The drop checker was at fully gassed state in those photos, I was wondering whether it should be a lighter green.... I think I need to check using PH.1. You are using high lights but are not so confident about your CO2 levels. Red flag. That should be your primary concern before anything else. Not sure at what moment of the day those pictures were taken but if that is the color of your drop checker then you need to bump CO2 up, or decrease light if you want slower growth. It will all depends on plant requirements and what you are after. High tech tanks are intrinsically high maintenance because of how rapid plants grow. So if it isn't due to algae problems then you still need to trim plants regularly. Whether you stay with a drop checker or go for a 1 PH drop, that is your choice, but CO2 in relation to light needs to be fixed ASAP.
But, how do I know what the balance should be between amount of CO2 and light intensity? I think you're saying that if I drop the light intensity then the current CO2 level might be OK, but how do I tell?
It feels like there are a lot of plants in there right now based on the work, but I guess there is quite a bit of the soil I could plant into still. Last time I looked at re-planting to a high level, the plants were going to cost > £200, so I paused that idea for a while.2. Your tank is underplanted. Lightly planted tanks are more difficult to care for hence why it is advised when you are new to this to shove as many plants as possible.
Thanks, this is a great explanation, along with what others have said about dissolved organics. I didn't understand this and I'm doing it all wrong. When I do "vacuum" the substrate (just aquasoil) I push the siphon tube (a gravel cleaner) into the soil about 1-2cm and watch it bring up all the waste (I think that's what it is) until it run clear, then I move on to the next patch. It takes ages and it definitely disturbs the soil. When I'm doing a normal clean, the water column ends up very brown with the algae off the glass and the stuff I've fanned up from the ground plants and soil. I'm then taking 75% of that away with the water change, but I guess I'm leaving loads of organics on the plants. I never thought about that.3. Organics, partially caused by reason #1. Your tank has entered a positive feedback loop that is self sustaining. Plant health is impacted by your light/co2 imbalance. Organics are released permanently and more so when you trim plants every week since plants aren't doing well in the first place. The wood also contributes to such organic release. Your fish as well. All that put together creates a great soup for algae. So reduce organics and don't allow organics/dust to go to in the water column when you are draining the tank.
I'll follow the advice about beng more careful in this area. I wonder whether I've got too much hardscape in there, which makes it much more difficult to get to some parts?
I appreciate that! This is a dilemma for me - I really like the effect, but I have underestimated the work required to get it to a high standard and keep it there - and I am very time poor!Good luck and don't give up. Don't get fooled by all those high tech tanks, "free of algae", thinking it's a piece of cake for the owner. They spend FAR MORE time maintaining their tanks than they care to admit. I myself spend easily 2 hours every Saturday and don't consider myself to have algae problems. I could possibly spend less time if I didn't have stem plants as those require trimming all the time.
Thanks for all the advice, I need to get to work on it now!