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Algae problem

Herrwibi

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Joined
11 Apr 2019
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Fife
Hi all,

I'm struggling with my shrimp tank and keeping the algae down .

Tank 60l
Glassgarten enviorment soil
Mini pat filter with double sponge.
Chihiros 2ft light on the 2nd setting.
No co2
Fertilizer clay balls in the substrate

I'm struggling battling with algae . The leaves seem to be coated in brown . I've reduced my light right down and I'm looking into reverse osmosis.

My floating plants don't seem to be doing to bad but my dwarf sag seems to get converted with brown on the leaves and my hygrophilia at the back as well.

Anyone able to help with the balance of my tank .
 

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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 without bothering the Diatoms.
What's in the clay balls? Any nutrients or just clay?
 
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 without bothering the Diatoms.
What's in the clay balls? Any nutrients or just clay?

At least 2/3 months now . I don't think it's diatoms , I'm not sure if my plants are dying due to something . It's not as if I'm giving them strong light and it's only on for 8 hours . The root balls have macro and micro nutrients , I've placed 5 around the tank but I was experiencing brown algae before this . I thought I wasn't providing enough so added the fert balls to help.
 
2/3 months isn't very long its still maturing can you wipe the brown off the leaves 8hrs photo period is too long IMO 6 hrs is the norm what other live stock do you have other than shrimps and how many shrimps are there
 
2/3 months isn't very long its still maturing can you wipe the brown off the leaves 8hrs photo period is too long IMO 6 hrs is the norm what other live stock do you have other than shrimps and how many shrimps are there

Yes I've just realised I can wipe off the brown diatoms . I thought it was the leaves themselfs turning brown . It's a cardina shrimp tank , there is 11 is there so far . I'm waiting on them to nature and start breeding .

What advice would you give me ? I've reduced the lighting down to 6 hours , would an Otto help?
 
Yeah a couple of oto and 3 or 4 nerite snails its normal for a tank this early to go through diatoms wipe the leaves when you do your water changes clean the filer regularly wipe the glass every other day with paper towel it will clear
 
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Hi all,
I've reduced my light right down
They thrive in low light, so reducing your lighting may have been detrimental to your plants without bothering the Diatoms.
8hrs photo period is too long IMO 6 hrs is the norm
If you look at your Duckweed (Lemna minor) and Nile Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) they look pretty healthy. That makes me think that your nutrient levels are OK, so I would turn the light intensity UP, and keep your photoperiod at at least 8 hours.

All my tanks are low tech. and on a 12 hour day, and my guess is that low tech., a longer light period in't detrimental, but helps plant growth.

Hopefully the growth of your submerged plants will improve, but if you are suffering from nutrient deficiencies they should show up first in the growth and colour of your floating plants, because they aren't CO2 limited.

cheers Darrel
 
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