mattmathis

Ok, I've decided to leave my 75 gallon tank alone and go the low-tech route. So I guess I'll use this post as kind of a journal. I currently am having a problem with what I guess is BBA. I want to get some more plants, because I've read that planting heavily is good for plants and bad for algae. But, I don't want to get some nice new pretty plants and have algae all over everything and possibly kill them. Would I be better off to wait until I get the algae under control or should I go ahead and add as many faster growing plants as possible to help combat the algae?

If I left out any info let me know...

Tank Age = 5 years

Lighting:
1.4 WPG
1x 40 watt T-10
2x 32 watt T-8
12 hour photo period

Water Parameters:
Ph = 7
Kh = 4
Nitrates = 20-30
Ammonia= 0
Temp = 81-82 F

Dosing:
I dose Flourish twice a week, and Excel every otehr day.

Equipment:
2 Whisper 60 Power Filters
UGF With 2 powerheads(206 gph each)
Heater
Regular Gravel (not ready to switch it out yet)
assorted maylasian driftwood
2 pieces of slate

Fish:
1 Red-Tailed Black Shark
1 Gold Ram
2 Blue German Rams
2 Neon Tetras
4 Gold Dojos
4 Corys
2 Clown Loaches
2 Botia Striatas
2 Common Plecos

Plants: (I have had them about a little over a month)
The tall plants in the right corner are fake. I'll take'em out when I get more real ones.
1 Anubias
1 Moneywort
4 Lace Java Ferns (propagating but not growing much)
about 5 bunches of hygro difformis (doing good)
8 stems of giant hygro in bad shape(they didn't have any roots when I got them, they do now, but just don't look good at all)

The plants I would like to add are:

rotala rotundifolia
green rotundifolia
sunset hygro
cabomba
E. tenellus,