Dealing with haze and fuzz in a newly planted aquarium

[FishHugger]

I just set up a new tank and I'm already having issues with the plants. They're only 7 days in, but they're not looking great - there's this fuzzy stuff around them and the driftwood. I showed some pics to my LFS and they said it's probably biofilm, told me the oto would help clean it up. But so far, the oto just sticks to the glass.

It's a low-tech setup - no filter, no skimmer, just lights and a heater. I'm doing daily water changes, 25-50% each time. Ammonia levels just hit zero yesterday, first time that's happened. I've been using RO/DI water since I was having issues with hardness and pH, and now everything's in range.

The tank's a 10gal, with gravel, Fluval Bio Stratum, and sand. There's some rocks and driftwood in there, and I've planted a bunch of stuff already. I'm using the Aqueon Live planted clip-on light. No cleanup crew yet.

Is the light the problem? Too strong, not strong enough? I was told it would be good for easy plants, but they all have this haze on them - the floaters, Java fern, everything.

[boomer]

From the photos, I'm seeing what looks like problem algae - no signs of whitish fuzz on the wood, which is a good thing. I notice black brush algae on the sevaleaf plants and the wood. Normal algae is one thing, but this type needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Problem algae usually stems from an imbalance between light and nutrients. New tanks like yours are still finding their footing, so algae has a bit of an advantage with the fluctuating water conditions.

To help narrow down the issue, can you tell me more about your light setup? What's the intensity, spectrum, and duration like? Also, what kind of nutrients are you using - are you feeding fish, using plant additives, and if so, how often?

I'm also curious about your substrate. It looks like sand, but is there a plant-specific substrate underneath? I've had my fair share of battles with black brush algae, and I've found that the light is often the culprit - whether it's the intensity, spectrum, or duration. But I've also seen it pop up after adding more fertilizer, or during the summer months when the days are longer and brighter. The common thread is always the balance between light and nutrients.

[FishHugger]

From the photos, I'm seeing what looks like problem algae - no signs of whitish fuzz on the wood, which is a good thing. I notice black brush algae on the sevaleaf plants and the wood. Normal algae is one thing, but this type needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Problem algae usually stems from an imbalance between light and nutrients. New tanks like yours are still finding their footing, so algae has a bit of an advantage with the fluctuating water conditions.

To help narrow down the issue, can you tell me more about your light setup? What's the intensity, spectrum, and duration like? Also, what kind of nutrients are you using - are you feeding fish, using plant additives, and if so, how often?

I'm also curious about your substrate. It looks like sand, but is there a plant-specific substrate underneath? I've had my fair share of battles with black brush algae, and I've found that the light is often the culprit - whether it's the intensity, spectrum, or duration. But I've also seen it pop up after adding more fertilizer, or during the summer months when the days are longer and brighter. The common thread is always the balance between light and nutrients.

Thanks so much for explaining all that. I really appreciate it. I hadn't dosed anything until yesterday, I thought the plants were dying so I picked up some flourish and iron and added it during the water change. The plants were already looking fuzzy before I added anything, though.

As for the substrate, it's just a base of gravel, then the Fluval Bio Stratum, and sand on top. I'm going to try reducing the light to 6 hours, I'm currently running it for 12. I've been reading about BBA and it seems like liquid carbon can help kill it, but I'm not sure what it would do to my fish and plants.

[boomer]

From the photos, I'm seeing what looks like problem algae - no signs of whitish fuzz on the wood, which is a good thing. I notice black brush algae on the sevaleaf plants and the wood. Normal algae is one thing, but this type needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Problem algae usually stems from an imbalance between light and nutrients. New tanks like yours are still finding their footing, so algae has a bit of an advantage with the fluctuating water conditions.

To help narrow down the issue, can you tell me more about your light setup? What's the intensity, spectrum, and duration like? Also, what kind of nutrients are you using - are you feeding fish, using plant additives, and if so, how often?

I'm also curious about your substrate. It looks like sand, but is there a plant-specific substrate underneath? I've had my fair share of battles with black brush algae, and I've found that the light is often the culprit - whether it's the intensity, spectrum, or duration. But I've also seen it pop up after adding more fertilizer, or during the summer months when the days are longer and brighter. The common thread is always the balance between light and nutrients.

I strongly advise against using iron in your tank. It's far too easy to harm delicate plants with it, and it can also be detrimental to your fish. I learned this the hard way when I accidentally killed my floating plants by adding iron in addition to a comprehensive fertilizer. While there is a small amount of iron in Flourish Comprehensive, it's balanced with other nutrients to prevent any issues. However, excess iron can cause plants to stop absorbing other essential nutrients.

As for the Fluval Stratum, it's a bit of a mixed bag. But let's focus on addressing the excess nutrients that are likely causing the algae issue. We can reassess the substrate later if needed.

Reducing the light to six hours is a good start. You might even find that seven or eight hours works just as well. When making significant changes like this, it's best to do one thing at a time and monitor the results before making further adjustments.

I would not recommend adding carbon to your tank. It removes beneficial nutrients like dissolved carbons that your plants need to thrive.

Regarding the use of liquid carbon, I understand that you're looking for a solution to the BBA problem. However, I must stress that using Excel or similar products is not a good idea. It contains glutaraldehyde, a toxic disinfectant that can harm or even kill your plants, fish, and invertebrates. While some aquarists claim it's safe, I believe it's simply not worth the risk. Instead, focus on establishing a balance between light and nutrients in your tank. This is the key to preventing BBA from growing out of control.

[FishHugger]

From the photos, I'm seeing what looks like problem algae - no signs of whitish fuzz on the wood, which is a good thing. I notice black brush algae on the sevaleaf plants and the wood. Normal algae is one thing, but this type needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Problem algae usually stems from an imbalance between light and nutrients. New tanks like yours are still finding their footing, so algae has a bit of an advantage with the fluctuating water conditions.

To help narrow down the issue, can you tell me more about your light setup? What's the intensity, spectrum, and duration like? Also, what kind of nutrients are you using - are you feeding fish, using plant additives, and if so, how often?

I'm also curious about your substrate. It looks like sand, but is there a plant-specific substrate underneath? I've had my fair share of battles with black brush algae, and I've found that the light is often the culprit - whether it's the intensity, spectrum, or duration. But I've also seen it pop up after adding more fertilizer, or during the summer months when the days are longer and brighter. The common thread is always the balance between light and nutrients.

I'm glad I now know what Excel is, thanks for the heads up.
I'll start by reducing the light hours and see how it goes from there. I'm a bit worried that my plants might not make it in the meantime, since it sounds like this will take a while to sort out. It's crazy how fast this algae took over - just 3-5 days and it's already causing problems.

[sSjey]

Seachem Flourish Excel is what I was referring to as liquid carbon - it's one of their products that contains a form of glutaraldehyde, a toxic disinfectant.

[boomer]

From the photos, I'm seeing what looks like problem algae - no signs of whitish fuzz on the wood, which is a good thing. I notice black brush algae on the sevaleaf plants and the wood. Normal algae is one thing, but this type needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Problem algae usually stems from an imbalance between light and nutrients. New tanks like yours are still finding their footing, so algae has a bit of an advantage with the fluctuating water conditions.

To help narrow down the issue, can you tell me more about your light setup? What's the intensity, spectrum, and duration like? Also, what kind of nutrients are you using - are you feeding fish, using plant additives, and if so, how often?

I'm also curious about your substrate. It looks like sand, but is there a plant-specific substrate underneath? I've had my fair share of battles with black brush algae, and I've found that the light is often the culprit - whether it's the intensity, spectrum, or duration. But I've also seen it pop up after adding more fertilizer, or during the summer months when the days are longer and brighter. The common thread is always the balance between light and nutrients.

The plants will not die. Some info on how this works.

Plants need a specific intensity of light to drive photosynthesis, and each species has its own requirements. Slow-growing plants need less intense light, while fast-growing ones need more. It's similar to your home garden, where some plants need full sun and others need shade. Spectrum also plays a role, as red and blue wavelengths drive photosynthesis. Adding green to the mix can increase plant growth, but only if the spectrum is right and the intensity is sufficient.

If the spectrum and intensity are spot on, and the necessary nutrients are available, plants will photosynthesize at full capacity. However, if any one of these factors is missing, photosynthesis will slow down or even stop. This means that plants can grow well with, say, six hours of sufficient light and nutrients, and will continue to use them even if the light is on for eight hours. But eventually, something will become limiting - usually carbon in a low-tech or natural setup.

Duration isn't as critical, provided everything is available. I've worked on this balance before to deal with the same algae issue, and I was able to get my tank lighting down to seven hours. This balanced the naturally-occurring CO2 and nutrients from the fish, as well as minimal plant fertilizing. For over six years, I've had no algae issues. I did notice an increase in algae during the first two summers, but I realized it was due to the increased light duration and brightness. I blacked out the windows, and that stopped the BBA.

This all points to the need for balance between light and nutrients. Plants can grow for any number of hours and will rest during the intermediate hours.