On Tue, 17 May 2005 12:38:47 -0400, "David J. Braunegg"
wrote:

My Anubias leaves are getting covered with green spot algae. Anything I
can/should do about this?

10 gallon tank
Platys, Corys, and Otos
4 small Valisnerias, 1 Anubias, and 2 Crypts (all for about 1 month)
12 or 13 hours of light from a Triton tube
pH ~7.6

Thanks,
Dave

I have 4 tanks with anubias. My 2 year experience with them has been
all over the place. I have one 10 gallon tank that the anubia has
grown very slowly, but steadily. The leaves start out great, but
slowly are covered with algae. In another 10 gallon tank, the anubia
grew to the top. I cut its stem in half, and in 6 months the bottom
half is 3/4 to the top again and no algae. In a 29 gallon I planted
the top half taken from the 10. It grew great for months and then
suddenly started losing leaves at the stem. It has stabilized, but a
far cry from its good days. However, again no algae. Then there is
the 75 gallon. Three anubias that were huge along with another 4 that
never grew large, but had lots of growth. They all produce clean
green new leaves, but with time algae appears and they look like lace.
They go through cycles growing great guns and then losing leaves, they
separate from the root and just float to the top. The leaves often
looks green and healthy, but the stem looks rotted at the bottom.

I like the anubias and will always have them, but they sure are hard
to understand.

I bought them because they are low light plants. The first 10 gal
tank I mentioned, has the lowest light and is more heavily in the blue
range. I don't change bulbs until they no longer work, so my ratios
are probably close to 1 watt/gallon. The 75 gallon has the highest
ratio, but the 10 gallon that does so well the second to the lowest
ratio. Funny this 10 in which the anubia grows so well, was the
hardest tank I had to establish. Lots of early fish deaths, plants
slow to grow, water milky. For the last year it has been the
healthiest.

Isn't fishing fun?

dick