PO4 measures at ~1.8 mg/l -- what to do?

T

tfish

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Feb 6, 2003
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I have been battling some brush algea for a few weeks in my planted 55 and have done the following at the suggestion of many:

1. pruned off any leaves that were massively infested
2. took out all hardware, bleached, rinsed, and set back up
3. took out java ferns and bleached those (19-1 solution)
4. scraped off anything I could from driftwood, glass
5. did 50% water change
6. added KNO3, K2SO4, and KH2PO4 according to directions for a 55 gallon
7. very recently (yesterday) picked up some SAEs (someone brought them in to my LFS and the manager held them for me since he knew I was looking. they are large at ~3". someone said that they will not eat my algea as voraciously as the smaller ones do. is that true? i was so excited to finally get these fish, and just at $4 each! i hope it wasn't a mistake!)

I have been following this routine pretty consistently. I have actually been doing the water changes and fert replenishing every 3-4 days. (Last change done 2 days ago.) The problem is getting better, but still spreading.

SO ANYWAY, I ordered a PO4 testkit a week or so ago and finally got it. I was very surprised to find that my aquarium water tested at ~1.8! (I heard anything above 1.0 was not good?)Could this be the source of my brush algea problems? I tested my tap water as well and found it to be at 1.6. Hmmmm. What do I do about this?

PS: someone suggested doing a blackout for brush algea. skittyfish said it worked for her. someone before told me that it wouldn't be effective. any other thoughts on this. just wanted some further verification.

THANKS TO ALL!! :D
 
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You have mentioned all the points of control that you should do.
Except one: CO2.
DIY CO2? Make certain the CO2 levels are 20-30ppm all the time when the lights are on. Not just in the morning etc but also the evening.

This is the biggest issue with BBA.
Blackout has little effect on BBA.
Work on all things CO2. Recharge the brew every week etc, you'll need at least two 2 liter bottles. Consider a better way of getting the gas into solution etc.

PO4 has nothing to do with BBA presence. You cannot limit it by lowering the PO4. Even at 0.0 with a Lamott test kit of Hach kit, the BBA still grows. It doesn't need much to live and do quite well.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Oh, thank you for clearing those things up! YOU KNOW ALL! :) Should I still worry about the high PO4 in my water regardless of the algea? Stop dosing the KH2PO4?

As far as the CO2, I am doing DIY and experimenting with just one bottle. I had 2 bottles on before and diffused it using the gravel tube/powerhead setup (thanks to your help! :)). With the 2 bottles though, my pH went down from 7.0 to 6.4. With a KH of 5, that was way too much CO2 so I am experimenting with just one bottle. My pH is at about 6.8 now. I am looking at getting a pressurized system as soon as I get my tax return. DIY is cheaper, but too unstable.

So anyhow, I am doing most of what I am supposed to be doing, right? Maybe I just need to be a bit more patient....:confused:
 
tfish, I've forgotten.....is your tank heavily planted? And how much light(watts) do you have over your 55?
Len
 
The link in your other thread is better. This one asks for a sign in.
Change the link when you get a chance.
Len
 
Tfish
A simple way to control the level within the gravel tube is measure down about 2 inches or so and drill a small 3/16" _burp_ hole. When the tube fills up to this pre set level, the gas burps out instead of filling up and overdosing your tank.

The other thing to consider: the DIY brew goes nuts for the first day or two then slacks off. So while is seems too low at first, later in the week it's not enough.

You can vary the ratoi of sugar/yeast to control production somewhat, but the tube can do this *much* more consistently.

If the hole is too much/too little you can plug it with air line/glue/silicone etc.

But if you set the level to the point where you always have excess then the CO2 level will be the same all the time but you need to keep the brew fresh and producing enough to waste the gas at least the last 2 hours of the day.

So you will see burping out the tube.

You can also simply turn the power head on/off at night so the gas does not build up so much. It'll simply burp out the hole at night when the power head is off.

So there are several methods you can try to regulate the yeast CO2 production. All relatively easy to do.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
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