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Hi, I guess it's necessary to define what you mean by "truly high light". I reckon a PAR value at a certain distance below the surface is the best way to go. I mean really, a lot of T. Barr bashing goes on but have you never seen his tanks? You cannot pick and choose examples of supposed...

Good plan. You can even float the plant at the surface for a few days to allow a better transition. Many don't realize that in the natural habitats, plants are not just dunked under water. The rains come and the plant has the ability to adjust to the submerged state as the water level rises. We...

Mate, to be honest, I wasn't even aware of this myth until I read the OP. I wonder if folks are confusing wallichii with macandra? R. macandra is one of the handful of plants that are reported to struggle in high KH. Of course, people are so lazy and cavalier when it comes to...

Hi KirstyF, It's exactly as you say. Yes this was one of my tanks and nothing special was needed other than the realization that CO2/flow/distribution are the most important factors in any tank. The more light that you use the more critical these factors become. I would avoid...

Wow, where is that written? R. Wallichii in water GH >26 and KH>20 Cheers,

When it comes to lighting, less is actually more. High intensity makes plants grow more quickly - but it also makes algae and all other problems grow more quickly. Cheers,

Hello, Melting plants are a typical symptom of CO2 deficiency. The higher the light energy the higher the demand for CO2. You may wish to reduce the intensity even more, perhaps down to 25%. Another thing you may wish to try is to move the CO2 diffuser as close to the intake pipe as...

Hi castle, Apologies if I missed your previous post asking about this. It's a well worn road and these are two completely different subjects when we talk about causality. Many moons ago the claim that nutrients cause algae in a planted tank was falsified by the mere fact that...

Hi, No, it could not. Nutrients don't cause algae. Yes, this is a definite possibility. Cheers,

Hi, No idea about relevant youtube videos but you hardly need one. Damaged leaves should be cut low on the stem. There are a lot of propaganda out there suggesting the addition of microbial fungus in the sediment, but this is hardly necessary. CO2 is the most important ingredient...

Hi, As long as there is sufficient CO2 there really not many plants that will suffer at 28/29 degrees. Higher temperatures increase the plants metabolism, but these temperatures also are even more conducive to algal blooms. A good practice is to limit the light intensity in order to arrest...

Hello, Algae can result if the sunlight intensity is too high for the available nutrient loading and CO2 concentration level. This is the same as would occur if the the lighting were artificial. What you can do is to cover the back and sides of the tank to reduce the overall...

As mentioned by John q, assumptions can be detrimental. if you determined the CO2 level by using the pH/KH/CO2 chart then the value is in error. Reliance on the chart will always get you in trouble because it will always overestimate the CO2 level in the tank for the reasons discussed in the...

As stated previously, nutrients will never fix a CO2 problem. Your only effective course of action will be to reduce the light energy entering the tank. Whether that means disabling bulbs, or otherwise obfuscating the light via mechanical methods, or by adding floating plants. Cheers,

Haha, thanks Michael. Too cold though! I'll be in a desert. Nice and warm...:cigar: Cheers,

Hi Chris, Yeah, I was afraid of that. For some reason your tank seems to be on the borderline of BBA. If you still have the Excel then definitely resume the attack straight away. The placement of the spraybars looks OK. It's not clear which has the CO2. It should probably be the...

Hi Sdogg, Well, pointing flows in opposite directions is not ideal. Hobbyists try to play ping pong with water all the time and this just isn't fun because water refuses to play. Having said that, in some tanks, due to the placement of objects in the tank, such as hardscape or...

Hi Chris, Yeah, Lewis ran a heck of a race down in Brazil and Mercedes seem to have the faster car. Max's lead, while not insurmountable, seems a tall order with only a couple of races remaining. I don't think Lewis can pull it off but I'd be happy to have him prove me wrong. :)...

Rotting stems, or the rotting of any part of any plant automatically implies poor CO2 uptake. Investigate gas injection rate, injection timing, as well as flow/distribution. Plants do not care whether they are in sand as long as you dose nutrients regularly. Cheers,

Hello, BBA is a CO2 related algae. I no longer know what the term "DIY CO2" means. Originally, it meant the use of a yeast fermentation device, which is notorious for causing BBA due to it's poor delivery of CO2. If this is the case then I suggest you abandon these methods and consider...

Hi Chris, As we discussed earlier, it's not really a good idea to point filter outlets at opposing directions. This normally leads to cancellation of flow. Splitters are always a potential problem because the two filter outlets always have slightly different back pressures, so the...

Yes, these are all factors that have an effect in all systems. Although our glass boxes are not the same as natural systems, some natural processes do occur, however, since the level and diversity of organisms in the tank are limited, not everything that happens in a lake or river can occur in...

Yes, correct, except we do not have rivers, lakes or coastal waters. We have a glass box that is synthetic and whose system has nothing to do with nature. Even in nature, depending on the specific location, eutrophication has varying effects. In some systems is causes algae, in other systems it...

Hello, These are all symptoms of poor CO2. Since you are adding CO2 then you'll need to look at your flow/distribution. Your photo does not show how you are distributing the flow so it's not possible to comment. I would certainly NOT increase the light intensity as this makes the algae...

BBA is a CO2 related algae. It is NOT related to nutrients. Either increase the amount of Excel dosing or reduce the light intensity. Cheers,

Hi, When flow/distribution problems are present they not only cause anomalies with CO2, but with everything else, such as nutrients. The purpose of flow/distribution is to deliver gases as well as solids and liquids. This is a common misconception regarding aquatic plants. This theory...

Hello, Think flow, not light. You need to re-examine your flow and/or distribution. Melting, curling, necrosis, browning, and filamentous algae are all caused by CO2 shortfall. Cheers,

If only certain species are stunted but others grow well then we cannot make the argument that "all" plants are hard to grow in hard water. I also don't think that you necessarily need to resort to low tech just because two species are not growing in the high tech tank. Why would these two...

Yes, as MrClockOff mentions, the typical biomedia creates hydrodynamic drag and saps energy from the filter throughput. The noodle (or rather the hollow cylindrical shaped) media is actually designed to reduce flow in order to allow the larger particles in the water to fall out of solution...

Well, as discussed, it is the sum of all things that you do that result in success or failure. Since we do not have either an image or a sketch of your setup it's difficult to assess the effectiveness of your flow/distribution. The lighting is actually not that difficult to manage if it is LED...

Hello, According to the specs, the Fluval 106 is rated at 550 LPH, which is near enough the 10X rule to be muscular enough for a 60L tank. It's not clear from your post whether you had been using a spraybar with the 106. If not, why not try a spraybar before spending more money? Perhaps...

Hello, Black spots and holes, if not a result of predation, is caused by poor CO2. If this is a Co2 injected tank then review your CO2 technique. If this is a non-CO2 injected tank then the cause is related to excessive lighting - and this is the only variable that can be realistically...

CO2 is not a pill for the tank to swallow when problems arise. It is a completely different process, is complicated and brings with it a host of problems. I would be very cautious about "...getting some CO2.." as this can cause more troubles than it solves. Cheers,

Hello, As mentioned by Michael, nitrate does not cause algae. Algae do not really care how much nitrate is in the water. Lack of nitrate, however, does cause algae. The Eurozone limit for NO3 is 50ppm, so no, tap water does not very often have zero nitrate, and for our purpose, does not...

Hi, Thanks for the information. yes, with non-CO2 injected it is very difficult sometimes to save the plants. One method you might consider is to float the plants in the tank for a week or two before planting. Plants that we purchase from commercial suppliers are typically grown out of the...

Hello, You've not supplied enough information about your tank. Browning in plants or any other structural faults is caused by poor CO2. Is this a CO2 injected tank? If so then there is an error in your CO2 technique. If this is a low tech tank the same applies, however, there is no way...

Those white cylinder things in the chamber on the right side of the photo (we call them "noodles" because they look like pasta) are THE worst media type you can have in your filter. They are specifically designed to reduce the flow through the filter so that the large particles will fall out of...

Well, I wouldn't choose to place the spraybar on a side wall. The reason is that the flow has a much longer path to take across the tank. We are depending on the water's energy to flow down the glass and to travel back toward the spraybar. Doing it the way you suggest means the moving water will...

Yes that is the basic configuration and should work well. I might have mentioned somewhere in the thread that you should also try placing the CO2 diffuser under the filter intake to see if the canister can handle it without coughing, burping or spitting too much. Also, remember not to fill the...

KH has nothing to do with distorted leaves. Distortion is either genetic or is due to poor CO2. Prune the leaf and observe the new leaf that grows. If the new leaf is distorted then it tells you that your flow or distribution of flow is faulty at that location. In your third photo of the...

I've often wondered whether this so-called "novoguineensis" is just another typical marketing term for japonica that just happens to turn red occasionally. None of this is necessarily true and the last thing I would suggest to anyone would be to "upgrade" lighting, which could prove disastrous...

Hi, Yes, of course you can let the plant reach the top, but I would trim the top a couple of times to see the quality of the new growth. Often, when the plant reaches the surface it will improve because the leaves at the surface can breath CO2 from the atmosphere. If you allow the tank to...

It's very difficult to prove that the shape change was due to that one thing. As you say, you may have had both low nutrients and low CO2 at the same time. After the shape change, did you then increase the water column dosing? If so, did the new leaves have a good shape? In order to be sure that...

Correct - this is true more than 90% of the time. The following post describes some of the morphological differences between plants in the terrestrial form versus their submerged form=> Cause of death? CO2 grows plants and the difference in the robustness of the various plants is primarily...

Hi Chris, Yes, it's as you say. regarding the colors. I'm not one to chase colors. I just feed the plants, get CO2 as good as I can and sometimes I get lucky colors, other times not. It's better to buy plants that genetically have great colors and just carry on from there. If you...

Hi Michael, Yes, this is coincidental. There is nothing in chloride that would result in deformation and certainly potassium does not cause deformation, even at very high levels. Plants are very rich in potassium, so this is all goodness. A good trim and lots of water...

Hello, Curling leaves and any other structural fault is caused by poor CO2. Cheers,

Hi Chris, Yes, it's really difficult to understand all the stupidity surrounding this. Is it any wonder why there are and have been so many wars on Earth? I'm always wondering whether there is any limit to human stupidity - and the answer appears to be..."no". :hungover: Anyway it...

Hi Marcel, Yes it always appears as if something suddenly happens, but actually it's a process where the plant tries lots of tricks and finally runs out of steam. One of the main reasons crypts and swords have extensive root systems is that they can collect CO2 from the roots, but...

It may or may not be related. The solubility of any gas in water decreases as the temperature increases. Even small changes in the temperature can result in large changes in CO2 if the injection rate is not adjusted to compensate. As you yourself can attest, under-dosing or overdosing any...

Melting tissue and any deformation of leaves is cause by poor CO2. Cheers,

Hi Chris, Yeah, as much of a Hamilton fanboi I am, I've got to say that it seem to be mostly his fault as he was barreling down the inside and didn't use the space Max actually gave him. I get it though. It's a difficult circuit to recover from being behind so Lewis was being super...

Hi Chris, To get the colors that you're actually seeing through your brain's filters it's normally best to use the DSLR's Custom White Balance function. It's on most Nikons, but I'm sure it's on other brands too. Color balance is all about telling the camera what "white" or "grey"...

Hi Chris, Yeah that was a bummer missing it. Murphy's law I guess. Glad you are happy with the tank. P. Helferi is one of my favorite carpets because it's relatively undemanding. I've even seen it in non-CO2 tanks, which you can't say about a lot of carpets. In fact, it will grow out...

Leaves being attacked by algae can never recover, no matter what you do. If a majority of the plant mass is affected then you could try washing off the BGA which should come off easily. For the BBA try spot dosing Excel or equivalent. If you re-plant then overdosing the tank with Excel by 2X or...

Sorry but this is not true. This idea is a myth generated by the data available for terrestrial plants. Aquatic plants do not care about ratios of any nutrient to any other nutrient. Cheers,

Hello, 1. Holes in leaves or in stems are a result of poor CO2. 2. Leaves dropping off are a result of poor CO2. 3. GSA is caused by any combination of poor PO4 and poor CO2. Based on the symptoms #1 and #2 it can be reasoned that symptom #3 is a result of poor CO2 and has a low probability of...

Hi Chris, I missed the race, unfortunately. Had a power outage due a minor tornado passing nearby. It figures I'd miss one of the most exciting races. Looks like Lewis had his work cut out for him. It's going to be difficult getting back to normal working routine. That's for sure...

Hi, Yes, I'd consider moving it to another place, just to see if it makes a difference. No guarantees of course, but worth a shot. I'd trim the worst of the leaves as well. They will never recover and that's just extra baggage the plant has to carry around. Cheers,

Hi, Have you buried the rhizomes by any chance? It's an obvious question, but one never knows. I'm quite certain water hardness is not an factor, as I've grown ferns for years in hard water with no problems. The rest of the tank looks super nice though. You could try gluing/tying the...

Hello, In a non-CO2 tank one really does not need to worry too much about frequency of fertilization. I think folks get this confused as we are mostly CO2 centric. Adding tiny amounts of nutrients once a week will be fine in a low light non-CO2 tank. The photo appears to show ADA...

Hi Chris, I've used lots of different lighting technologies. I currently have LEDs and the controller allows me to slowly ramp up the intensity, but I do not need to use full power at any time. I have a PAR meter, so I can use the readings at the substrate level to set the maximum intensity to...

Hello, Melting crypts are a sign of poor CO2. Crypts do not care about stability of parameters. In their native habitats they survive all kinds of instability when submerged. Since the tank is non-CO2 injected the only way to combat the issue is to reduce the light intensity, which...

Hi, Yes, you were either unlucky or did something incorrectly (or did not do something correctly). Here is L. acuarta from the supplier (Tropica) newly planted in Thames water KH 20 and GH over 26. Here they are 3 weeks later, fully transitioned to submersed form. L. acuarta, like 99.99%...

Well the ADA lamps are a special case where they do not output very much PAR. There is enough green frequencies to limit the output. Humans are more sensitive to the greens and yellows so the lights appear bright to us but not that bright to plants. Those using the non-ADA lights do have trouble...

Hi Alex, Yes, I agree with your hypothesis. Rubisco production has an inverse relationship with available CO2. I should mention however, that although Liebig's law does address the limiting factor for growth, we have to be careful how we apply this because not every nutrient is...

Yes, that number is correct. Aquasoil is just clay soaked in a nutrient solution and then dried by baking. When you add water the nutrients slowly leach from the clay into the water Column so that nutrients become available from both the sediment as well as from the water. I use Aquasoil as well...

Hi, I'm not a lily pipe user and I normally would not send the flow along the long axis of the tank. You'll need to experiment with different positions of the pipe. Instead of mounting it near the front glass, try mounting it at the midpoint of the side glass so that the flow is more even...

Hi Chris, Sorry, but nobody knows what their phosphate levels are. Firstly, Phosphate test kits don't tell you anything. You only ever know how much PO4 you have actually put into the tank. Secondly, PO4 is never responsible for wiping out fish. Again, you must be listening to folks...

Hello, It's very difficult to compare different tanks as no hobbyist is in complete control of all the variables. People who are reporting success or failure often misrepresent the situation by inadvertently omitting certain details which are critical to understanding what is happening...

"Welcome to the desert...of the real..."

Hi, No you shouldn't. In fact, in my opinion, you should get rid of that skimmer and never use one again. The reason you have surface scum issues is exactly the same reason you are suffering problems now. I suggest you study this thread for greater insight: Surface Film The solution...

Yeah, I hear they're planning a 4th installment, which is disappointing as they will never recapture the magic... Cheers,

Hi kschyff, It looks like BGA. If you're dosing EI salts and still getting nutrient related algae then that means your flow/distribution is in question. The staghorn is likely an indication of CO2 shortfall, this also implies poor distribution. We'd need to see photos of...

Hi Chris, Have a look at the EI dosing article The Estimative Index (EI) Dosing with Dry Salts You'll see that we generally suggest to dose macros 3 days a week and the traces twice a week on alternate days. It isn't always necessary to do that, but we suggest it because we cannot...

Yes, if this is an APF card then it's based on the recipe in our EI article. Well the tank is just sitting there. I used to have something like 14 tanks, which was insane, so I got rid of them all to focus on one large tank, so don't really want to go back to multiple tanks again. This is...

Hello, Many people assume that having the bubbles below the pump outlets automatically achieve the intent, but this is not true unless the tank is pint sized. The problem with this reasoning is that CO2 bubbles is not really what we want. The goal is to dissolve the gas. When the gas...

Hello, No, this is not normal, yet it's a common occurrence when CO2/flow/distribution are poor. High temperatures (27 C) and bright lights exacerbate the problem. Cheers,

Hi Chris, Yeah mate, Max is a great driver. I'm just a bigger Hamilton fan, that's all, haha. On the other hand Botas is irritating as he often argues with team instructions. I thought I saw where he actually held up Luis and cost him a second or two. That would be great to have...

Hi Chris, Yeah that was unbelievable. I actually was upset after his pit stop and wasn't able to make it out of the pit ahead of the Ducthman. I figured he'd just have to settle for second and that maybe the Mercedes just isn't as quick as earlier in the season. I left the tele and...

Hi Chris, The tank in the photo used only T5 fluorescent tubes. You can use a lot of light only when CO2 is set correctly. I only ever use the standard EI powders purchsed in bulk from various sources, whoever is selling the cheapest, usually the lowest grade. I do not suggest that...

Haha, likely to be a sure cure for insomnia. :geek: Cheers,

Yes, agreed, there is likely a marginal benefit but worth a try if your frogbit can cope. Good old airstones may achieve the same without the conflict as well. Cheers,

Hi Michael, Yes, it's a distinct possibility that the holes were there unnoticed from before but it's more likely that they recently developed as the available CO2 supply dwindled due to increasing mass. Lack of fertilization does not cause this, only lack of CO2. I agree that there is no rush...

Yeah, it's a sign of the times that everything is nil stock or absurdly expensive if you can find it. Tunze has solid products although I've never used this item. Give it a try, why not? Yes I know a lot of folks seem to require long lead times. To me that indicates some issue with diffusion or...

Hi Chris, OK, that explains it. I'm still perplexed as to why it takes 4 hours to drop the pH though. I was mentioning to another poster in his thread just now that it's better to use multiple smaller koralias than to use a single large powerful one. That way the pump does not...

Hello, Holes in leaves, if not due to predation, can only be caused by insufficient CO2. Potassium has nothing to do with this symptom. Since this is a non-CO2 tank the only option is to reduce the demand for CO2 by reducing the light intensity. Cheers,

Hi Chris, Doing OK mate, thanks. Hey, I'm looking at photo #1 and the DC looks blue. Is that an optical illusion or is that really happening? The light should not be on when the DC is blue. I'm assuming you start the gas a few hours before and that by the time you have the pH drop of...

Hi Chris, OK, looking better. It takes a while for things to recover. Just carry on and keep an eye on it. The hairgrass isn't dying, so that's the good news. Cheers,

This is not even remotely possible. Maybe even too much? It's almost certain that this is the problem. Lower the intensity if you can to about 20%. CO2 makes plants grow. Light makes them use CO2 faster. Cheers,

Hi Chris, OK, yeah, that is really "bad juju" skipping the Excel dosing. It actually makes things worse. It's best if you can dose it just before lights on as well. You can also spot dose using an eye dropper or small paint brush if it's on the hardscape, but the leaves will never...

Hi Chris, Yeah, I was watching the race myself. Shame about Hamilton going off into the gravel. He also had a slow pit at a critical moment at tire change time. I thought he should have stayed out another lap. I thought his comeback from 9th was epic though. Looking at the videos...

My Comments are based on 30 years of growing crypts. Because just like in the movie, it seems you have been programmed to think a certain thought that has nothing to do with reality. Now, I have no idea what branch of horticulture your expertise is in but either your statement regarding "crypts...

This is another myth created in The Matrix. Having an extensive root system has very little to do with preference for nutrient uptake location. One of the hallmarks of aquatic plants is that they adapt their leaf structure specifically to uptake nutrients from their leaves. There are other, very...

Hi Chris, There are no guarantees, I'm afraid, but it's always worth a try. Cheers,

Hi Chris, Well the center would be the best place to mount the Koralia, but it looks like most of your plant mass is on the right hand side, so maybe first try to mount the Karalia on that side just under the mid-point of that bar and see how it goes. Cheers,

Maybe use floating plants to block the light. You can also add daily dosing of Excel or other so-called liquid CO2 products. Cheers,

Hi Chris, There is no image taken from the side, but it seems the streams are quite weak as they are not reaching the front glass until they drop almost half the height of the tank. I would shorten the spraybar because there is a preassure drop along its length, so the longer the...

Yes, and these are correct. One cannot have a low CO2 sweet spot when the lighting is too high. High light forces a high CO2 demand. There ARE a whole lot of low CO2, unhappy java fern posts The answer is always the same increase effectiveness of CO2 and/or reduce the lighting load. Cheers,

Hello Dave, Well, yes, that is the beauty of Excel and similar in that is is a biocide toxic to CO2 related algae and at the same time many plants are able to assimilate it and use it to produce either CO2 or CO2 metabolites. The mechanism is known only to a few, but there are...