source of algea problem

[ersteb]

while i am in a posting mood...

my 55g has reoccuring bouts of algea to the point the ornaments and some of the leaves get the infamous green/brown fuzz all over them

i have co2 injection 130w pc which are on 10-12 hours a day nitrate is 20 and phospate is 2....

do 30% water changes biweekly and feed 2x a day

any suggestions??

[derekp]

There are several ways you could contain it and/or get rid of it. You could first get some SAE, CAE, or otos. I would recommend the SAE the most, they are peaceful and eat all kinds of algae. You could try dosing excel to help plants take in the nutrients so the algae doesn't have a source of food. And you could also feed only once a day so there isnt any excess food that the algae can feed on. Then theres is the manuel scrubbing of the plants and ornaments, but that is your choice.

[ersteb]

thanks...i got some flying foxes in the tank and just got a couple of gold algea eaters....i agree with feeding less

i just bleached all the ornaments as well

i think the plants will eventually consume all of the xs nutrients

i was particularily interested to know if the nitrate and phophate levels were too high...

[jmhart]

I would reduce your lighting down to 8-10 hours a day. I recently dropped my lighting in one of my tank down from 12 hours a day to 9 hours a day and it was very helpful.

[ersteb]

I would reduce your lighting down to 8-10 hours a day. I recently dropped my lighting in one of my tank down from 12 hours a day to 9 hours a day and it was very helpful.


i think that could also be part of the problem...will do thanks!

[Fordtrannyman]

while i am in a posting mood...

my 55g has reoccuring bouts of algea to the point the ornaments and some of the leaves get the infamous green/brown fuzz all over them

i have co2 injection 130w pc which are on 10-12 hours a day nitrate is 20 and phospate is 2....

do 30% water changes biweekly and feed 2x a day

any suggestions??

First need to Identify the type of Algae. Can you tell from these pictures which you might have?

NO3 is good, P04 is a little high. Target for P04 is 0.5-1.0 mg/l
What is your FE and hardness? (DKH is ok)
What type of filtration do have?

You have a high Bio-Load with the amount of feeding.
I would suggest less feeding and more diligent water change regime, possibly 50% every 7 days.
I think that 9-10 hours of lighting would be good with 2.3wpg of PCF.


http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj54/fordtrannyman/Pics%20for%20Posts/Algae.jpg

[stephen666]

ALGAE IS A LOVER OF LIGHT

[ersteb]

its the black brush algea that is causing me grief...

i am using a fluval 300 series filter and i would say the tank is fully stocked...

kh i am thinking is around 3 with ph around 6.4 giving me a high level of co2 (the tank dows have co2 injection)

maybe is should cut off the co2 and let the levels come down a bit??

[Fordtrannyman]

its the black brush algea that is causing me grief...

i am using a fluval 300 series filter and i would say the tank is fully stocked...

kh i am thinking is around 3 with ph around 6.4 giving me a high level of co2 (the tank dows have co2 injection)

maybe is should cut off the co2 and let the levels come down a bit??

BBA is tough to eradicate at times. IME bba is onset by N03 bottoming out.
Your N03 levels are good, but plants require an FE level of at least 0.2 mg/l
to uptake Nitrates.
Your C02 levels (approx. 36ppm) are a tad bit high for the amount of light you have. I would shoot for a ph of 6.6. Make sure FE levels are good and maybe even boost GH a point or two. Increase WC schedule, cut back feeding schedule and even stop feeding for a few days to give your algae eaters an appetite for algae. If you still have some living BBA after the bleach dip, you could spot treat with excel or H202.

[ersteb]

sounds like a plan..

any good tesk kits to recommend for FE?

[jmhart]

Iron test kits are notoriously inaccurate.

[jones57742]

Ford:

You exemplification of types of algae is the best which I have ever seen!

TR

[Fordtrannyman]

sounds like a plan..

any good tesk kits to recommend for FE?

Hagen is the only consumer test kit that has been reported to work at the levels we need in the hobby. I have seen a reference solution posted somewhere on the internet.
You really don't need to test for it if your using an EI method for dosing.
You just need to know what is in your source water. I test it every three months. Because my city water reports are more than a year behind and I've noticed certain parameters change over certain periods.
Just do a large water change and dose according to pre-determined levels.

[Fordtrannyman]

Ford:

You exemplification of types of algae is the best which I have ever seen!

TR

Work is a little slow these days.:)