# help how to get rid of green dust algae and a dark slime that forms on the plants an



## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

You need to dose ferts. High light and CO2 with no ferts is a recipe for algae.


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## stonedaquarium (Jun 8, 2011)

randym said:


> You need to dose ferts. High light and CO2 with no ferts is a recipe for algae.


thanks... i guess i was given some advice that its better not to dose ferts while planting emersed plants to a submersed environment... 

will take note of that thanks...


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

randym said:


> You need to dose ferts.


^^^


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Wouldn't Aqua Soil have enough nitrogen and phosphorus? I dose some anyway though. You do need to dose potassium and micros but also need to turn off a couple of those light bulbs. A 20 gallon tank has high light with a single T5HO and you have 4. Try 1 bulb and an 8 hour day for a couple weeks along with K and micros. Clean off the plants too. If it is slinky slimy stuff it is likely cyanobacteria and will siphon off with an airline siphon. See if just making those changes does the trick. Last year I had an amazing GDA/CB patch on the tank pane develop when the tank was neglected that remained as the tank came back to health. I wiped it out of the tank during a water change by dropping water level below it and wiping up with a clean paper towel with every stroke. Didn't return. I was wondering if better care would get rid of it but after a month was tired of looking at it.

After 4 months the plants should have replaced emersed growth with submerged growth.

I've always had GDA and diatoms when I reset a tank. This summer I installed ADA AquaSoil and in combination with the programmable LED I had zero GDA and diatoms. Maybe AS is magic but I suspect starting out with low light and reprogramming the LED every couple weeks is why they never showed up.

Plants grow fine covered with algae, they get stunted because one of the essential nutrients is low or missing. Plants need H2O, light, O, C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, a host of trace minerals and I am probably forgetting some.


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## stonedaquarium (Jun 8, 2011)

thanks for your responses... much appreciate the inputs and support... i am indeed using ADA amazonia... started dosing fertz as per your advice... would like to ask i got some green dust algae on the substrate and some of them on the leaves of my crypt parva ( its in the slimy film stage of GDA) so what should i do... just cut the algae covered leaves and wait for it to grow back... i also added an extra ump to help with the water circulation... 

was also wanting to ask would algaecides work? such as API algae fix?


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Rather than turning it into a "fight" with algae, concentrate on growing healthy plants and there'll be no algae problems. Start by giving the plants everything they need, nutrient wise. 

AS may provide enough of many nutrients to begin with, but you probably at least need some additional K. Personally I'd get a full range of both macros and micros on hand, and begin dosing sparingly just to be sure there's nothing lacking. 

Probably be a good idea to cut the lights in half, as kathyy mentioned. 

In the mean time keep up the water changes and general good tank husbandry - manually remove whatever algae possible, any dead or really bad leaves, clean filters, etc. 

Be patient.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

pics of tank


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