rockydog606

Ok so im getting tired of cleaning the sides of my tank and would like to know what im doing wrong. i have had my tank for 3 mounths and never had a problem untill now. i am a little new to the planted tank and would like some help. for about 2 weeks now theres been this algae thats been growing on the sides of my tank and is now growing on my plants which looks bad! the algae is a brown color, there is also a film thats on the surface of the water. I do have a DIY Co2 system that is going in the tank. its a 30 gallon and has about 2 watts of light per gallon. i do have snails and a shrimp in the tank which helps a little and sometimes my swordtails peck at the algae. ill take a pic to try and show you. its a bad pic but as you can tell on the back glass theres algae all over it

alexfevery

It could be your food. If you are using flake food then try using somthing else for a while because flake food has a lot of phosphorus which makes algae grow. THere could be to many nutrients in the water. so lowering, the amount of food, number of fish, and doing more frequent water change with pure filtered water(which has no minerals or bad stuff that might encourage algae) should help. Also, consider investing in a UV sterilyzer, which could end your problem imediatly.

alex

Jay

Hey rockydog606..

Nice Algae !

First...

Is not true! PO4 does not induce algae in planted tanks, I keep my PO4 at 2.5ppm with no algae issues. Serious Planted tank folks keep PO4 on the average at 1 -2 ppm.

and...

With two watts per gallon in a moderately planted tank 10-15 ppm of Nitrates, and 1-2 ppm of Phosphates, plus a GH of about 8 (calcium and magnesium) would be fine. Do not limit the nutrients in your water!

Using filtered water is a bad advice, for plants, as it needs to be restored with the minerals and "stuff" that is filtered out in order to be of use to the plants.

It appears from the pic that you have the good old barn yard variety soft green and photo plankton bio film on the glass. I'm not sure from the pic but a little green water may be mixed in.

You tell me but I am assuming a lightly planted tank here.

The plan of attack....Caution...requires actual work!

1. Scrape all the glass and take out decorations and clean them

2. Do a 60% water change, siphon and vacuum thoroughly.

3. Cover the tank with black plastic garbage bags, 100% light blackout for 72 hours. Find a way to keep the filter running.

4. Go to the store and buy some Seachem Excel. You have three days

5. Uncover the tank and do a 50% water change

6. Use the Excel as directed in conjunction with your DIY CO2

7. Feel free to pm me 24/7 (well, within reason )

8. Cut back your light to 7 hours, and keep the bottom vacuumed at weekly water changes.

This is a quick response answer...please feel free to ask questions.

Regards,
Jay

rockydog606

WOW YOU KNOW UR STUFF!!! AND DOES SOUND LIKE ALOT OF WORK!! BUT IM GONNA TRY IT!!!

Ok first question can i get Seachem Excel in any store?

second no light at all for 72 hours even with fish in it? will it not make them go crazy lol

Third How will I get all the algae off the plants without hurting the plant and making the leaves fall off?

And with all this done how can i keep my tanks water crystal clear without having the algae come back? Im also thinking about uping the light. right now it has a totle of 60 watts but im gonna up it to 100watts. would this give me more plantgrowth out of my plants? because right now there growing really slow and when i take out the co2 i cant even tell there growing. I really want the Heavily Planted tank look ill list the types of plants i have
LUDWIGIA ARCUATA
LUDWIGIA REPENS
Java Moss on driftwood
OPA MONNIERI
CRYPT RETRO
APOGONETON
Nymphaea rubra

also i want a low growing plant will dwarf sags do the trick?

any type of layout in mind?

Jay

Hey rockydog606

"Dr. Foster and Smith", on line, is a good source, buy the big bottle it is cheaper.

Nope, the fish will be fine, you might feed them first before the three day time out.

Pick off what you can with your fingers, the blackout should will kill the rest.

Algae have no way of storing energy like higher plants. The plants will fall back on their reserves, the algae will die. If the plants are in serious decline from the algae you may lose a few.

Get the algae under control first. A good technique for establishing a planted tank, as opposed to a tank with some plants, is to pack it with cheap stem plants and bulk up your plant mass. Establish a fert routine, make sure your CO2 is adequate (thats why the Excel. Excel has other benefits we can discuss later). Right now the algae is dominate in your tank, you need to work to move it in the other direction. Then go for the higher light.

You should also take a look at you lights on hours and water change and vacuuming schedule. 50% a week will not hurt you.


Jay

rockydog606

Would just like to update on the Algae problem. The tank now has clear water and the algae is coming off the plants. the tank looks better than ever! i Also compleated my lighting for my tank and have put it on. i went from 60 watts to 80 and plan to go up to 120 watts. is more better? ill take a pic of it when i get home!

Jay

It really depends on where you want to go with the tank and the care of the plants.

Once you pass 2 watts per gallon you are beginning to step on the photosynthesis accelerator.

The plants will begin to grow faster, but they will also demand more nutrients and carbon to support their accelerated growth. If there are shortages of nutrients under high light, the plants will go into decline (suffer deficiencies, starve to death) which will trigger algae blooms, and you will be right back in the algae soup again.

Regards,
Jay