cyhiemstra
Seedling
- Joined
- 4 May 2012
- Messages
- 19
Hey all
I’m here for round 3 now. Been through quite the learning curve and im still not there. I get to points where I think I am but keep being proved wrong, so I need help (again)..
Tank data:
30L Nano
11W light / 9hr
Plants: Myriophyllum Mattogrossense and Eleocharis Acicularis
Dosing: EI (@6ml per day)
CO2: yeast setup + 2ml easycarbo daily (2x1ml per 12h)
Im doing weekly 50% water changes
I have some other posts with some very helpful responses and advice which I followed, but the diatoms are persisting, which indicates some imbalance not simply resolved. The theory I was going on was lack of CO2, and too much light. All of which ive fixed.
Also worth noting that all my previous observing browning plants were actually very healthy plants underneath once the brown layer was wiped off.
To attempt to resolve the diatom explosion I went heavy on the co2, from 1ml to 1.5ml to 2ml a day while running and replacing the yeast system. Also got couple of oto’s which did a great job cleaning around the tank. And the diatoms kept blooming.
About 2 weeks ago when it was getting very bad, I decided on a rigorous tank clean. I cleared the tank of all diatom-covered half decaying HC - a load of debris was causing a total mess entangled in the hairgrass. I threw all the HC out, I removed all the hairgrass, did a methodical cleaning by hand and planted the hairgrass back in, spread out. I siphoned the gravel, cleaned the filter, removed most old filter floss but added ceramic rings and left some of the floss in. It looked great, and I felt that with a consistent yellowgreen dropchecker plus the 2ml (.6ml a day recommended on the bottle) easycarbo, the diatoms were now completely cleared and wouldn’t come back.
Two days later it came back. I kept a close eye, and noted there was none on the rock but it was beginning to take over the hair grass once again. A week later and it did start on the rock and the glass too.
It has been a little over a week of it getting worse and ive gone ahead and done another fliter+gravel wipint plants etc clean again, while I scratch my head..
Ive had a couple of theories bouncing around now:
1/the tank hasn’t completed cycling (tank commenced end may so 2 months)
2/substrate disturbance caused mini cycle
3/substrate is just dirty
4/filter is just dirty
5/not enough plants to compete with diatoms
6/not enough plants for amount of nutrients in the tank!
7/general nutrient overdose
8/lack of flow/spread (i have tried everything for this so very unlikely)
9/still not enough co2 (also highly unlikely)
Again- plants are super healthy once the brown sludge is wiped off them.
My main theory is the nutrients overdose causing a buildup in the tank, if I fill the tank with plants it may just throw the whole thing into balance. In the meantime I will do smaller more frequent water changes.
All ideas welcome!
I’m here for round 3 now. Been through quite the learning curve and im still not there. I get to points where I think I am but keep being proved wrong, so I need help (again)..
Tank data:
30L Nano
11W light / 9hr
Plants: Myriophyllum Mattogrossense and Eleocharis Acicularis
Dosing: EI (@6ml per day)
CO2: yeast setup + 2ml easycarbo daily (2x1ml per 12h)
Im doing weekly 50% water changes
I have some other posts with some very helpful responses and advice which I followed, but the diatoms are persisting, which indicates some imbalance not simply resolved. The theory I was going on was lack of CO2, and too much light. All of which ive fixed.
Also worth noting that all my previous observing browning plants were actually very healthy plants underneath once the brown layer was wiped off.
To attempt to resolve the diatom explosion I went heavy on the co2, from 1ml to 1.5ml to 2ml a day while running and replacing the yeast system. Also got couple of oto’s which did a great job cleaning around the tank. And the diatoms kept blooming.
About 2 weeks ago when it was getting very bad, I decided on a rigorous tank clean. I cleared the tank of all diatom-covered half decaying HC - a load of debris was causing a total mess entangled in the hairgrass. I threw all the HC out, I removed all the hairgrass, did a methodical cleaning by hand and planted the hairgrass back in, spread out. I siphoned the gravel, cleaned the filter, removed most old filter floss but added ceramic rings and left some of the floss in. It looked great, and I felt that with a consistent yellowgreen dropchecker plus the 2ml (.6ml a day recommended on the bottle) easycarbo, the diatoms were now completely cleared and wouldn’t come back.
Two days later it came back. I kept a close eye, and noted there was none on the rock but it was beginning to take over the hair grass once again. A week later and it did start on the rock and the glass too.
It has been a little over a week of it getting worse and ive gone ahead and done another fliter+gravel wipint plants etc clean again, while I scratch my head..
Ive had a couple of theories bouncing around now:
1/the tank hasn’t completed cycling (tank commenced end may so 2 months)
2/substrate disturbance caused mini cycle
3/substrate is just dirty
4/filter is just dirty
5/not enough plants to compete with diatoms
6/not enough plants for amount of nutrients in the tank!
7/general nutrient overdose
8/lack of flow/spread (i have tried everything for this so very unlikely)
9/still not enough co2 (also highly unlikely)
Again- plants are super healthy once the brown sludge is wiped off them.
My main theory is the nutrients overdose causing a buildup in the tank, if I fill the tank with plants it may just throw the whole thing into balance. In the meantime I will do smaller more frequent water changes.
All ideas welcome!