Staghorn plague

[mpc]

Greetings!

So recently I have been experiencing a real plague of staghorn algae infestation. Aquarium is a small Juwel - 60 liters running a JBL crystalprofi e700 canister filter. Pressurized CO2 via ceramic diffuser switches on 50 mins before light come on and turns off some 30 mins before lights go out. Substrate: aquasoil amazonia I, Lights - DIY Cree LEDs some 25 electric W of LEDs run for about 7 hours. Fertilization - well somewhat EI. Up until problem got really serious I did 50% water change once a week.
So I don't know when, but somewhere in the last couple of months I saw a real outbreak of staghorn. At first it was just some singular clumps on wood and rocks - I eliminated them with EasyCarbo - spray spray and the next day they are pink. But they grew back after a while. Now this staghorn is almost everywhere. My staurogyne has it, anubias has it, especially the windelow fern is full of it. I don't know what to do. So I did some reading and tried to increase the CO2 tho it was quite high already (more on the yellow side of a dropchecker). Didn't affect the algae. Then I added stream pump for extra flow to mix the CO2 better and to increase surface agitation. Didn't help. I started doing more often water changes - seems that doesn't help much (tho maybe it is too soon to tell). So today I just cut off affected leaves as much as possible and I hope for the best. I will keep doing often water changes but still can you suggest - what else I could adjust/try to experiment with to get rid of this algae. Is something out of proportion? Maybe something has to do with the light? Also overdosing EasyCarbo didn't help - I was doing it for a month - some 5 ml per 60 litres every day - if it is not applied at the spot where the algae is - doesn't help - I acquired a feeling that this EasyCarbo dosing just even promotes the growth of this pest not slows down.
Please advise something/share experience!

Thank you!

 

[spyder]

Outbreaks of staghorn usually occur when tank maintenance slips.

When was the last time you cleaned the filter and scrubbed the pipes? I would chase that down and tick it off the list.

 

[CeeJay]

Hi mpc

I agree with spyder, but I would also turn your gas on 2 hours before lights on, so you have the highest gas levels at lights on.
Unfortunately, once you've got any algae, increasing the gas will not get rid of it. Algae is the most basic form of plant life and it feeds on the very same stuff that you feed your plants, so once triggered, you will be going round in circles.
Obviously the trick is not to get it in the first place and this can be achieved by removing all the infected leaves and adopting all of the above.

I acquired a feeling that this EasyCarbo dosing just even promotes the growth of this pest not slows down.

This is indeed correct. 5ml of Easycarbo in 60 litre tank will not be enough to kill this stuff, you'll need considerably more than that, but it will certainly be enough to promote its growth. Spot dosing is definitely the better method, but you have to be cautious if you are applying it directly on the plants, as some plants just curl up and die.
Best to lower the water level to below the affected plant leaves, dilute some Easycarbo with water, paint it on the affected leaves, leave it for 10 minutes then refill the tank.