Since I have started EI dosing I am experiencing several types of algae and although I know that it is not the dosing itself that has caused the problem I wondered what I should do about it.
When I started the ei dosing a few weeks ago it was at the same time as installing a second external filter and a new fire extinguisher (which took a week or so to settle down) and I think that one of my plants may be a house plant (sold as aquatic at my lfs) which could be causing further problems. So I believe, from what I have read on this forum, that the algae problem has probably been caused by a combination of ammonia (from an uncycled filter and possibly a rotting plant) and fluctuating co2. The ferts have just been feeding the algae possibly compounding the problem.
I know from what I have read that I shouldn't back off the dosing which I won't and in time the new filter (bringing the total flow rate upto 10x the tank volume) will have cycled and there is already one cycled external filter there anyway. As for the possibly offending plant I can fairly easily check that out and remove it if it is, as suspected, non aquatic. The co2 I believe to be fairly stable now but I will be more confident of this once I have a drop checker installed as per advice received elsewhere on this forum. So the root cause of the problems I understand and have in hand so to speak, (I think).
Incidently the plant growth is amazing and they look so lush even after just 3 weeks or so of EI dosing, a transformation that I wouldn't have believed possible. The algae is only a slight annoyance which I'm sure can be sorted out somehow.
When I say an algae problem its nothing really major but I do have BBA, GSA, staghorn and hair algae visible in certain areas within the tank now. Will these go naturally in time or do I need to treat the tank with an algacide of some sort once everything has settled down?
When I started the ei dosing a few weeks ago it was at the same time as installing a second external filter and a new fire extinguisher (which took a week or so to settle down) and I think that one of my plants may be a house plant (sold as aquatic at my lfs) which could be causing further problems. So I believe, from what I have read on this forum, that the algae problem has probably been caused by a combination of ammonia (from an uncycled filter and possibly a rotting plant) and fluctuating co2. The ferts have just been feeding the algae possibly compounding the problem.
I know from what I have read that I shouldn't back off the dosing which I won't and in time the new filter (bringing the total flow rate upto 10x the tank volume) will have cycled and there is already one cycled external filter there anyway. As for the possibly offending plant I can fairly easily check that out and remove it if it is, as suspected, non aquatic. The co2 I believe to be fairly stable now but I will be more confident of this once I have a drop checker installed as per advice received elsewhere on this forum. So the root cause of the problems I understand and have in hand so to speak, (I think).
Incidently the plant growth is amazing and they look so lush even after just 3 weeks or so of EI dosing, a transformation that I wouldn't have believed possible. The algae is only a slight annoyance which I'm sure can be sorted out somehow.
When I say an algae problem its nothing really major but I do have BBA, GSA, staghorn and hair algae visible in certain areas within the tank now. Will these go naturally in time or do I need to treat the tank with an algacide of some sort once everything has settled down?