Water lettuce /water cabbage

[Geoey]

Hi i am very new to planted tanks Is there something in water lettuce that kills algae? -read on if you are bored
i have recently set up a planted tank 144cmx70cm high and 55cm deep i have 12, 2-3" tall angel fish 40 assorted tetras neons/black neons/rummy nose / phantom tetras 20 assorted corydoras and an l168 pleco.
the plant list is 2 large anubias, some sort of grass type plant that has leaves that are 1/2 inch wide 2 amazon sword plants and water lettuce.
I recently removed the water lettuce to let more light to the planted plants. and a week later had a huge algal bloom so i re introduced about 1/4 of the top surface of the tank with water lettuce again and 4 days later all of the algae is gone. there is still plenty of light getting to the lower plants. is this just competition for the fertiliser or is something else going on. I would eventually like to remove the water lettuce and focus more on the planted plants as i learn more.

 

[doomiedee]

I think the lettuce block a good amount of light can reduce algae growth do to lack of light and nutrients needed for algae to grow.


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[Yoimbrian]

Planted tanks and algae are all about balance.

If you just deleted a big consumer of light and nutrients without changing anything else, you lose balance

I'm sure you can remove the lettuce and not get algae, you just need to adjust everything else accordingly.


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[F1 VET]

Algae scrubbers work great for controlling algae by growing it on a screen in one specific area instead of all over the tank and plants!

Check it out I have some for sale an they work great. After 2-4 weeks algae starts disappearing from the tank. You may still have a imbalance of light/nutrients/co2 but the scrubber will contain it.

Check em out I have some for sale http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=559739



×Go S Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title and 7 wins in a row!×
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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763

 

[Geoey]

That scrubber would definitely do the trick , i have submersible lights in my tank and they are having the same effect on a smaller scale so i can see the merits in what you have done there.