Cabomba unhappy & Brown Algae.

R

rajseth

Learning FW
Feb 6, 2007
106
0
0
central NJ
Hi,
I am new to planted aquariums.
I have a 29G,
Substrate: 2-4 " pool filter sand (40-50nm size, NJ#0 from FilPro-USSilica)
Plants: I have 3 water sprites, couple crypts, 15-18 stalks of cabomba, and some micro sword 20 individual strands - 2 pots worth
Age: all planting was done 10 days ago.
Lighting: 65W CF Coralife AquaLight
Filtration: Penguin Biowheel 200 (cycled) + Lifegard fluidized sand bed (2 wks old)
Water: NH3/NO2 - 0, NO3 - 10ppm, pH 7.4-7.8
Livestock: 3 cory Julii, 1 tetra (left), 1 guppy, 5 rasboras, 10 gold zebra danios - 10 ghost shrimp...

Situation: Water Sprite is growing about 1/2 " per day - and looking very happy. However Cabomba is not looking great - the crypt & amazon swords seem worse. Now, as of 2 days ago I have a brown algae breakout on the substrate in the foreground (no shade) and on the crypt leaves.
I have reduced the lighting - I was switching it on in the am (6-7 am), and off in the evening (10-11) and I have learned that that is too much lighting.
I am now giving it no light (except ambient) for a day or two, and then will put it on a timer.

Any other thoughts as to how to fix it.... or will it take care of itself?
Since the WaterSprite is growing so strongly - shouldn't it outcompete algae for nutrition?
I shall post photos if I can find my camera!
 
Brown algae = diatoms. They're common in new set ups and usually just need to run their course. Eventually they will disappear.

I would definitely get the timer as you were leaving on the lights for far too long.

Crypts take time to adjust to a new environment after planting. They may "melt" but will grow back in time. The crypt and sword would also benefit from root tabs.

As for the cabomba, it can be a picky plant. You're lighting is sufficient, but it might be lacking on nutrients. Ever thought about dosing ferts?
 
I am not planning on dosing ferts in this tank or my upcoming 2x50G setup. No CO2 either. I am trying to keep it as low maintenance and low tech as possible. I am doing this tank as practice for the larger setup.

Bummer about Cabomba being picky - it is so beautiful.
Good to know about Crypt possibly coming back - It is beautiful too.
 
I'm not sure if nutrients are really the problem...I've had cabomba grow well under similar lighting w/o anything else. I've also had it crap out on me when I tried adding ferts and DIY Co2. I've had it do ok with a bit more lighting, ferts, and excel. It's a weird plant IME...there's really no magic formula.
 
I hope I did not read past this, but how long have you had this tank running? I've been able to successfully grow cabomba in established tanks with no ferts/co2. There needs to be rich deposits/mulm in the substrate if you want to provide the necessary nutrients for cabomba.

I agree, it's a beautiful plant. :) Good luck.
 
I have that same sand, nice but my swords & crypts did not do well without root tabs. Maybe you could use them, just a few, until the plants get more established. All my swords become unhealthy evenually without root tabs, they show me when it's time, crypts are not as impacted after a while.
 
Well, I can tell you that I got the worst diatom outbreak ever when I used unrinsed 100% pool sand substrate. I've used "leveling sand" before mixed with pea gravel, which did seem to have a different texture than the pool sand - no problems then.

It's finally calming down for me after running the tank for over 2 months. I switched the bulbs so that I had 5,000k lighting in the back and the "beauty lights" (9,325k) in the front, that seemed to help for some reason. And I did two near 90% water changes, once a month. I'm glad it's getting better now because I was just about to spend money on silicate absorbing media...looks like I won't be needing it now.
 
Platy - given that FilPro pool filter sand is just about all silica, trying to use silica reducers might be like making ice cubes in he**!!!

I did rinse the sand thoroughly, several times, till my rinse water was clear, then put it in the tank. Next time I am planning to use play sand anyway - that product is sterilized

fishorama and Stargazer - I think you clarified the problem. The sand was fresh - so was not full of mulm - and maybe cabomba and the swords need a richer nutrition root space. I have to think about what I want to do. I REALLY don't want to do root tabs. Maybe I just let them go, and when the tank is more aged, then I can get a fresh crop to plant.
 
rajseth said:
Next time I am planning to use play sand anyway - that product is sterilized.
Click to expand...

I bet that's the difference. It was probably changing all the water that helped out the most. But if silica sand is supposed be inert, why would it be apparently "leaching out" silicates? I don't know, I can't wrap my head around it :thud:...just know that I wouldn't use pool filter sand again.

Besides, EcoComplete looks so much nicer :)
 
I will say that playsand tends to compact and is easily prone to the anaerobic problem pockets that can cause all sorts of crazy issues. I have pool filter sand in my tank (well rinsed prior to adding it to the tank), which is doing just fine with crypts, dwarf sag, guppy grass, etc. I have not tried cabomba in this tank, though I did try it in my more-established 46 gallon at one point with zero luck. Maybe in a few months I'll give it a whirl in the 75 gal setup.

I definitely prefer the pool filter sand over the play sand though. Looks nicer (IMO) and I haven't had any of the gross pockets appear like I did with the play sand.

Good luck either way though.
 
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