# Anubias spot algae prevention



## tsunami

One problem I have had as of late is spot algae on the leaves of my Anubias under high light. Sometimes, in aquascapes, I have to place slow growing Anubias in areas which receive a great deal of light. Are there any strategies on trying to keep these leaves algae free? Do more mature tanks tend to have this problem less than newer ones?

Thanks!

Carlos


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## plantbrain

Use less light. The other plants still do well unless shaded.

A friend has a plant over 10 years old, not any algae at all on it in a non CO2 tank with lower light(1w/gal).
I never had any GS in any non CO2 tank, nor any lower lighting CO2 tanks either for that matter. 

PO4 will help reduce Green spot along with good CO2. 
Mature tanks get it as bad as new ones.
Not insisting on placing it in the high light spot will also solve the issue.
Use fern, moss etc instead.

Petite nana as a foreground, then pulling the lights back away from the front of the tank, will reduce algae on glass and also prevent so much algae on the leaves.

I tend use Anubias as understory plants that get shade from other plants or I use less light if they are dominate.
Low light CO2 enriched tank are really nice.

Just about everything gets some algae if it's slow growing/rocks etc, even Amano's tanks have green spot in some of his photo's on Anubias, and it'd be more noticable in person.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## cS

Since you can't reduce lighting or move the Anubias, PO4 helps. I dose a lot of PO4: 1-2 or more ppm. Folks are too afraid of PO4 IMO. You can see my Anubias sp. 'Petite' grove in the 'Cryptocoryne albida' thread. Half of it is growing underneath the shade of the M. pteropus 'Windelov' and half under direct ~3WPG. No major algae whatsoever.

For the larger leaf Anubias, you should consider keeping the bristlenose (Ancistrus sp.) or rubberlip (Chaeostoma sp.) pleco. They chow on algae, including green spot, en mass. These catfish are plant friendly and do NOT exceed 3-4" in size. The Ancistrus claro max out at 2 inches but they are almost impossible to find. Even if you can't find the A. claro, these catfish are nocturnal so you'll most likely won't see them during the day, if their appearance and size bother you. Besides them and nutrient management, I don't know of any other plant-friendly GS removal methods...aside from elbow grease of course.


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## tsunami

I am going to scrub off the algae with a soft tooth brush on the Anubias leaves and increase my PO4 dosing. I'll also keep my trace/iron dosing relatively high. Let's see what happens!

I am also using Bolbitis heudelotii. It, too, develops spot algae but fortunately only on the older leaves.

The tank is relatively shallow (20g long) so good light coverage is always an issue. I don't have 3.95 wpg of power compacts though. 40 watts of my lighting is coming from a pair of plain old normal flourescents.

Some tanks I envy for not having this problem:

With 5.87 wpg :!: 









With 4 wpg









I know it can be done. I have seen others do it before, so I will give it a try. 

Carlos[/img]


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## chrisl

Carlos, loving anubias plants myself, Im educating myself and found this thread from a bit ago. So how'd your effort go w/ the algae and higher PO4?

Thanks!
Chris


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## tsunami

It worked perfectly! My Anubias did not develop spot algae on its leaves anymore. In fact, spot algae covered leaves also eventually lost the algae coating completely.

My Anubias barteri var. nanas then began to flower almost continuously. All of my Anubias (eight) flowered at least twice one month.

Carlos


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## Sir_BlackhOle

So what do you dose now?


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## chrisl

Great to hear! I love your tanks btw. a real work of art and you are to be definetly congratulated! A real pleasure to view!

I too would be interested in your dosing now.

Chris


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## plantbrain

Your Bolbitus should really start turning into a weed once you start adding PO4 also.
Glad adding PO4 knock out the problem.

The more I think about spot algae, the more it seems to respond very well to high non limiting PO4 dosings. Few algae do.

I once thought we'd never get rid of it, but I never had it at home in my tanks(high PO4 in the tap).

Good old _Coleochaete orbicularis_

Good observational note Carlos.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## AV8TOR

plantbrain said:


> Your Bolbitus should really start turning into a weed once you start adding PO4 also.
> Glad adding PO4 knock out the problem.
> Regards,
> Tom Barr


Let me ask a question on this high PO4 topic please, what about the 10-1 nitrate to phosphate ratio? Are you increasing the Nitrate as well?


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## pineapple

In my case, no. I have a higher PO4 to NO3 ratio. But I think it depends on your water chemistry etc.

Andrew Cribb


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## plantbrain

The ratio is merely a guide to prevent wasting any one particular nutrient.
It really is not an issue sinc eI can have 20ppm of NO2 and 0.4ppm of PO4 and still have great growth, other issues are light intensity levels, which if lower, can provide a large margin of wiggle room in a routine and a ratio. I can also have good growth at 10ppm of NO3 and 2ppm of PO4.
Etc...........

Main thing is to add enough NO3/PO4 and CO2.
I hated this algae perhaps the most of any. While being able to get rid of BBA a long time go, I would still have to clean this off some client's tanks but I never got it t home.

I added the PO4 and never had it again.
Still, I like when others find the same results, I never quite trust myself and my own observations, I like to discuss them to see if others when they control their parameters well, find similar results.

It should be noted that algae presence presents an opportunity to improve plant growth whenm seen.

Each algae provides a window into the tank's nutrient and environmental parameters and are bioindictors of the system.

In this manner I can look at a body of water or a tank and know what is lacking in the plant growth partly by the algae and partly by the plant's themselves. I cannot see the plants, but the owner can, but the algae is fairly telling........

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Piscesgirl

Well, I get spot algae pretty bad on my 55 -- and when I tested a bit ago, I thought I had high P04 (2ppms+) so I haven't been adding P04. I thought perhaps my well water was high in P04 like some are. But, I must have run the test wrong since after reading this thread I decided again, and it came out .1. So, I'll try the P04.

(I did remember I kept trying to squish the cap all the way down in the tube like the AP test kits, but this is made differently and I didn't realize that. I wondered why they made directions that had too much liquid to put the cap on right! -- anyway, realized today the cap only goes part in, so maybe that contributed to the discrepancy).


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## baj

sidetracking a bit here, but to clean the nasty dark green algae off my anubias, I swiped the leaves with some cotton dipped in 5% rubbing alcohol and the algae came off pretty clean, the leaves are doing fine, no signs of injury due to the alcohol. scrub lightly though, you dont need that much elbow grease with the rubbing alcohol. Also, be sure to wash the leaves under cold running water to get the glycerin residue off the leaves.


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## AV8TOR

baj said:


> sidetracking a bit here, but to clean the nasty dark green algae off my anubias, I swiped the leaves with some cotton dipped in 5% rubbing alcohol and the algae came off pretty clean, the leaves are doing fine, no signs of injury due to the alcohol. scrub lightly though, you dont need that much elbow grease with the rubbing alcohol. Also, be sure to wash the leaves under cold running water to get the glycerin residue off the leaves.


Sounds interesting, I had only heard of trying the 19:1 bleach solution. Anyone else ever try this? How long has it been since you did this?


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## baj

I did it a week back, actually on thanksgiving day, so more than a week. But the plant is doing fine, if it goes downhill within the next few days i'll be sure to report it.


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## plantbrain

Acetic acid will work(Vinegar), H2O2 and permangate as well.
Doesn't solve the cause though.
If you get the algae to stop growing, then adult algae will die off.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Prescott

i find that placing them under the leaves of larger plants reduces the spot algae


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## thunderjack14

When we talk about P04 this means phosphate levels in aquarium water right? if so i had so much phosphate in aquarium water that my readings was 5 ppm not point 5 but 5 test kit was dark blue and i was still getting green spot algae on my anubias plant. a new leaf would grow and within a week i could start to see green spot algae on new leaf.this was with the E.I dosing. Now i went from E.I to PPS system to try. i put in some seachem phosphate gard to bring my phosphates back to 2.5 ppm. still scratching my head as to why i still get green spot algae.


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