AquascapingDiscuss aquascaping designs and techniques as well as get critiques on your aquascaping pictures. Find out how to use aquatic plants, reefs, and wood to design a planted aquarium.
3 Weeks ago I brought some HC. For its good growth I upgraded my diy co2 to pressurised co2.(flow rate : 1 bubble/sec. for 8 hrs.)
Lighting : 46 W cfl
tank : 110 litres
fertilzer : npk & trace elements weekly dosing.
for a week, plants seems to settle down and shown growth. Last week, I added ADA amazonia as a top layer (1/2 inch). But now my plants have started to melt. There is transparent slime and dirt allover the plants and rocks. I have changed the water 3 times since today.
Please guide me what went wrong. Where am I lacking in taking care? Also, I have noticed some white insects in the christmas moss in the morning. I am not able to photograph them, as they hide when lights are turned on.
increase co2. 2nd picture looks like black beard algae?
in my experience plants do better with 2-4bps.
i think hc is high demanding on light...never seen it grow well in low light tanks...but maybe thats just me.
i cant realy help you on the HC part as i am also a failure at trying to grow it. im currently doing 3wpg with like 4-5bps and i still cant grow it. no algae problems tho, other plants are thriving.
increase co2. 2nd picture looks like black beard algae?
in my experience plants do better with 2-4bps.
i think hc is high demanding on light...never seen it grow well in low light tanks...but maybe thats just me.
i cant realy help you on the HC part as i am also a failure at trying to grow it. im currently doing 3wpg with like 4-5bps and i still cant grow it. no algae problems tho, other plants are thriving.
good luck with it hope someone can help you.
thanks for the help. I m increasing my co2 input to 2-4bps. Secondly i m afraid to increase the light due to algae boom. I have also induced api algaefix today. Lets see, what happens.
Secondly, i m not able to identify the dirt & slime problem. Is it algae or dead bacteria or some kind of infection?
You have to change water daily with new ADA Amazonia for 2-3 weeks. It's a bit of a pain, but worth it in the end. That slimy algae is diatom algae and will go away with removal and time once the beneficial bacteria are established in your system. Ottocinclus also like to eat it.
The amazonia is notorious for causing an ammonia spike when its new. And that ammonia is than transformed into NITRITE which is than broken down further into nitrAte. Have you checked your nitrates? They could be very very high which can be a cause for many types of algae.
But the algae in the pics look like diatoms. They will usually go away in a couple weeks all by themselves. Some say to not change water during this time as diatoms grow more in the prescence of the minerals found in most tap water. I recently set up a 5gal planted betta tank and had diatoms bad. As soon as I stoped changing the water for two weeks.....they disappeared.
You have to change water daily with new ADA Amazonia for 2-3 weeks. It's a bit of a pain, but worth it in the end. That slimy algae is diatom algae and will go away with removal and time once the beneficial bacteria are established in your system. Ottocinclus also like to eat it.
Yes, daily 50% waterchange has become routine from few days after i used amazonia. I will patiently wait for the environment in tank to settle down again as usual.
The amazonia is notorious for causing an ammonia spike when its new. And that ammonia is than transformed into NITRITE which is than broken down further into nitrAte. Have you checked your nitrates? They could be very very high which can be a cause for many types of algae.
I have not checked nitrates in tank. I am a novice in aquascaping. I will search for test kit in market and check it. This is the first time i came to know about nitrate level affecting a planted tank.
Just remember you do need some nitrates in the water for the plants. They are easily controlled with water changes as youve been doing. Just don't let them get to high. Try to keep them between 10-20ppms. Usually after that the algae begins to use the excess in the water column to its advantage
Just remember you do need some nitrates in the water for the plants. They are easily controlled with water changes as youve been doing. Just don't let them get to high. Try to keep them between 10-20ppms. Usually after that the algae begins to use the excess in the water column to its advantage
high nitrates cause algae? i thought it was more like imbalances of the NPK in the water column
my ppms are usually around 40ish according to my api test kit. tank had no algae until i stirred up the gravel and changed my scape which caused junk to fly around
but then again maybe thats why my hc's never made it? !!!
Hi, apc friends. Need some help... 
hope someone can help you.
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