ScottieB

Warning - long post!!

Hi all. I have been keeping fish for most of my life (I'm 33 now) but just started my first planted tank 2 months ago.

It is a 29gal bowfront, so it is tall, but not a whole lot of "floor" surface. I have sand as my substrate, a 24" t5HO light (2x 24 watts, 1 is a 6700k and pink (plant grow light) one is 10,000k) that is about 25" above the sand surface, and on for 8-10 hours a day. DIY co2 (2 2-liter bottles with champagne yeast) and drop checker (with store-bought 4dkh solution) is always green or lime green (usually in the morning a bit more yellow-green).

I have read a lot about EI here and on Barr report, and have been using seachem ferts so far to approximate EI using the fertilator. I will get dry ferts very soon as I start to run out of Seachem stuff.

My first question has to do with KH/GH. My KH is 3 and my GH is 8 out of the tap, and seems to be holding there in the tank as well. I have read a TON of material that discusses KH and ph swings, and understand that the general consensus is that ph swings caused by co2 don't bother the fish, it is when you start messing with kh (carbonate hardness) that you get problems.

But what about GH? I know EI recommends adding some GH boosted regardless of your GH. But I've also been told that a GH of 8 is fine, and seeing as I have some apistos I don't really want to raise it any higher - they apparently prefer softer water and I love these little buggers! So, what do you think? Should I boost my GH a bit anyway for the plants? By how much? Is boosting GH dangerous like boosting KH? Do I need to do it slowly? Should I raise the tank to whewre I want it first and then start doing it to my new water with changes? Or can I just start with my next water change? In all of my reading and searching I haven't read much about GH and changing it's values, so I'd love to know if it is dangerous for the fish like raising KH is, and if I need to do it at all.

Next question - algae and Java Moss! When I started this tank I was completely new to this, so the first thing I did was upgrade my lighting - ALGAE!!! As I've learned more, I have gotten the algae under control, except... I have some java moss that is growing nicely and attaching to a rock. But it is INFESTED with what I think is hair algae. My whole tank was covered in the stuff for a while, but it seems to be mostly gone. But it's still all over my moss, and is starting to look fuzzy. It doesn't seem to be spreading, so maybe it is dead - but I can't seem to get rid of it. When I try a toothbrush I get some out, but then start pulling the moss out. I'd rather not take the moss out as it took a while to attach to the rock and I really can't remove the rock (forms a cave and I don't want to wig out the fish) but if that's what I need to do I will. Again, I'm pretty sure it isn't spreading anymore, but how do I get rid of it, it is pretty ugly.

Lastly, I am using my Fluval 204 as my co2 diffuser for now. It is working well, but I am intrigued by these atomizers I've read a little about - any advice here?

Thanks for any help! This forum is amazing. I've been lurking for a while, but decided I'd finally jump in and post.

Scottie

davemonkey

The only thing I can really help with is the algae in the moss. First, trim the moss heavily and remove all cuttings/algae. Squirt some Hydrogen Peroxide directly on it, or pour in 3 mL per gallon direct into your tank. That will help eradicate the algae. Do a water change after a day or two. You'll likely see teh algae turn red or brown (meaning it is dead). If you have any "pet" snails, it's a good idea to remove them if you go over 3mL per gallon, as they could die. In my experience, up to 4mL per gallon won't harm your fish or shrimp...but I'd still be very cautious.

Excel will also work when squirted directly on algae.

ScottieB

Hi DaveMonkey, thanks for the reply!

The first thing I have done is raise my light up on the supplied feet (about 3 inches). I think I simply had too much light to be able to keep up with my (DIY) CO2 (it used to sit directly on top of my hood). I will keep an eye on this to see how the algae goes.

As for the moss, I got fed up and pulled it all out. A lot of it was dead on the bottom so it wasn't really attached anymore anyway. The moss was one of the first plants I got and as clueless as I am now I was far moreso then. I think I made it too thick and didn't trim enough. Anyway I got so fed up with the algae that I tore it all out and did a bleach rinse I read about somewhere. Also got rid of all the dead or dying pieces. I attached it to smaller rocks to give me more flexibility - and it looks cool too.

As of this morning the moss looks good and algae free. Now to keep it that way...