Algae help please

[Jamesbaa]

Need some help and advice on how to clear up my algae issue.

Tank is probably about 3 months old, it's a 22lt nano with a 200l/hr aqua one filter. I started injecting CO2 about 3 days ago, the drop checker has gone a nice green colour so I'm.assuming the level is correct. I dose with easy-life profito every day. Only a few drops though and the light I use is a fluval nano plant LED.

 

[Edvet]

You will need to up the maintenance (rub the leaves, suck of algea with waterchanges, cleaning). i would start to add ferts , Profito doesn''t contain macro''s ( N, P, K, Mg) so add those too.
I see the water falling in the tank from above the waterlevel. This will drive out CO2 fast and doesn''t give good distribution. I would have the spraybat just below the waterlevel and horizontal, so you have a flow wich have all the leaves gently moving in the flow. I don''t know your light level and timing, but go low light for about 6 hour and how is the CO2 timing, on before the lights go on? (probably1-2 hours before will be good)
Did algea start with the CO2 or are you using it to combat algea?

 

[Jamesbaa]

Off the top of my head i think I have it on for about 6 hours, I've turned down the intensity to try and reduce the algae. Only had the CO2 coming on half hour before the lights and about half hour before they go off.

I kinda went CO2 to combat the algae, can you recommend a good fertiliser with the macros?

Would I be better of ditching the profito and going for the aquascaper complete plant food?

 

[Siege]

Yes co2 on much earlier before lights. You want a lime green colour (a couple of shades away from almost yellow) so co2 is at its peak when lights come on. So experiment with adding earlier.

EA Aquascaper liquid plant food will be good for your sized tank. Has the best instructions of all of them.
500ml is under £12 and will last you ages. Will be cheaper than buying lots more easylife bottles.

Liquid carbon will also help kill the algae. Shrimp will be a good clean up crew.

Ps. The plant leaves look rather dirty. Clean them well when you do water changes. 50% min water weekly, to begin with do a couple of times a week if you have time.

 

[Jamesbaa]

I have some liquid carbon left over, can I dose that aswell as Co2 injection? Don't want to overdose the tank and kill my endlers?

I have 2 red cherry shrimp, was going to get some more today but couldn't justify the £3.50 each at my local shop

 

[Siege]

Yes you can add liquid carbon also. It’s more of an algaecide than a source of carbon.

Yes get some more cherries, get 10 and you’ll have a breeding stock. £1.99 each at aquarium gardens if you fancy a train trip

There may be someone on here in London who’ll sell you some for a few quid.

 

[Jamesbaa]

Brilliant, thanks for all the help and advice.

Still very new to the hobby as I'm sure you can see, very much learning as I'm going along

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Tiger Endlers are nice.

I dose with easy-life profito every day.

Any complete plant food should improve things. Because it is a small tank a mix like EA Aquascaper liquid plant food is a viable option, if you don't want to go down the dry salts route.

As the others have said plants need a lot of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), and quite a lot of phosphorus (P), they are the three macro-elements, all the other eleven elements essential for plant growth are needed in smaller amounts. Have a look at <"Using CO2 and some.....">.

Cherry Shrimps definitely help, and like hard water, I'm a snail fan as well. They aren't to every-ones taste, but Red Ramshorn Snails really help with algae control.

cheers Darrel