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Algae problems new tank

pitom

pitom

Seedling
Joined
8 Oct 2014
Messages
12
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Hi,
My tank is about 4 weeks old. It's Juwel Rio 125. From day one I used the original lights 2x28W turned on for 6 hours.
After 9 days tank was really ok:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1065...6140913576788411810&oid=106572664412569387737

A few days later, I got a lot of melt: bolibtis, Rotala bonsai, ludwigia arcuata as well as staghorn algae which came from another tank. Brown algae appeared at that time too. I increased CO2, improved flow so melt stopped, but I was away for 2 days, CO2 stopped so what followed was a nightmare - tons of algae. This is 25th day of the tank, photos from yesterday:
https://plus.google.com/10657266441...6145655464709384146&oid=106572664412569387737

https://plus.google.com/photos/1065...6145656549005588066&oid=106572664412569387737

https://plus.google.com/photos/1065...6145656647335041714&oid=106572664412569387737

https://plus.google.com/photos/1065...6145655739531499666&oid=106572664412569387737

I am awaiting koralia nano 900 to replace the Eheim aquaball, I will change the flipper to a ceramic diffuser. I have covered about 15 cm of T5s with aluminium foil, so I have less light, they are on for 8.5 hours a day. Some algae is pink as I do spot treatment with Easy Carbo every morning. I do 50% water change every 3 days.

Anything more I could do? I wonder maybe it makes more sense to remove M. Monte carlo and get new plants instead? What about anubias? Is it going to recover?

Thanks,
Piotr
 
Last edited:
Lights 4 hours at 50% brightness (foil rings) for first couple of months will prevent algae, stop plants melting and give the plants a chance to adapt.

You have way way way too much light for a tank startup.

Some of your melting might also be due to use of liquid carbon that can cause many plants (even at correct doses) to melt away.

To get rid of algae wrap tank in blankets for 3-4 days, no light, no CO2, no fish feeding, no peeking and should kill the algae. Do 50% water change.

Remove any algae affected leaves & plants, as generally they will not recover.

Hardscape can be treated with liquid carbon (outside the tank) applied with tooth brush to kill it. You could also try 50% liquid carbon 50% water on anubias leaves (outside the tank), sometimes works on algae, but leave it on too long (or too strong) will kill the leaf.
 
Thanks Ian,
I guess sorting your tips in sequence means that
1. Start with 3 days black-out: no fish feeding, no co2, no fertilization
2. Do a 50% water change
3. Remove remaining plants with algae
4. Cover 50% of tubes and reduce light period, at the same time restart CO2 and fert dosing?

How long do I wait with increasing lighting period? + 30 min weekly? When do I start uncovering the light tubes? More light intensity means CO2 dosing increases?
 
pitom said:
How long do I wait with increasing lighting period? + 30 min weekly?
Click to expand...
Something like that, if not after a fortnight. When I started I impatiently increased light too fast (was using the reflectors to deflect the light) and suffered a brown diatom outbreak and minor BBA on lower leave and hardscape. I think I went from 3 hours 1/2 light after about a month straight to 5-6hours full reflectors.

Dose full EI ferts, green drop checker CO2 levels and 50% weekly water changes regardless of light level.
 
pitom said:
I have reflectors too - I think it only intensified the problem :banghead:
Click to expand...
You might be able to bend them round to deflect light away from the tank, thus lowering the light level.
 
I think you need to stop and decided exactly what you want to do with the tank. The problem seems that you've seen the final goal and just jumped straight into it with more advice from people trying to sell you stuff. Really you need to decide if you want to do the following...

Low light low tech - with the 2 x t8 you can do this by removing reflectors and getting easy plants such as crypts, swords, anubias, vallis, dwarf sag, floating plants,etc so you can basically have a jungle of plant with low a maintenance tank. Possibly go down the dirt tank route or just use sand with fert tabs and the duckweed index

low light high tech - with 2 x t8 liquid carbon, this will open up some plant groups but close others as the liquid carbon melts some plants. Plant growth will increase and you'll have to dose liquid or salts to just shy of EI levels. Probably still use some floaters to kill some of the light.

High light High Tech - Those t5 you've bought will melt plants without proper gas injected carbon. IF you go down this route expect high maintenance tank with rapid growth pretty much any plants but much less room for error which can cause algae issues.

If you want to keep the loachs then maybe you could go with a low tech anubias jungle :D.
 
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