help with algae!!! (long one with Pict's)

well, I think a blackout would kill the algae, but it would also kill your plants, too. I think at this point it would be okay to take a gamble with the algicide.

You don't mention Co2. Are you injecting it?

I sure hope so. I believe that that is your problem. @ 2.75 wpg, your plants need co2 in order to use up the nutrients.


Lissette

If you are not planning on doing CO2 then you might want to consider dropping your lighting down to a lower wattage. If you are many local fish stores carry replacement lights or you can order some online. Also, I don't know about those fertilizers but I would suggest ordering some from Greg Watson..it will be much cheaper in the long run. If you do buy from Greg I would suggest dosing using the EI (Estimated Index) method. Check out this link to read more about it... http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062

Do you have any algae eating fish?

or you could just buy a dozen nerite snails from the same place. it will clean up your tank in a week and keep it spotless and algae free going forward.

http://www.azgardens.com/aquarium_snails.php

I really dont understand why everyone goes through those complex rituals of blackouts, nutrient balance, harmful chemicals etc.. when the most efficient, natural, and simple solution is right in front of you.

hmt321 said:

OK i did a fish less cycle on a 40 gal tank in Feb
at the time I had:

gravel substrate
this plant package:http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_easy.php
and 1 watt per gallon

4 months later some of the plants are dead, most are not doing very well

so i buy the following:

two 55 watt fixtures with 6500 lights
one 15 lb bag of fluorite
and 16 more Vals (plants)

I drain the tank (the fish camp out in a 30 gal rubbermade)
install the lights
remove the gravel
spread the fluorite out in the 40 gal (i wash it ST)
put my old gravel back on top of the fluorite
plant the tank

OK that was about 2 weeks ago

I have a bad problem with algae

Pict's

and this

last one

what do i do???

this is what i think i should do:

-do a black out, 5 day black out to kill algae
-then clean the tank out with a power head as a sprayer (to get the dead algae) and run my diatom filter on it

then i probably need to plant every square inch of the tank

then i need to figure out some sort of dosing schedule
(I bought some of this:http://www.kentmarine.com/freshwater/fwp.html )
( and this:http://www.kentmarine.com/freshwater/prp.html )

is this what i need to grow plants?????

I went to my lfs to get some advise but I do not trust them.

they told me to stop weekly 25% water change and go to 1 per month or every 6 weeks, and they wanted to sell me some algae killer, but they did not know if it would hurt the plants

questions:
is my black out long enough???
is this fertilizer what I need? if so how much should i dose??
what else should i do?

here is my test as of 7:30 pm June 30th

Ph 7.2
ammonia 0.0
nitrite 0.0
nitrate under 10 - it almost always tests like this

GH and KH i think they are under 1 ( it never changed color, no mater how many drops i put in)

any help would be appreciated

Click to expand...

You have the same tank that I do. One of mine is a 40 with 2X55 watt CF over it.
You don't mention whether you are injecting CO2 or dosing Excel. Your tank will need one of them (a carbon source) to push the plants to grow, which will allow them to compete with the algae for nutrients.
Unfortunately your only option at this time is Excel because you have too little kH buffering your water to inject CO2.
Here is what I would suggest. Go here: http://www.gregwatson.com/DryAquaticFertilizers.asp
You will need all of the following: KNO3 (for Potassium & Nitrogen); KH2PO4 (for Phosphates) - or a bottle of Fleets Enema from your local pharmacy; K2SO4 (potassium), but you only need this if you have a heavy fish load.
CSM + B Plantex Trace Minerals.
Since you apparently have soft water I'd pick up some Calcium Sulfate.
If you pick up the Fleets at the pharmacy you can also pick up a milk carton of Epsom Salts to supply your water table with Mg (magnesium) or you can buy Magnesium Sulfate from Greg.
The reason you need these elements is because you have a relatively good amount of light over that tank and the plants are not growing fast enough to compete with the algae at this time. Grow the plants - get rid of the algae, but first you must find the balance between light, plant mass, and nutrients.
A blackout will not........I repeat, not kill your plants and will do wonders at getting rid of the algae, but it's useless until you have a carbon source and nutrients ready to start when you take the cover off the tank and let the light back into it.
Therefore you need to buy the nutrients and a bottle of Excel and have them ready. Then do a 3 day blackout before starting to feed and re-introducing your lighting.
I would also suggest buying some water sprite, Salvinia, or some other floating plants to shade the tank initially, until the plants can establish themselves and balance your tank.
None of the nutrients are expensive as you will see on Greg's site. A year's supply of Mg, and Fleets Enema can be bought at your pharmacy for less than $10.
When you went with the light, you pretty much sealed the deal as far as needing to balance it with the above.
Much of this probably sounds quite confusing, but it's easy to learn how to use all of the above. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Len

hmt321 said:

thanks for the advise



will the fleets enema replace KNO3 (for Potassium & Nitrogen); KH2PO4 (for Phosphates)???

No, the fleets enema is a liquid to supplement PO4. It's all you really need for P.
KNO3 is the element that will supply your N-nitrogen and K-potassium so the fleets and KNO3 supply all of your macro nutrients. You have a relatively light fish load and IMO, don't need any extra K.

in short i need to aquire the following:

Florite excel
fleets enema or the (kno3,kh2po4)
If you get the fleets you don't need the kH2PO4
CSM + B Plantex Trace Minerals
Calcium Sulfate
milk carton of Epsom Salts
Yes, pick this up at the pharmacy with the fleets enema.

I will get some floating plants help shade, (I am assumeing that I will be able to remove them later)
Yes, as the plants fill in you can gradually phase out the floaters if you like.

I will try this doesing schedule:

20-40 Gallon Aquariums
+/- ¼ tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp K2S04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp (5ml) Trace Elements 3x a week
50% weekly water change

questions:
if i go with the fleets enema, how do i get the dosage? am i right in saying thet the fleets will replace (KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4)??
I should dose the Mg (or epsom salt) and Calcium Sulfate like trace ele?

Here is a calculator to help you determine dosages for fleets and calcium:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fertilator.php?
Save a shortcut to your desktop for easy access.

I dose 8 mls./traces daily, but I have a huge plant mass. If you can, take an over all picture of the tank and let's see what you've got in there.


thank so much for taking the time to help

Click to expand...

Hope this clears things up a bit.

Len

hey html, are you sure they are nerite snails and not something else? ONLY this specie of snails are effective against larger algae problems.

Do you think ciclids will eat those snails?