beautylovetruth Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hey everyone, I picked up some Val. Nanta at the February auction. It's been a few weeks and I have notice a few things. 1) I have one plant that has already sent off runners! AWESOME. 2) My snail is not eating the plants (bonus) 3) Some of the leaves are brown. This is occurring on the plants I have and on the one runner. Is this the melting I've heard about? I've noticed, brown and green algae on my driftwood, thermometer and filter. I was wondering if this was another possibility. Tank parameters: -Lights are standard fluorescent. The tank does get some indirect sunlight so I don't turn on the lights until after I get home. On for about 6 hours a day. - 0-0 and 5-10 for readings - 28oC consistent temp -Fish are fed once a day -Fish stock is in my signature. Honestly, I did nothing special to encourage the growth and that's why I got Vals in the first place. Any help is sincerely appreciated. -Trina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Do you know the wattage and type of fluorescent lights you have (T8, T5,etc)? If you have a lot of plants in there, you may actually need more light - brown algae is a common symptom of not enough light in planted tanks. If you only have a few plants, it may just be time to change the bulbs - old bulbs tend to cause all of the symptoms you list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I have two of these in the tank for a total of 20 Watts... I replaced the old ones in October. http://www.petsmart.com/product/zoom/index.jsp?productId=11147169 I have a total of nine stems in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I can't access the link on my phone for some reason, but if your tank is more than 15gal your light levels are pretty low. If it is a T8 bulb, you can use replacement bulbs from the hardware store instead of having to buy LFS bulbs. 8-12months is about the life of a fluorescent bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 The bulbs are 6 inch fluorescents. Should I be looking at upgrading to a different type of light? If so, what would you suggest and where can I get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 They look fine for what you have - you may want to upgrade to 13-20W bulbs (curly ones from just about any store); but, then you'll probably want to add supplimental carbon (CO2, Excel/Metricide). Can you post a pic of the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 The last picture is a close up of a recent sprout that came up red/brown. I used to have a background wrapped around the tank but I have a very mischievous cat who LOVES to chase fish. She would rip it off regularly so I just removed it. Thanks for all your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurensdad Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Put your lights.on a timer and see how it God start with.10 hours a.day.might help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 I don't see anything wrong - if you want bright green growth all the time, a steady photoperiod could help like was mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Sounds good, I'll figure out the timers I have and have a go at it Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 A few drops of Excel per day may help too; but don't over do it, as overdosing will kill your Val. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 My Vals grow like snot man in a 4ft tank with 2 T8's 6500k and 8000k just ripped out 13,Some are 4ft long I have to cut the back so lite reaches bottom of tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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