[dougz]

How do I get rid of it?

It started in my tennelus, and is now on my anubias..

 

[trenac]

Without knowing anything about your setup etc, here is my suggestions...Check your nutrients levels, keeping nitrates at around 10ppm & phosphates around 1pm. Make sure to keep C02 levels up around 25ppm and/or increase the use of Excel. Do larger water changes weekly. Remove as much by hand as possible & remove badly affected leaves. Keep lights on a steady schedule of 8-10 hours.

 

[dougz]

Ok, I can't really monitor the nutrient levels..

I just add 1/2 a capful of Flourish every other day.

The CO2, I just go by the drop checker, which I'm not sure what that solution is calibrated for, ppm-wise.. It's showing green, in any case..

I stopped with the excel when I went to pressurized C02, but I'll get some more of it, and do more water volume per water change.

I've been doing about 20% (15g of a 75g) a week.

 

[BryceM]

The number one issue with that sort of algae is almost always CO2. I've been playing around with a drop checker and had to run it far, far into the yellow to get my tank "happy". I'm not really sold on them as a great way to check the levels. Watching the plants and aiming for pearling (if your light is intense enough) is the best method IMO.

Flouish is a good trace element source, but you're not getting any Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium with that. You need to address the macro nutrients first if you're running CO2 with higher light levels.

Nice loach, BTW.

 

[dougz]

You need to address the macro nutrients first if you're running CO2 with higher light levels.

How would you recommend I do that?

I've been playing around with a drop checker and had to run it far, far into the yellow to get my tank "happy".

Hmm.. What about the fish, though? How can you be sure those levels aren't hard on them?

I run an airstone for 5 hours at night, but during the day..

Would I start adding the nitrogen, etc. before upping the CO2?

Also, I have it set-up so that the C02 turns on or off depending on the pH. The CO2 is on till it gets to a pH of 6.8, then shuts off.

So if it get's to set point, even if the level is still "green" there's no way to get more C02 pumped in..
Don't know how I could get around that..

 

[Cavan Allen]

Hmm.. What about the fish, though? How can you be sure those levels aren't hard on them?

Drop checkers can easily be set to be green at whatever co2 level you desire. Adjusting the KH of the the water inside them is how. I usually run my tanks at about 40ppm and have had healthy fish and thriving shrimp populations.

I run an airstone for 5 hours at night, but during the day..

Off.

Would I start adding the nitrogen, etc. before upping the CO2?

Why not do both simultaneously?

Also, I have it set-up so that the C02 turns on or off depending on the pH. The CO2 is on till it gets to a pH of 6.8, then shuts off.

So if it get's to set point, even if the level is still "green" there's no way to get more C02 pumped in..
Don't know how I could get around that..

Don't use the controller. Bring the pH down a bit. Either way will work.

We've only gotten a smattering of details regarding your setup. How much lighting? How long is the photoperiod? Details, details, details! The more, the better. We need the whole picture to really help you.

 

[dougz]

Here's the details:

75g Perfecto Aquarium with stand

Tank is exposed to indirect, diffused light from a N facing window.

Filter: Eheim 2217 x 2

I have both Boyd's Chemi-pure Excel and peat in with my filter media (ceramic rings, EHFIMECH and EHFISUBSTRAT, coarse and polisher sponge).

Light: Current USA Nova Extreme 48" 2x54W x 2 = 220W, or 3.9wpg.

T-5 10,000 K (1 SlimPaq 10,000°K bulb and 1 SlimPaq Freshwater bulb)

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...rent+USA+Nova+Extreme+48"&queryType=0&offset=

The light is on 10h a day.

Air pump: Tetra Whisper 100 Air Pump) with airstone.

C02 set-up: 20lbs cylinder, regulator, solenoid, needle valve, diffuser, Pinpoint pH controller (on a timer, set to turn off and on with the lights).

I add demineralised water mixed with tap water (pH 7.8) to get roughly 6.8 for a pH, and I change out about 20% or approx. 15g a WC (once a week, abouts).

The GH is about 10.

I add 1/2 a capful of Flourish a day, and a capful of Flourish Iron every once in a while (once every 3-4 days).

 

[abcemorse]

With that kind of light you'll definitely need solid CO2. I'd think in 75G tank you'd be looking for around 4 or 5 bps, but that varies widely with regulator, circulation, reactor efficiency, etc. If you have a 4dKH solution you should be shooting for greenish yellowish, just watch fish for surface gasping. Personally I don't trust pH monitors as they use tank water which has phosphates and other buffers that tend to skew pH reading as they relate to CO2. There will be a sweet spot somewhere so that plants are pearling and fish are happy. You'll also need to dose NPK, dry ferts are the least expensive and easy to use IMO. Check out the EI dosing system, it works good, although I back off of it a bit, just a preference. Most importantly: PATIENCE!

 

[dougz]

Well, I don't go by bps..

I have the controller which shuts the CO2 off when it gets to the set point pH.

I just dropped the set point to 6.5, and the drop checker was still solidly in the green..

I turned on the air stone for a bit till it got back up to 6.7, which I set the set point at for now (don't want to have too drastic a pH swing).

I'll check out the EI dosing, but aren't I in this mess because there is too much nutrients in the water already??

 

[Cavan Allen]

I'll check out the EI dosing, but aren't I in this mess because there is too much nutrients in the water already??

Quite the opposite. You are getting these problems because your macros are much, much too low. Remember, you're not running a reef here. Your micro nutrients are low as well. Half a cap full of Flourish? That's what, 2.5mls? You really need something in the neighborhood of 10-20mls per day of both Flourish and Flourish Iron; much of that depends on what kinds of plants you're growing. Throwing in tiny amounts every couple days isn't going to cut it.

 

[dougz]

Ok, I'll step it up then, thanks!

Oh, dunno if it applies, but I have Eco-complete as a substrate, with pure powdered laterite forming the layer underneath that..

Plants I'm growing: tennelus, cabomba, A. reineckii, Riccia fluitans, A. var nana.

 

[Edward]

The reason why you have algae infested leaves is because you starve the plants. Weak plants get attacked by algae because they don't have enough energy to fight it. As for your infested leaves, they are lost. You can only wait for new leaves to grow before you remove the bad ones. You need to feed your plants with good fertilizer.

The most common mistake people do is aquascaping before reading Fertilizing and Algae forums.

 

[dougz]

You need to feed your plants with good fertilizer

Even with the 3" of Eco-Complete and 1" of pure powdered laterite under that?

 

[Edward]

Even with the nice carpet the aquarium stand is sitting on. Seriously, substrate has nothing to do with it. Plain river sand will do the same job.

 

[abcemorse]

Well, I don't go by bps..

That's why I said it varies widely, just wanted to throw a ballpark figure...

 

[dougz]

just wanted to throw a ballpark figure

What I should have said is i CAN'T go by bps..

I run it only during the day, and then only until the pH reaches setpoint, which it does in about an hour or so..

I should probably cut the bps down with the needle valve, so it stays on longer, or does it matter how fast or slow you get to a certain ppm?

 

[Sunstar]

I seem to get my algaes under more or less control with this regime, although I plan on getting the macros as well. I've been in a very similar boat.

my 25 gallon tank, I give a full cap of flourish and flourish excel at water change. I spot treat problem spots with the excel. works a dandy. (filters turned off due to maintanance anyway) Then after that, I do 2.5 ml of excel and flourish every day. On the 3rd day, I do another capful of flourish, and 2.5 of excel then day before my water change (usually a tuesday shooting for a wednesday waterchange) I stop the flourish and just dose the excel. That is what is working for me. I do see issues where I can visually see a lack in either iron or a macro.

 

[BryceM]

I should probably cut the bps down with the needle valve, so it stays on longer, or does it matter how fast or slow you get to a certain ppm?

It's beneficial to get to the desired concentration of CO2 quickly so that you're covered for the entire photoperiod. It's also a good idea to set your bubble rate such that the CO2 controller doesn't cycle on and off too frequently. One an hour is probably more than enough. A high CO2 rate will result in drastic back-and-forth pH swings that will wear out the solenoid faster. It also doesn't leave you with a margin of safety if the solenoid happens to get stuck in the "on" position. Mine did this and killed a few fish.

 

[Cavan Allen]

What's your KH?

 

[dougz]

It's beneficial to get to the desired concentration of CO2 quickly so that you're covered for the entire photoperiod. It's also a good idea to set your bubble rate such that the CO2 controller doesn't cycle on and off too frequently. One an hour is probably more than enough. A high CO2 rate will result in drastic back-and-forth pH swings that will wear out the solenoid faster

One what?

The bubble count know is more like 2 bubbles a second..

I'll set the needle valve to it's slower..

KH I'd have to test again, but GH is around 10..