# Plant emptying nutrients back into water?



## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

Can you actually see the plant dumping nutrients back into the water column?
Becuase a few of my plants are releasing mini bubbles into the water...
And I know this is not the Co2 bubbles becuase they just stay under the leave.... Its mostly
the plants I see that have the hair algae.

If so Im starting to think once a Plant starts growing the hair algea then there pretty much done for even
after you start adding dry ferts...
I had to throw out a few plants already becuase every single leave had some hair growing out and it
was dying slowly. All the new growth I cut off and replanted and looks like its doing pretty good.....


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I have gotten rid of the dark hair algae on my plants by very very frequent water changes (at least 50% a couple times a week) and adding Rosy Barbs. The Rosy barbs ate the algae and what they didn't eat went away. That's all I did. The only fertilizer I was doing at the time was Flourish Excel and root tablets.


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

To my knowledge, no you cannot see chemicals in the water coming from plants. It sounds as if you have oxygen bubbling out, which is a good thing.

You may have more than one type of algae and it is possible that your algae is not hair. There are a lot of disagreements about algae.

Notwithstanding the pronouncements by many people no one seems to have a clue...no scaratch that... no one has a universally acceptable reason or set of reasons as to why the various forms of algae occur.

The person who comes up with the first "algae theory" stands a good chance of becoming rich or at least becoming a hero (which might be better in the long haul.)

I will probably get hammered for this but that's what comes of letting me stay up past my bedtime.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

Cliff Mayes said:


> To my knowledge, no you cannot see chemicals in the water coming from plants. It sounds as if you have oxygen bubbling out, which is a good thing.
> 
> You may have more than one type of algae and it is possible that your algae is not hair. There are a lot of disagreements about algae.
> 
> ...


Yea I dont think its algea hair. Its like dark strands growing out from the sides of the leaves....
Then slowly that leave dies off.... Not sure what type of algea its called.
But its mainly those affected plants that do that.... Maybe oxygen not sure tho...
I'm killing all this algae once I get my Flourish Excell I've heard that works great...


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Sounds to me that you have "black beard" algea, basically grows in gray tufts & darker low growth along the edges of leaves. Sae's do a good job at eating the newer growth. If you have a 10000k bulb get rid of it, because I have found that it helps it growth. 

The stream of bubbles you see is called "false pearling". It happens when a leaf has been injured/damaged in some way. It can come from a torn spot or where the leaf/stem has been cut off.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

^ Thanks alot Trenac... Yea that does make sense "Black Beard Algae"...
What usually triggers that? Also I know its a big no no but I use this planted
tank for my Goldfish that ive had for over 4 years... SAE's wouldnt be able to mix would they?
My water is usually at 74-76F ... I plan on passing him on to a friend due to him pickin at my plants... Also thats probably why alot of my plants are fake pearling,
and I did notice that after I cut a few plants, is that due to incorrect cuttings or is it just normal?
(Still learning this cutting, trimming and topping stuff)


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Low C02 levels are usually the main cause for BBA. You can also spot treat with Seachem Excel. 

Your water temp is fine for SAE's. I have some in a tank I keep at 75 degrees.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

I know someone told me that before, but find it kind of hard to believe.
I run two DIY yeast setups.... and my Co2 indicator shows efficient ppm by turning green.
THen they suggested running three, but was worried about overdosing co2... It gets on
alot of my leaves and someone told me it was due to my water being so hard and containing metalic...
Which I thought was ignorant... But I am getting my Seachem floruish excell in mail tommororw so I'll
dose that with a syringe... 

Also about the SAE, I want to add one but worried about massive ammounts of waste.
Its harder for me to get all the masive waste now due to me changing my substrate to
Eco Complete, I cant get to the lower parts, so I have a feeling its gonna get ugly in there.
I need to find a perfect Sipher thats small enough to not suck the the EC up... By me adding
a SAE they are major producers as well right? He'll just make it worst I would think...


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

SAE's grow pretty quickly to be about 4 inches long, and eventually they get bigger yet. And, I didn't find them eating much algae, preferring fish food. So, unless your tank is a 55 gallon or bigger I don't think you want even one SAE.

Another bad habit they have is playing torpedo! One of them will suddenly swim at top speed all over the tank, and anything in the way gets torpedoed. Need I say they aren't my favorite fish?


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

haha that torpedo line was hilarious....
Yea I didnt think SAE's are good ideas either....
So has anyone else got Black Bearded algae before and figured out
a way to kill it? I've been recomended to use Flourish excell.... Does that sound about right?


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## chagovatoloco (Nov 17, 2007)

I must defend my sae, I have one in my 3o gallon and he does a good job of cleaning all the algae of my Buddha decoration. He is about 4" and looks beautiful, my clown loach's are the ones who love to play torpedo.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

The SAE's will eat fish food but they do also eat the algae, I know this from experience. It is best to keep at least two, so that they do not chase other fish. I've never had mine play torpedo before. I think they get a bad rap. I've kept 2 in a 20G tank before, so having a larger tank is not needed. They can grow up to 6", but usually stay under that in an aquarium. They are not that big of a waste producer, far far less then Goldfish. 

You can use excel to spot treat, as mentioned in my previous post.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

I have to defend my SAE too. I agree that as they get older they do get lazy and eat very little if any algae, but when they are young whipper snappers they will consume algae like there is no tomorrow(at least that is my experience). I had one in a 40 gallon that died after 9 years and that was due to excessive c02 levels. I only noticed this when I noticed little fish movement in the tank and all the fish gasping. I was able to revive most of the fish, but it was too much for the elderly SAE. Right now my 40 gallon is an algae farm and I threw in a young SAE. He seems to relentlessly be consuming algae. He is constantly harassed by a black skirt tetra everytime he gets a good footing and tries to eat algae. He does not bother the other fish. I found that it was the stupid Clown and Pakistani Loach that I had in my tank that played torpedo with other fish. At that time, I could not even keep any plants because the two of these would uproot them. And the funny thing was that even if I kept it in the rockwool, they would work their way through the rockwool and still uproot the plants. 

Sometimes what people say about things does not always play out in real life. I have 30 PPM C02 as measured with a drop checker in my 40 gallon and still have BBA. While low c02 may be a contributing factor to the development of BBA, it is not a given that BBA will go away just because you crank up your c02. And if you crank up your c02 too much and are not careful you could poison your fish. 

So far, the only tanks that I found not to develop BBA(with or without c02 injection and regardless of light levels, but no more than 3 watts/gallon) were tanks that were heavily.....and I mean...heavily planted right off the bat.


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

I have killed it off by Excel and by pruning the leaves and such that it gets on, one tank was so bad that I had to strip the tank, chuck the plants and bleach everything except the fish, the fish were drip acclimatized to the new tank and then netted in, the net was then bleached.

That tank is now back up but has overstocking issues that result in a large waste problem.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

Man I dont know why my order is taking so long...i ordered it like a week and a half ago
and still havent got it...they said I'd get it yesterday and nothing... Dont these people
know I got an algae issue haha... *Calls Post office*


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