Poor co2 or No co2 - that is the question

[andyniceday]

Hi,

Tank specifications - 240l tank
Water - 26 deg C, pH 6.0, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were all zero when tested this morning.
Lighting - 2 x 40w T8 bulbs (the standard lamps with a fluval roma 240 setup) on for 8 hours per day.
CO2 - DIY yeast setup, delivering roughly 1 bubble every 3 seconds, drop checker is a nice lime green colour most of the time.
Filtration - Fluval 305 external rated at 1000L/hr, UV steriliser pump rated at 800l/h
Fertilisation routine - 6ml TPN+ per day, 20% water change once per week.

Im having some fairly bad algae problems in my tank at the moment. Ive got BBA on a big java, hair algae on the glass, plants and stones, diatoms on the glass. Plants are very healthy and growing nicely. Im using a DIY yeast setup, but am really struggling to get a steady and constant level of co2 in my tank - i guess its the nature of this method. I cant afford to go pressurised at the moment so my question is...

Would doing away with the yeast setup and i guess going more low-tech help me reduce my algae growth? Im prepared to accept slower plant growth if this is a side effect, just sick of having to clean the glass and stuff so much. Would i still keep up with the TPN dosing?

 

[Dolly Sprint 16v]

Hi,
Tank specifications - 240l tank
Water - 26 deg C, pH 6.0, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were all zero when tested this morning.
Lighting - 2 x 40w T8 bulbs (the standard lamps with a fluval roma 240 setup) on for 8 hours per day.
CO2 - DIY yeast setup, delivering roughly 1 bubble every 3 seconds, drop checker is a nice lime green colour most of the time.
Filtration - Fluval 305 external rated at 1000L/hr, UV steriliser pump rated at 800l/h
Fertilisation routine - 6ml TPN+ per day, 20% water change once per week.
Im having some fairly bad algae problems in my tank at the moment. Ive got BBA on a big java, hair algae on the glass, plants and stones, diatoms on the glass. Plants are very healthy and growing nicely. Im using a DIY yeast setup, but am really struggling to get a steady and constant level of co2 in my tank - i guess its the nature of this method. I cant afford to go pressurised at the moment so my question is...
Would doing away with the yeast setup and i guess going more low-tech help me reduce my algae growth? Im prepared to accept slower plant growth if this is a side effect, just sick of having to clean the glass and stuff so much. Would i still keep up with the TPN dosing?

Hi Andy
Where do we start:
With a 240 ltr tank with a Co2 dilivery of 1 x bubble per 3 seconds in not enough to obtain a lime green drop checker, as for your nitrate reading of zero begs the question of how reliably test kits are - they are ok for "guidance use only" you need to obtain 20 - 30 ppm of nitrates and add some liquid carbon - Easy carbo or Flourish Excel. A lot of aglae issues are caused by insufficent fertz, poor circulation (water flow) and poor Co2 levels and too long a lighting period. So turn your lighting periodicity down to 5 - 6 hrs add more fertz, improve water / Co2 circulation and things will improved. Have a read at the attached shortcuts regarding algae.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/phpBB/ ... 1e7aa31eb2

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

Regards
Paul.