# Ugly Mess



## Farmboy (Feb 7, 2008)

I am so disgusted with the looks of my tank. I think that I am getting control of my run-away algae but the dead and dying stuff looks worse then the green. I want to cut everything off, whack-it, just above the substrate. I'm not to worried about the effects of my stem plants but I have a large clump of Wendti bronze, at least 16" tall and about that far across. Will it survive the haircut? Anyone have any in-put? Thanks, Ken


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## gheitman (Aug 18, 2007)

Cryptocoryne wendtii will survive a lot and may come back perfectly fine after cutting it down but why risk every plant? I would just leave them alone but if you have to cut them down just try one or two plants first to see how they do.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Do this:
remove all the algae you can, then change 80% of the water.

Do it again the next day.

Should be ok in a few days. Algae has to have constant water properties to thrive and the shock of new water should make a right mess of it. Keep siphoning it out as it dies.

The crypts may or may not die back a bit (mine do half the time) but they'll grow back with a vengence.

You can use Flourish excel to prevent alge from growing in the future.

Like you're the only one with a messy tank. Hah!


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

If it is green fuzz algae attached to the leaves, and the algae is so thick that it is collecting dirt and cutting off light to the crypt leaves, then there is a reason for cutting them off. If it is hair algae that is not sticking to the leaves, then try removing it out without removing the leaves. If the leaves are in the process of dying back, then removing them won't hurt the crypt. 

Crypt rhizomes are very resistant to the 5% bleach treatement and can easily be treated to kill all attached hair algae. Then they can be started up in a newly set up tank where the gravel etc, and the tank has been sterilized to kill any hair algae that came with it. I have never seen the need to sterilize the soil. Unless you are getting soil from near a lake or pond, there won't be any hair algae in it.


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