# I can't grow Anubias!!!!



## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

What is the perfect setup for anubias barteri and bolbitus? Originally I was getting holes in the leaves. I started adding a fert and the holes cleared up. But now the plants get a thin amount of algae on them and do not seem to grow? Maybe my lighting period is too long? Not enough flow? 

I changed lights recently. I added a "clean" anubias to the tank and now it has algae as well. 

The algae does not seem to collect elsewhere, mainly on the anubias leaves.


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## Shaythesalmon (Jan 29, 2018)

You need to give more information. What's the bio load in your tank? Water parameters? Photo period? Do you have snails that may be eating the plants?


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

Sure.

The bioload is moderate. I do weekly 50% water changes. 
-Nitrate looks to be 10-20ppm (my water is tinted slightly from oak leaves, so its hard to tell exactly. 
-Ammonia and nitrite are 0. 
-Tank size is 125 gallon, but it is only 3/4th of the way filled.
-Temp 78

No snails, the water is soft, snails do not make it long term due to their shells becoming brittle.

Lighting is two of the below bulbs mounted in dome clamp lights:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmar...5001rw&cm_mmc=CJ-_-6147090-_-11210757&cj=true


Lighting period is 14 hours...yikes did not realize it was that long until I checked. Likely the issue!


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## Shaythesalmon (Jan 29, 2018)

Looks like these folks had similar problems. 

Check out this thread

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/121391-algae-anubias.html


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I don't think you have enough light to grow really anything.


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## KrypleBerry (May 23, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> I don't think you have enough light to grow really anything.


 I agree


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## JusticeBeaver (Oct 28, 2017)

I mean it's anubias, it could grow using the energy of the background cosmic radiation. The photoperiod is just way too long so algae is taking advantage.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

If you water is very soft and the other inhabitants don't need it that way then try adding a GH boosters - the plants may be short on calcium/magnesium too. Make sure the fertiliser you use is complete - some miss out NPK.

Anubias is pretty low light so making sure they have all the nutrients would be a good first stop.


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

I can go back to 23watt CFL bulbs. I went to the LED as an experiment, it certainly made the fish look better. I was doing well with those for easy stem plants. I can do up to 4 of the 23W cfl bulbs in my canopy. What would you suggest for the lighting period?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

JusticeBeaver said:


> I mean it's anubias, it could grow using the energy of the background cosmic radiation. The photoperiod is just way too long so algae is taking advantage.


So are you saying, I don't need a light to grow Anubias? It's slow growing to begin with, with virtually no light it will be pretty much static and algae will grow even in very low light.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

ahud said:


> I can go back to 23watt CFL bulbs. I went to the LED as an experiment, it certainly made the fish look better. I was doing well with those for easy stem plants. I can do up to 4 of the 23W cfl bulbs in my canopy. What would you suggest for the lighting period?


The 23watt CFL are probably around double the light you have now. Even with that the 2x23 CFL you were at around 0.4 WPG. Now your at 1/2 that. It's not even low light, it's like low, low, low light.


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

I'm going to try going back to 4x23w CFL's with some duckwood over the top. I felt like the two 23w bulbs were too much light originally, but maybe it was not enough resulting in algae growth.


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## Wantsome99 (Nov 27, 2016)

Anubias are the easiest plants on the planet. I've had them survive in a bag in the dark in my basement for 6 months. 8 hours light is all they need and they can be grown with a single florescent tube. The leaves live for up to 8 years. To avoid algae on them they are best grown in non direct light by using floating plants to shade them. RO water should be avoided it causes them to melt. Anubias do not like soft water. I grow them emersed and I add crushed coral to my grow set up. If you have soft water add some crushed coral to the filter. Anubias do not need a lot of nutrients but small a dose of KNO3 and KH2P04 will help them grow. I dose dry ferts at half ei dose for the size tank but thats only if it has a lot of anubias plants. I dose KN03 and KH2P04 after a 50% water change once a week and Seachem Flourish for traces the day after the water change.


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## JusticeBeaver (Oct 28, 2017)

ahud said:


> I'm going to try going back to 4x23w CFL's with some duckwood over the top. I felt like the two 23w bulbs were too much light originally, but maybe it was not enough resulting in algae growth.


It's sometimes more of the photoperiod rather than intensity. Algae can float so it takes advantage of the stronger light at the top of the water column.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Wantsome99 said:


> Anubias are the easiest plants on the planet. I've had them survive in a bag in the dark in my basement for 6 months. 8 hours light is all they need and they can be grown with a single florescent tube. The leaves live for up to 8 years. To avoid algae on them they are best grown in non direct light by using floating plants to shade them. RO water should be avoided it causes them to melt. Anubias do not like soft water. I grow them emersed and I add crushed coral to my grow set up. If you have soft water add some crushed coral to the filter. Anubias do not need a lot of nutrients but small a dose of KNO3 and KH2P04 will help them grow. I dose dry ferts at half ei dose for the size tank but thats only if it has a lot of anubias plants. I dose KN03 and KH2P04 after a 50% water change once a week and Seachem Flourish for traces the day after the water change.


Anubias are like any other plant, given co2, high light and sufficient ferts they grow faster and fuller than when grown in dim light. When a plant is considered low light, it just means they can be grown that way it doesn't mean they won't grow faster in higher light with more ferts. They perform photosynthesis faster just like any other plant. My anubias pearl in high light and co2, they don't do that in low light. Are you saying they're not going faster in high light.

Something living in the dark is different than something growing. If the plant is just kept alive and not growing it will develop algae even in low light.

I've been growing anubias in soft water with a KH 1-2 GH 4 for 10 years. There is no truth that Anubias don't do well in soft water.


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## Wantsome99 (Nov 27, 2016)

houseofcards said:


> Anubias are like any other plant, given co2, high light and sufficient ferts they grow faster and fuller than when grown in dim light. When a plant is considered low light, it just means they can be grown that way it doesn't mean they won't grow faster in higher light with more ferts. They perform photosynthesis faster just like any other plant. My anubias pearl in high light and co2, they don't do that in low light. Are you saying they're not going faster in high light.
> 
> Something living in the dark is different than something growing. If the plant is just kept alive and not growing it will develop algae even in low light.
> 
> I've been growing anubias in soft water with a KH 1-2 GH 4 for 10 years. There is no truth that Anubias don't do well in soft water.


I have anubias snow white growing in high light under kessils. I didn't say it couldn't be done. In low tech they do better in hard water. Hard water allows them to make better use of the nutrients available to them. Yes anubias will melt under certain soft water conditions particularly RO water which is soft.


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

I don't think it is the soft water. I kept these anubias in my breeder tanks that are just ten gallons lit with the same 23wCFL. They did better in the ten gallon tanks, but there was a lot of cover and I doubt they were getting direct light.

I keep dwarf cichlids and I'm used to really dim tanks. So my perception of "bright" is probably the issue.


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## Aquamom (Oct 1, 2010)

Nerite snails and Amano shrimp in the tank will help keep the algae down. Also try Red Cherry shrimp. They can go in with Amanos. The Nerite snails specialize in eating algae, including diatoms. And the shrimp are always picking off microscopic pieces from plant leaves and from the substrate.


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

Things are looking better after I added more light. Some of the algae is gone, but that may be due to the floaters growing more rapidly due to the added light. 

Thanks for the help everybody, I'm going to let things run their course and see how it goes.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

So did you add more fixtures? I don't see how you would get close to enough spread with 2 CFL fixtures on a 6 foot tank!


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

Yes, I added two more dome lights 23w CFL bulbs for a total of four. The spread requirement is a lot less than 6 feet as the plants are on "islands" and not spread throughout the tank.


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## ahud (Mar 6, 2010)

I'm just curious. Assuming I wanted to maximize anubias, java fern, and bolbitus growth, what would be the ideal setup? 

I would love to have my bolbitus grow in like the java fern in this thread:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...-goodbye-stems-small-update-last-page-15.html


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