"Fuzz" algae and "Green Thread" algae...green beard algae - Algae

FobbyBobby23 · 09-22-2005, 07:14 PM

I just recently bought new lights for my 10 gallon tank..a ahsupply 36 watt light.
Now I have an apparent outbreak of fuzz algae and green beard algae, not that thick but grows on my heater and back tank wall.

I've been dosing EI method, alternating days between micros and macros, have DIY Co2 but its 2-2 liter bottle system (its not really overkill my mixes aren't that crazy)

Plants pearl a lot, I just don't know how to stop the algae from growing. I've tried searching, but I haven't found answers to the causes of the algae, and how to stop it...well besides mechanically removing it.

I also have around 10 cherry shrimp in the tank, and an otto.

Any advice?? Thanks!

hoppycalif · 09-22-2005, 08:21 PM

I vote for you having too much light for the CO2 supply you are using. The more I read the more convinced I am that we need to use compressed CO2 if we use that much light. That is what convinced me to switch from DIY CO2 to pressurized when I set up my 29 gallon tank next month.

Laith · 09-22-2005, 10:27 PM

If you're dosing the EI correctly the only thing left is a level of CO2 that's too low.

DIY CO2 can work in that size tank but you need to make sure it is consistent. The lack of consistency is the main drawback of DIY CO2.

Measure your pH and KH and then try to insure that your CO2 concentrations are at least at 30mg/l...

FobbyBobby23 · 09-26-2005, 11:43 PM

well the problem is that i have driftwood in the tank, so the pH measurements wouldn't be accurate (im not sure)

and its hard to match colors on the test kit, which themselves aren't reliable

well anywyas test kit shows my pH is like 6.8-7.0, can't really tell colors are kinda similar, kH is 10 degrees, gH is 11 (is that normal??)

thats like 30 ppm Co2 i think, and im running 2 2-liter bottles on 1 10 gallon...so i that seems about right?

could it just be that my tank is like new and is going through stages of algae which will go away as the tank gets older, gets "used" to the ferts and increased lighting?

brad · 09-27-2005, 07:12 AM

I think it has less to do with the amount of c02 and more with the consistency of the output.(as said previously in this thread) That`s why I kicked mine to the curb. I could get 30ppm from my diy setup but the next day could be 20ppm, give it a shake and it would jump to 40ppm for the morning then be back down to 15 in the afternoon........ I had so much bba it wasn`t funny. it was either scrap 200$ worth of plants or spend 200$ on co2. I picked co2.

Now I have a little green algae that looks like short hairs on the glass. I`m hoping a few nerite snails will help that. It certainly doesn`t grow like the bba.

Bert H · 09-27-2005, 08:07 AM

I have the same lighting on a 10 gal (36w ahs) and also have pressurized. As others have said, with that much lighting you need stable, consistent CO2, which diy just can't provide. If you're going the diy route on a 10gal, switch to the ahs 2x13 kit.

FobbyBobby23 · 09-27-2005, 02:08 PM

alright thanks for the input guys, i'll be looking into getting pressurized

FobbyBobby23 · 09-27-2005, 06:04 PM

actually im just curious now, how come fluctations in Co2 production would cause algae??

like say Co2 fluctuated between 30 ppm and say 40 ppm, would that cause algae? or is it not the action of fluctuation that causes algae, but rather the fact that it dips below 30 ppm when it fluctuates?

stcyrwm · 09-28-2005, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FobbyBobby23

actually im just curious now, how come fluctations in Co2 production would cause algae??

like say Co2 fluctuated between 30 ppm and say 40 ppm, would that cause algae? or is it not the action of fluctuation that causes algae, but rather the fact that it dips below 30 ppm when it fluctuates?

My experience was that as long as the DIY CO2 was above 30ppm then the fluctuations didn't matter. The problem for me was that meant fluctuations up high enough to have the fish gasping at the surface which always freaked me out. I tried dealing with this with airstones on timers but it just all made me too nervous so I backed lighting down to 2wpg and dropped the CO2 altogether. This has actually worked remarkably well for me with a lot of plants I thought I couldn't grow this way.

Tom's thread "CO2 Revelations" also opens the possibility of not having to have 30 ppm but instead focusing on diffusion to give you lots of microbubbles of 100% CO2 in direct contact with leaves. This might possibly solve the problem with DIY CO2........