Still farmin algae..

[calivivarium1]

In my 10gal tank I have my CO2 running, though probably not at most optimum levels(drop checker should be coming in soon!) and am dosing the full array of ferts. Lighting is 27watts of 6500k. My problem is that my Cryp. Balansae and a few leaves from some of my other plants get coated in an ungodly amount of GSA within a week or two. Also, I have a nasty outbreak of this green hair/thread algae(I dont think its staghorn). There is also this ugly brown stuff(if its diatoms, it sure doesn't just "wipe off") in some of the high light areas.. THe lights are on for about 8 1/2hrs a day with a 1 and 1/2hr break in the middle of the photoperiod.

Should I abe tweaking my ferts? I have been reading that too much iron can be a problem, so I no longer dose iron(sorta). The problem is my potassium is API leaf zone, which contains chelated iron. My only other way to dose potassium is when i dose my KNO3. I have noticed pinholes in my Wisteria if I don't dose potassium in quantities larger than my fert regimen calls for. I have stopped dosing excel, but am considering hitting the tank with 2x daily dosage to kill the algae, does this sound like the best idea until I get my drop checker to further tune my CO2 levels?

I guess basically, am I doing everything right that I can until my drop checker arrives(unfortunately, unk. arrival date). I have added some ghost shrimp and they have yet to be eaten, so I think that some caridinia shrimp may help on the green thread/string/whatever its called algae?

[phanmc]

I can pretty much guarantee that you don't have the desired 20-30ppm CO2 level, hard to achieve that level using DIY CO2.

A little extra iron won't cause any problem, what is the rest of the stuff you're adding?

IME, double dosage of Excel won't help against thread algae but will help against others.

Is your tank heavily planted? A pic would help.

[calivivarium1]

Its pressurized CO2 now. I am dosing NPK, chelated iron that is in Leaf Zone, and trace.

Tank is working its way to heavily planted. No new pics ATM because I have no internet at my house or digicam. I will have some new pics sooner or later I hope..

[phanmc]

Sorry, no idea why DIY CO2 popped into my head.

Is your water soft? If so, you'll want to add some GH booster during a water change.

Have you tested nitrates or phosphates lately? would be good to know whether you have too much or not enough.

Verify CO2 levels and if all else looks good, add more plants.

[calivivarium1]

No worries! I don't think I specifically mentioned in my first post that I was running pressurized...

Nitrates, I'll give those a check tonight. I don't have a kit to check Phosphates... When I order a new test kit around the end of the year I'll try and get a Phosphate kit.

My water is soft-med hard, I'll check out a GH booster(or should I just get a small thing of crushed coral?)

[AshK]

IME neocaridina shrimp (yellow, cherry, etc) do not seem to eat hair algae, atleast at a rate to eradicate it from a tank.

I had a big problem with hair algae and staghorn algae, and eradicated it by doing all of the above: adding leachy driftwood to "soften" the water, doing water changes/gravel vacs 2x a week, adding plants that are fast growers (penny wort, anarchis and hornwort in my case), and removing as much as possible by hand. In 1 month it is all gone, and no more grows.

Have you looked in to the Estimative Index used for fert dosing in tanks? Maybe you are dosing too much of one nutrient and not enough of the other. How old are your bulbs? Improper light spectrum given off by old bulbs is said to lead to algae growth.

[phanmc]

Crushed coral adds calcium carbonate, you'll want something that adds magnesium as well. A GH booster adds calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and usually potassium sulfate as well. Seachem's Equilibrium is a GH booster, pretty much the same thing that Rex Grigg or Alan Kaufmann sells as a GH booster at their sites.

[calivivarium1]

Ah, thanks phan for that info. I knew I should have asked about that before I ordered my KNO3, coulda tagged on the gh booster for no extra shipping charge....

Ash, yeah, I am using a chart but I wouldn't be surprised if something is a bit off. My light is less than three months old. The hard part about removing some of this stuff by hand is the fact that it is now growing amongst my moss. I'll try removing it daily and maybe throw some pennywort from my other tank over the top as a nutrient sponge for a bit.