pepps are no cleaners at all, they just hang around on driftwood.
They never go on plants, they do love zucchini or cucumber though, and yeah beefheart seems to be what they love most.
I've got a couple of swords and would hate to see them being eaten so i might not put in any bristlenose after all.
thanks

[ebrand]

I too love the look of anubias, and was always disappointed when the dreaded hair algae started to infest the leaves and then eventually the whole plant. I did an experiment some time back in one of my tanks. The tank is only two foot long and I purchased a annubia on a piece of driftwood, the anubia took up the whole length of the tank and cost me around $100 from memory. In this tank all i kept was tetras and a bristlenose catfish, the bio load was therefore minimal on the filter. The anubia flowered, grew considerably and never had a single speck of algae on it, it was in this tank for around two years. In my other tank (400litres) a pair of discus were spawning so I moved them to the two footer, and subsequently started feeding the discus the normal range of food required for spawning discus. Within 4 weeks my beautiful annubia started showing signs of not hair algae but the dark green spots on the leaves (which are impossible to remove) and as such I moved the discus back to the 400litre tank. Basically you can keep annubias algae free if you consider the bio load on the filter. Dont overstock your tanks and keep your water parameters within acceptable levels, and always be wary of cross contamination btwn tanks. :roll:

[Xtreme]

Or use Flourish Excell :P

jk

[Mattzilla]

Hey a double dose of flourish excell works! i would just never do it again with fish in the tank.

best way of getting rid of it so far for me

matt

[TW]

excel in a syringe, ejected direct on the hair algae or BBA kills it off without issue. Do this when the plant is still underwater, but maybe at a water change when the level is lower. The BBA goes red (usually within a week) then dies & drops off. You don't need to double dose the tank, just spot treat where needed. Of course, this might be a bit tiresome if the algae has gotten out of control, but do it early enough & it won't.

[TW]

Forgot to say it doesn't work on green spot algae.

I have also given my anubias a diluted bleach treatment (outside the tank of course) Did that last September & those anubias are still going strong. I think that did get rid of the spot algae.