# How to clean algae from anubias?



## roadrunner

I have couple of anubias and they have algae on their leaves, especially old ones. Is there any "easy" way how I can remove it? I do not have CO2 system, I have albino bristlenose and 2 SAE and they don't seem to clean it.
Thanx

EDIT: I did mist anubias with 1:10 excel-water mix. It killed algae but anubias leaves along with it. Now they have yellow/brown edges.


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## April

A bucket of water with a bit of bleach just until the algae turns white then rinse.I saw a plant guy do it like that. Once ite white it's dead.


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## April

Then use excel or put excel directly on te plants with a dropper. Seen that done also


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## crazy72

Very useful thread, thanks. I'll give this a try since I have the same problem.


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## neven

1) Turn off the filter

2a)For black/red/green brushy like algae, bastering/syringing excel or metricide on the affected area, black beard algae thread discusses this more
2b)For Green spot algae, you can baster your phosphate dosage on the affected area until it goes away

3) wait 30 min, turn on filter


If the issue isn't resolved from this (or it comes back), then likely you'll need to raise the light or put the affected plants in spot with more shade (or on a lower piece of driftwood). Anubias and other slow growers are magnets for Green spot and black beard algae when they get direct light.


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## roadrunner

Thanx, I will give this a try. It looks like I have green spot algae. 
I was just wondering… if I use bleach how safe it would be for plants and later for fish when I put plant back in.


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## Nicklfire

roadrunner said:


> Thanx, I will give this a try. It looks like I have green spot algae.
> I was just wondering&#8230; if I use bleach how safe it would be for plants and later for fish when I put plant back in.


It's perfectly safe, dont use STRAIT bleach.. i think the ratio for bleach/water is 1:10

maybe someone can confirm


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## monkE

I have had a lot of success spot treating with metricide just like neven explained


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## 2wheelsx2

If the Anubias is up higher, do a big water change so the plant is exposed to air, and use a 1:10 Excel/water mix in a mist bottle and mist it, and then fill up the tank. This works for BBA, GSA, and most kinds of algae. Just be sure the total does that you use does not exceed the recommended. This is the least amount of Excel you need to remove algae as it has direct dwell time. Many people make it part of their routine maintenance so the lower tech tanks and even high tech CO2 tanks remain 100% algae free.


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## punchbuggy

Speaking of which, I have a tank with some algae on the gravel.. should I spot treat using a syringe? I can't really drain the tank enough to mist on to gravel..


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## 2wheelsx2

Turn the gravel over. No need to do more than that. The algae will die without light. That's what I do. Gravel vac turns it all over.


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## punchbuggy

I kind of do that now. It just gets a pain since I vac it up but it still flops the right side up. I've resorted to using a spoon and manually doing it. . Just like a real garden


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## 2wheelsx2

The other thing you can do is suck it out of the tank and using a weak bleach solution (like 20:1) to clean it and then rinsing it and using dechlorinater on it before dumping it back in the tank.


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## neven

or take a sammich gladware container, put a 1/4 inch hole in it, then place the container over the affected area weighted down by rocks, then squirt the excel/metricide in the hole


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## snowlights

I had spot algae on my anubias but nothing really seemed to work, I trimmed off the bad leafs and they grew back very fast. I had to change my bulbs was all. 

I would try diluted bleach (I think 1 part bleach to 19 parts water) and see how that goes. Rinse it well and give it a quick soak in water with extra water conditioner before putting it back into the tank. I do this with new plants before putting them in my tank and so far only hornwort was the one that didn't fare well after. Anubias seem fine with it.

I've read hydrogen peroxide can work, but never tried


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## Scherb

Hello, for the gravel you can get an attachment for your gravel vac that will turn the gravel, i got 1 that has sloped sides and is narrow across the opening. the sloped sides allow the gravel to swirl around putting the top stuff on the bottom. hope that helps cheers


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