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In addition to the good advice above, I would add some fast-growing plants. If they don't fit with your plans you can remove them when the tank is more mature and your chosen plants are established. I would also add some snails. hth

I'm using TNC Complete, it seems as good as any.

They boast "It is completely free of nitrate and phosphate this effectively prevents the unwanted growth of algae." Nitrate and phosphate are essential for plant growth, and plant growth will inhibit algae. I think you need to add some to your ferts regime, or get a complete fertiliser to...

Also "All water parameters are good." doesn't tell us much. What are you testing, and what are the actual results?

If you mean the Specialised and the Premium I don't think there would be any advantage.

You might get better results with a complete fertiliser. Tropica Specialied if you stick with Tropica. And add more plants, including floaters as others have said.

Are you dosing fertiliser? If so, what and how much?

I keep threatening mine, but it doesn't seem bothered. :)

The are quite adaptable.The real problem is finding healthy stock to start with. They don't like the standard importing and shipping methods.

You might need to explain that a bit more.

Some information about your tank would help. :) Tank info guidelines here. Please read the guidelines for Algae help!

You could buy* one more bunch of hornwort, put half in your tank and half in a tub or bucket outside. If you have to bin what's in the tank after a week, you can replace it from the tub; what's in the tub will have doubled by then so you can have a constant supply. *Unless any-one lives near...

I would reduce the lighting to start with. Brown algae (diatoms) usually go away after a week or two; people can give any advice they like and it will always seem to work. :) I would also add more plants, especially fast-growing stem plants. Algae seem to have a hard time when there are lots of...

You're right, it can. But also from airborne spores.

Are we talking about the brown patches on the Amazon Swords? They don't look like diatoms to me, more like damaged leaves. Can you remove the brown patches ny rubbing the leaves?

Congratulations! :)

Absolutely :)

Have the plants been slowly deteriorating since the move? Or was there a sudden die-off? I suspect the plant problem may be causing (or contributing to) the algae problem. I would put some cheap stem plants in, and see if they thrive and whether they help with the algae. If they do, they can be...

ah yes, 'the land of the free'. :) I wonder what would happen if you told City Hall it's not a lawn. it's a wildflower meadow?

With caution; remember clove oil is used as a fish sedative, anaesthetic or euthanasia agent depending on the dose.

I would also* increase the water changes. You have recently gone from no fish to a lot of fish; you also have ammonia and nitrite showing on your tests. There will probably be other organic wastes that we cannot easily test for. Organic waste often contributes to algae problems and can be...

That all suggests to me that the tank ecosystem (in-tank and in-filter) is immature. BGA is often associated with a build-up of organic waste. I would increase the sze and/or frequency of water changes, at least until the tank matures. hth

If you can wipe it off the affected leaves quite easily with a finger, it's probably diatoms; if you can't, it probably isn't. Please tell us that, as well as the info requested in the link in @MichaelJ 's post above.

I wouldn't worry about it. Only a few plants are fussy about it.

Have a look at this; EI for instructions and a video.

Known as a discontinuous spectrum. I have always had the best results from incandescent bulbs, which have a continuous spectrum. Of course they are no longer available for domestic purposes.

Watching with bated breath. :)

I tend to think that a product that is intended to kill algae, parasites or whatever, probably won't be very effective if the ingredients are harmless. :)

Not according to that report. :) 19.77mg/l average, 27.6710 maximum, 3.35 minimum. I would keep using complete fertiliser, nitrate won't cause you problems, lack of nitrate would. Have a look at; Nitrate toxicity I think @Konsa is right, you need to sort your lights and CO2 out.

You certainly need to keep on top of the water changes with livestock in an immature tank (especially if that's a substrate that leaches ammonia). More plants will help with that as well, especially fast-growing stems; you can remove them later when the tank is more balanced if they don't fit...

There's a lot of poor information around concerning nitrate. @dw1305 has done a lot of debunking, backed up with science. If you want a lot of reading, this thread; Post #5 and the ones it links to, will give you plenty. Darrel explains that nitrate from tap water or fertiliser is not a...

I would also change to a complete fertiliser, such as TNC Complete; or mix your own, - which works out a lot cheaper with a big tank.

It doesn't. TNC Complete would be better.

There's some discussion here; Silicates

Welcome! :)

Is there a difference in the phosphate when it is in solution if it came from organic rather than inorganic compounds?

What types of algae don't spread from spores? Dead algae. :) And the spores get everywhere, I don't believe there is any practical way of keeping algae out. You need to provide conditions that favour good plant growth, healthy plants are less susceptible to attacks by algae. Excessive dissolved...

I agree that you should increase the ferts. Search the forum for DIY ferts if you want to save some cash. I would also increase water changes and filter cleaning, - at least until things improve. And vac the substrate when doing the water changes. The fish you have are big, boisterous (high...

Are you using sodium or potassium in the ion exchanger? And why are you removing calcium and magnesium with the softener and then adding them back in? Have you done a pH profile?

Yes, Goldfish nibble on it, but most tropicals won't. Not sure about your Torpedo Barb, some barbs will have a nibble, but it grows fast and as you say it's cheap enough. :)

More plants will help you. You could get a big bunch of cheap Elodea from a pond shop to bulk up the plant mass, and then replace it with your chosen plants bit by bit when your tank is more balanced.

Is the Hairgrass actually brown, or is it covered with brown algae? How big are your weekly water changes? Your drop checker never changes colour; does that include after the CO2 turns off? And after lights-out? A pH profile would be useful.

Some information about your tank would help. :) Tank info guidelines here.

I think that's your biggest problem. Your Tropica Specialised fert won't hurt your shrimps. If the ClearX does what is claimed for it, it's bad for plants and good for algae. I would remove the ClearX and start dosing the fertiliser; I don't like to make too many changes at once, so I would...

They have their proirities right. Left-over food will cause bigger problems than algae, and it will contribute to the algae prblem.

And you say you have 0 nitrate. What are you dosing?

If you kill it off it can come back, just as it does when you manually remove it. It's good to address the root cause, which could well be your dosing (or lack of it) as @ceg4048 suggested. If you could post some details of your set-up you should get plenty of help. eg; Tank info guidelines

Remember to look after yourself as well as your tank. :)

Yes, more info would help. But I suspect a lack of macronutrients. Seachem Flourish is basically trace elements, no nitrogen or phosphorus.

If they have been poorly treated during the import/wholesale/retail process they might be unable to recover. In particular, if they are not properly fed they can lose essential gut microflora which they cannot replace. Then you can feed them well, and see fat bellies, but they cannot properly...

Could you also ask them to test/measure the solubility of the silicon compounds?

@ceg4048 is probably right, he knows his CO2 stuff, and the fact that your non-CO2 tanks are fine suggests that some aspect of your CO2 is the cause. Could you post more details of your set-up? And photos are very helpful too, if possible. There's a guide you could follow here; Algae

Also think about fertiliser. Flourish is only trace elements.

Lol, just saw Darrel's post. :) Even Great Ramshorns won't attack healthy plants.

Giant Columbian Ramshorns will. Little red ones won't.

And Anabaena has not one, but two catalases. Paper

I don't know it applies to all species, but cyanobacteria usually has a distinctive smell. Have you had a sniff?

Welcome! :) More information would help. Tank info guidelines

When you don't know the cause of the problem, extra water changes are a good starting point. Did the fish show any symptoms before they died? Changes in appearamce or behaviour?

If you leave a tiny bit of one behind, it can regrow. If you break one up, any parts left behind can each regrow into a new Hydra. Hence the name, - after the Lernaean Hydra. And they don't die of old age. So they are fascinating (you could keep some in a jar and feed them daphnia) but, as...

You're right to be cautious. It's best to make any changes to your CO2 in small increments, and only on a day when you will be able to check on your fish every few minutes thoughout the day. What is your water change routine? Sorry if you've already mentioned it and I missed it.

Remove the Nitrex (just in case it's working in your case) and use a complete fertiliser. Start with the TNC Complete, then later on we might get you into mixing your own ferts; it's a lot cheaper, but a good ready-mixed product gives you convenience for a price.

It doesn't seem to be living up to that 'suggestion' in @Adam Dunkley 's tank. :)

Welcome! :) Nitrate is an important plant nutrient. Unfortunately Flourish does not contain nitrate, or phosphate. A complete fertiliser might be a better choice. More plants would help to establish a balance in favour of plants and against algae, preferably fast-growing species, stem plants...

Not enough is more likely; Profito calls itself a complete plant food, but it does not contain nitrate or phosphate, both of which your plants need. And, as @Mr.Shenanagins says, if you inject CO2, it needs to be stable and consistent. The plants you have named will grow fine without injecting...

How long has the tank been running? Brown algae is often Diatoms, which are common in a new tank, or one that has been changed around. The good news is that they usually go away as the tank settled down. They thrive in low light, so reducing your lighting may have been detrimental to your plants...

You need to do that several times, maybe dozens of times. As @alto and @hypnogogia have said, you can add a big dose of Prime to the water, - then you can get away with fewer chages, but it will still need quite a few. When you think it's free of bleach, soak the wood again, and put some...

But you have CO2 and a fancy light; your plants need nutrients to thrive and compete with the algae, and the light, nutrients and CO2 need to be balanced. Algae are adaptable and can thrive when they are not so well-balanced. Some more tank details would help, as in this Link

Somebody needed to say it. :)

Not very useful. Did they know what you wanted tested or why? When they said 'within normal parameters' were they thinking of a normal community tank? I think you should get some test kits so you can test your water yourself. Ideally you want to know the parameters used by the breeder your...

Sorry to hear that Darrel. All the best.

I would take the moss stones out and let the moss grow emersed for a few days; that should kill off the cyano on those. And I would take some cuttings of the Water Mint, using the emersed growth; they would be a back-up in case the bleach kills the main plants. Then clean the trough out and...

Also please tell us if you have changed anything recently. But I suspect things have been gradually deteriorating, culminating in the outbreak of algae. Are those Jewel Cichlids in the pic? How many, and how big? Any other fish? What's your feeding regime?

I think you've hit the nail on the head there, with indiscriminate testing. That's very different to what you are doing in trying to understand what's happening in your tank and investigating a particular issue. I don't like newcomers getting told they must test once a week for pH, DH, KH, NO2...

No problem keeping plants with those sorts of fish. You need to adjust yout ferts to allow for the amout of nitrogen in the fish's waste. I would cut out the macro (NPK) completely to start with and see how the plants get on. You might need to go back to dosing small amounts of P and/or K if and...

You could just have on and off, but I'm assuming you want the gradual increase for your fish; in which case ramping up from off to full over 10 or 15 minutes will be ok.

I think Fiske is right, that's a long photoperiod. Also, the dawn and sunset may be giving four hours when the light is enough for algae to grow but too dim for your plants to benefit. I would; Reduce those times to 30mins, or 15 if your controller can do that. Remove as much algae as you can...

I think I'm in the wrong business. :)

Perhaps you could try the experiment in jars with some stem plant trimmings, rather than risk upsetting your tank.

True, but calcium doesn't cause shrimps. :)

I don't think anything would reduce silicates to below the level that diatoms can utilise, it's in the parts-per-billion range. While the test kit might tell you how much is in your water, it doesn't really help it you can't do anything about it. And do you need to do anything about the silicate...

They were C. calamistratum too. I dosed Excel as per the instructions one evening, the next morning there were a few wisps of slimy stuff where the leaves had been and the bulbs were soft and mushy. I left the bulbs in case they could recover, but they didn't. It's interesting that yours aren't...

Sorry, I misinterpreted your summary. :) I haven't tried Excel with Egeria, hopefully some-one who has can advise. I've only tried it with Crinums, they melted overnight, I didn't even get a chance to see if there was any colour change etc. I really shouldn't have tried it on my most expensive...

Those and the Ferropol should be OK for ferts. I hope your new Egeria does better than the last batch, but if it doesn't, could you post some pics of it when it starts to struggle? That might give us a clue about the cause of its demise.

That should be a great help. :)

Which ones?

Salvinia would dim it. :)

Well spotted! I think that confirms what we suspected. @Marcus_F I think you should get a good, complete fertiliser, eg TNC Complete, and start by dosing as per the instructions to keep things simple. Combined with your new plants, I think that will be a great help. Personally, I wouldn't change...

It would work, but I think a lot of people just prefer to try to save what they've got rather than scrap it and start again. Even when restarting is clearly the better option, and I don't think it is clearly better in this case. It's certainly a good plan though, and a viable option for Marcus...

The perfect excuse for another tank. :)

Not Cerne Abbas then? :)

Obviously I am biased, being a member, but I have a lot more confidence in what I read on here than elsewhere. That's why I am a member. :)

I've nothing against Fluval and I've had some good products from them. But I like to get advice from a source that isn't trying to sell me anything. :)

That is a common myth. Apparently phosphate from agricultural run-off is associated with algal blooms in lakes, but that is a very different situation. Somebody must have put 2 and 2 together and got 587. :) If you want even more reading, there are threads on here debunking the myth, both with...

And old-time fishkeepers used to use willow roots as spawning mops, which was believed to help prevent the eggs from getting fungus.

I believe you are correct. A cynical person might think that could be a reason for not revealing what's in it. That person might also suspect a reason for selling it as a stain remover could be that the regulations are less stringent than for selling it as a pesticide, in terms of testing...

I think this is the paper; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01571.x

Yes. If cost is an issue (isn't it always?) concentrate on fast-growing plants as they will be more helpful. A lot of 'epiphytes' are quite slow-growing. You can add them later to complete the look you want. As for the substrate plants, I would get lots of cheap stems first and get the tank...

mg/ and ppm are effectively the same, so the report says less than 3.793ppm. Have you tried testing your tapwater? But as your other tank has no problem, using the same water, I doubt if your tapwater is the cause of the problems in this tank. If it was mine, I would try to get it more...