Moo

Hey, I haven't posted pics of the tank in awhile.
I'm having an awful time ridding the tank of this algae. I've included pics of it up close to help.
Can anyone help me get rid of this?
the tank has 96watts for about 9 hours.
EI fert method.
Feed lightly every other day.
does excel
DIY co2
Eco complete gravel.
tank has been up for about 5 months

Also I'm open to hard scape and plant placement critique.
I've got a few other plants on their way.
I haven't really added any plants, I've been short on cash lately and I haven't been able to obtain what I wanted until recently. But I'm open to ideas.

Jessie

I would get in there and manually scrub off as much of the algae as possible. Do you have any Otos to eat that diatom algae?

Also, since you're using DIY Co2, it's possible you're not getting enough. Have you considered increasing the Excel?

Moo

i think i've increased the excel to the point where it's killing my java fern.......
no otos, mabey I should try.

Ajax

First off you definitely need a cleaning squad in there to help with that....otocinclus, Amano shrimp & some SAEs if you can find them. I would go with about 10 o-cats & 20 Amanos to start.

Second, what are you dosing, and how much? EI is not the method I would recommend with that lite of a plant load. I don't see any plants in there that a couple of root tabs, some trace ferts & maybe a little extra potassium wouldn't cover. I don't think you need to add any nitrogen or phosphate to your tank to be honest. Try that for a few weeks to see if it helps. Heck all ya' got to lose is algae at this point

Moo

yeah basically.
i'll try it.

furballi

I'd also stop adding fertilizer. Clean as much algae as possible. Dip ALL infected plants and ornaments in diluted (19 water/1 bleach) bleach for 30 seconds. Rinse well with tap water. Use toothbrush to scrub-off dead algae. Remove 90% of old water and replace with tap water. Clean filter. Change 50% water 2 to 3x per week. Cut lighting to 4 hours per day. You should see improvement within one week.

The frenquent water change should add sufficient nutrients to keep those few plants happy.

Quality otos are hard to find, but they will help you to keep most algae at bay. Avoid SAEs. They will get big, and are over-rated when it comes to algae control. Some SAEs will also munch on plants if you don't give them sufficient green stuffs. The bigger SAEs will place a huge biological load on your tank.

FishandTurtleJunkie

^^^
What he said, and cram as many fast growing stem plants (temporary) as you can in there after cleaning out the algae.

stepheus

i would spot treat the infected parts with excel i.e. use a syringe, fill it up with excel and squirt it directly onto the plants. do it over a few days. dont over do it. IMHO bleach is not for me. other thn that, reducing fert and adding fauna to gobble the algae works for me.

ianmoede

Excel treatment is good short term. But i think the issue here is clearly an imbalance in light and CO2. If you can afford it, go pressurized. It will make a night and day difference. Of course youll have to manually remove whats there now, but adding pressurized will cure the root of the problem. Pun intended.

Moo

I've been intending to go pressurized for some time. But just last week I had $600+ worth of repairs done on my car. So I'm a bit low on cash right now. But that is in the future.