algae back with a vengance

[plantnoob]

i though i had my algae problems behind me , nut no ive got more than ever . hair algae is back at substrate level , an unknown algae on the hygrophila , ive got either greeen dust or green spot on the front glass , and i found staghorn on 1 of the leaves of my anubias . there is even a bit of staghorn on the front glass! done everything i can think of so far . removed the affected leaf of the anubias , scrubbed front glass and trimmed the worst leaves off the hygrophila . i have upped co2 , although im about at the limit for the fish already , decreased lighting period , and added a powerhead for extra circulation .

im just about ready to quit co2 altogether drop down to a single tube and go for a more low tech approach . really starting to get dispondant and fed up with it all now .

 

[tim]

Hi, why not drop to one tube and back the co2 off a little for your livestock and see if there's an improvement or suspend the lighting if possible to lower the intensity. Keep hassling the algae and you will get on top of it.

 

[plantnoob]

at the moment the livestock seem ok with the co2 increase , no signs of stress yet . i will persevere for now , but if i cant crack it then im going low light ,low tech , less problems. i want to be able to just enjoy my tank , and at the moment im not .

 

[The Doctor's Companion]

Mark there's gonna be algae unless you run low tech. That's practically únavoidable.
The green spots on your front glass is just something you clean off with a sponge before water chance, and I can assure you they are a weekly chore if you wanna keep your tank sparkly clean.

Algae most often comes when your plants aren't healthy (there can be a number of reasons, you can find them on this webside), but even healthy plants sometimes have dead leaves. Make sure to remove these!

First off, remove as many algae as you can manually. Then a trick is to hold back on the N and P for ONE week, let the plants take whatever excess there might be in the water so the algae doesn’t have access to it. (if the algae infestation is bad start out with a 50-70% water change instead)

Then keep your tank dark for a few days. Board up the sides if you have to. (Also make sure your tank doesn't usually stand where it gets direct sunlight)
This will of course be a bit hard for your plants, especially if they aren’t healthy, but it will be hell for the algae in your tank.
Next do a huge water change (70%). Dead algae turn into ammonia which then feed your algae spores leading to new algae problems.
Get your light back on and feed your plants with a N P fertiliser.
Live long and prosper.
Remember! Think about what might be wrong in your tank since you had algae problems in the first place. Did I over-feed my fish? Do my plants need more co2 than I give them? Do I have too much light? Do I give too much/too little fertilizer?

 

[jacaranda]

You could also dose easycarbo alongside regular co2 which helps with algae a lot

 

[plantnoob]

some good advice there doctors companion , thanks . as far as reducing light intensity gos , im barely at 1.4wpg now , if i go down any more i may as well disconnect the co2 and go low tech . looking at my tank , i think i may have found the reason things have gone sour after seemingly picking up . when the gas is being injected , my external reactor ( tmc aquagro 1500) is only half full of water , when gas cuts off it slowly fills back up again . surely this must be at least a contributing factor ?

for sure i will try the steps you suggest to rid the tank of the algae , but i need to nail down the cause 1st , or its just going to be an ongoing cycle

 

[Ian Holdich]

The cause will be too much light, Mark. It's always the cause. I'd be a little wary of cutting back on your n and p dosing as well. Is the flow good enough at that level? Have you got some Amanos in there?

 

[plantnoob]

ive got a few amanos in there . strange you should mention light ( although of course i trust your input) , as i deliberately kept it low being my 1st planted . im certainly willing to knock it down if need be . but then at 0.7 wpg i may as well just disconnect the co2 and go low tech . dont mean to sound all bah humbug , but sick of fighting the tank now . all but decided that my next tank is going to be a low tech . im sure that bloody reactor isnt helping . its barely got 3 inches of water in it now as im looking at it . god knows how im going to sort that out .

 

[ceg4048]

Mark there's gonna be algae unless you run low tech. That's practically únavoidable.

This is not true at all. There are plenty of hight tech tanks that are algae free. I avoid algae all the time and I don't have lo tech, so this statement is not valid. Also, many low tech tanks have algae as well, so going low tech guarantees nothing. It just means you have different versions of the same problems.

First off, remove as many algae as you can manually. Then a trick is to hold back on the N and P for ONE week, let the plants take whatever excess there might be in the water so the algae doesn’t have access to it.

And this is the worst thing you can possibly do in a tank that suffers algae. Excess nutrients can't possibly cause algae, so withdrawal of critical Nitrogen and Phosphorous will increase the likelihood that the algae will not retreat, ESPECIALLY if the cause of the algae is due to poor N or P uptake. GSA is caused by either poor P or poor C uptake, or by a combination of both. Sorry, but this is terrible advice. Plants exhibit poor health specifically due to malnutrition NOT because of excess nutrients.

The OP undoubtedly has more light than he bargained for. That's where he should start. Following a policy of nutrient starvation exacerbates the conditions that cause failure.

Cheers,

 

[plantnoob]

well my hand has been kinda forced , im now low tech ( not sure if permanently or not). whilst trying to do something with my reactor i managed to snap off the lug where the co2 tubing gos . at the moment im running 1 24w t5 minus reflector and no co2 . where i go from here i am unsure . most likely though i will stick with low light low tech . i have well and truly had a gutful of co2 at the moment .

 

[tim]

Hi plantnoob, the only thing in my opinion that causes algae is excess light low tech tanks can and will suffer this too, it's all about tank management/ balance.

 

[plantnoob]

could it be that , with this wpg stuff being pretty much outdated and irrelevant , that even though with 2x24 w t5 working out by the "old rules" at 1.4wpg , the par was actually higher than expected ? clutching at straws here really . going to play really safe on the next tank and have 1wpg t8

yet to decide if im going to stay low , or try co2 again . but most likely is that il sell on my reg/solenoid , drop checkers etc

 

[tim]

Don't do it mate I run an old aquatropic tank with t8s and co2 and pretty much I can grow anything in it with co2,t5s have been the undoing of my planted tanks they are more powerful than most people think again just my opinion.

 

[plantnoob]

i have just got to the point where all i want is a nice easy , hassle free planted tank instead of chasing my tail all the time .

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

i have just got to the point where all i want is a nice easy , hassle free planted tank

As you are a cichlid fan have a look at Bob Wiltshire's web site, the part on "aquarium care" is pretty useful <Aquarium Plants for Dwarf Cichlids>.

I set up the tanks in the lab to be low maintenance, because I can't always get at them, and they do really well. In this thread on (page 5), whole thread is well worth reading: <Low tech tank pictures | UK Aquatic Plant Society>.

I've managed to kill off my pair Dicrossus since (bloated), but other than that things are still much the same.

cheers Darrel

 

[plantnoob]

the cichlids will probably wait until i get the bigger tank im planning in the new year . although im sure i could squeeze some apistos or similar into the current tank . some great looking tanks in the low tech thread . shows you can still have a nice planted tank without co2

 

[Henry]

What are your tank dimensions? I had 2x24w T5 over a 30"x15"x12", and had no end of algae problems, even with a yellow drop checker. My tank turnover is 15x per hour, and so far as I'm aware, efficient. I had algae problems until I removed one of thr bulbs. My plants now grow healthily and steadily, without any algae.

Forget "wpg", it's tosh. My tank is low light, high CO2, and never been healthier.

 

[plantnoob]

80x35x45cm . same as you describe , i had bright yellow drop checkers , co2 right at the limit of what the fish could handle and close to 20x turnover .

 

[Henry]

Then removing thr Co2 will cause an algae explosion! Halve the light and watch your algae problems disappear.

 

[plantnoob]

i agree , i expect more algae , but so far light has already been halved , pohtoperiod shortened , co2 gear put up for sale , and once its sold the tank will be set up again from scratch as a low light soild substrate low tech using t8 tubes instead of t5's .