Is algae contributing to melting?

[nimbo]

Considering the reduced lighting and Corys helping with the algae, should I manually remove the algae from the leaves or let nature take its course?

[coltin]

Reduced light should take care of it, let the Corys help out too, no need to clean the algae off the leaves.

[anglerman]

I was initially confused by the term "melting" when I first encountered it in a plant forum. They mentioned that without CO2 and intense lighting, my red plants would "melt." I imagined this as a gradual dissolving process, but in reality, they turned translucent and dropped leaves. I ended up discarding them. The same thing happened with some tiger lilies I had.

[nimbo]

I've noticed another development since reducing the light. It's not a huge concern for me, as long as it doesn't spread. Upon taking a closer look, I think the bumps on the algae might actually be bubbles - possibly CO2 bubbles.

[sSjey]

New to plants here and just set up some Seveflake Kleiner Bar Swords. Got new lights - NICREW RGB +W 24/7, and now I'm dealing with a weird issue. One of the leaves (far left in pic) has turned translucent. Everything, except the fish, is getting covered in brown algae. Is this what people mean by 'melting'? I've taken down the Nitrate level from around 20 to 4 and gently cleaned some of the heavily covered leaves. The Kleiners are getting Flourish tabs for food. Any advice on getting rid of this algae would be great.

My tank specs: 120 gal, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 4 Nitrate, pH 7.5, 79 F. Lighting is on for 9 hours with a ramp up/down in the morning and evening.

Corys aren't exactly known for their algae-eating prowess, so they likely won't have a significant impact on the brown algae issue you're facing.