And Then The Staghorn Algae Showed Up

wesleydnunder

wesleydnunder

Discus Addict
Dec 11, 2005
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Gulf Coast Texas
Real Name
Mark
My 125g planted discus tank has started to show some patches of staghorn. I've increased co2 for about a week now, and started dosing KNO3 daily due to nitrates falling so fast. Lots of plants. My SAEs have started taking a toll on the hair algae along with my use of rieverix's suggestion of using a toothbrush to twirl the algae up. Great idea, John!

Now this staghorn stuff. The toothbrush works on it to a point but always leaves a little behind. It gets in the java fern roots and has no intention of leaving. I don't think the SEAs or otos touch it. And Dowich, my adult discus, won't let shrimp live in his tank.

I'm still trying to get the tank balanced as far as ferts and co2. This is made more difficult by the fact that the plant mass is increasing daily. Is the staghorn here to stay?
 
I've found with staghorn algae that nothing will make it go away on it's own. It's a case of getting it out and leaving as little behind as possible, then keep attacking any that is left. Throw away badly infected plants. Trim the leaves of anything salvagable. Trust me, you don't want that stuff gettting into your substrate, wood, rocks, glass, etc...
 
Thanks for the input,Tom. My plant growth is pretty constant. Jungle val has to be trimmed twice a week and runners cut weekly. My swords are adding mass and my stem plants have to be trimmed at least once a week. The duckweed literally covers the top of the tank weekly which I scoop out and discard. I have constant pearling for 8 hours a day. My anubius produces new leaves every 8 or 9 days.

As for over feeding I feed twice daily. I have juvie discus in the tank and I feel twice a day is minimum for them.

So you're thinking overabundance of nutrients? I started dosing KNO3 daily instead of every other day because my nitrates fell to zero on the non-fert days. When it was zero, I had no pearling whatsoever. At RTR's suggestion I increased my co2 but don't know my ppm as my KH has buffers other than carbonate which throw my readings off the chart.

This week I'm installing a DIY co2 reactor that I got from Rex Griggs' site so maybe I can get my ph to drop the full log that Mr. Ricketts suggested. He based that on the 4wpg of light I have on this tank.

I can provide more parameters if needed. I wouldn't presume to argue, Tom. Just looking for a better understanding of getting my tank balanced. Thanks again.

Mark
 
Arguements with me are not personal, they are critical about the plants, not the people.

The feeding of Discus seem much more the cause.
How many fish and how many water changes do you do?
What types of food are you feeding?

Plants will grow fine when you have NH4 and so will algae.
If all you added was KNO3, then there would be no algae.
But all the fish waste, these are big old cichilds that you are trying to grow as fast as you can, will cause algae. High light does not help.
Neither does poor CO2.

Good plant growth, more frequent water changes etc will help.
I doubt you will reduce the feeding of the fish, I suggest folks that want to max their growth, use a bare bottom tank and change the water every other day, like most breeders do.

I also have great distain for the black worms.
These fish will be healthier without medications if you feed live brine, good frozen foods, etc.

I have had very larger discus without worm feedings.
They are not mandatory.

Most discus high light tanks that are fed a lot or/and have high bioloads get 2x a week water changes 2x 30-50% weekly.

Regards,
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com
 
OK. Here's the scoop:
50% water change weekly
125g fully planted, java fern, anubius, jungle val, corkscrew val, crypt. wendtii, crypt. spiralis, dwarf sag, telanthera, wysteria, rotala, a couple swords, not sure of species, lileaopsis and glosso bottom cover
I feed frozen bloodworms, freeze dried mosquito larvae, frozen brine shrimp and a beef heart/vitamin mix in different combos during the week. As you know, Discus are relatively slow eaters so I give no more at one feeding than it takes them five minutes to consume. The tank has a sizeable cleanup crew of pygmy coris and kuhli loaches so no residual food is left behind, at least, that I can see.
stocking: 1 adult discus, 3 juvies, 8 SAEs, 8 pygmy cories, I think, 6 kuhli loaches, 15 neon tetras, 10 rasbora hets and 8 or ten otos.
Ferts: I just changed this last week because of what may be a faulty nitrate test kit;
was dosing 3 tsp KNO3 every other day, now 2 tsp daily
KCL 1 tsp at water change
Fleet 15 drop twice a week
epsom salt 2Tbsp at water change
fluorish 10 ml twice a week
fluorish iron 10 ml twice a week
KH 9
ph 7.0 just before lights on, 6.6 just before lights out
photoperiod 12 hours
500w of pc and no fluorescent, all 6700K
two canister filters, one eheim and one magnum
Ammonia and nitrite 0
Nitrate ?, I have no faith in this test kit- AP freshwater master test kit

That's everything, I think. I appreciate your help with this, Tom.

Mark
 
This is way too much KNO3.

1 teaspoon max per dose(3xa week).
You need no more for K and NO3.
1/4 teaspoon or so of KH2PO4 3x a week.
20mls 3x a week of TMG.
3/4 teaspoon of SeaChem Eq or Gregwatson.com's GH booster 2x a week.
Mg alone might be fine given the KH is also 9, it's likely the GH is high add mostly Ca and low of MH, still, 1 teaspoon of MgSO4 is all you'd need.

That will address all the nutrients.
Except........for CO2.

Food routine is on the mark.
Stick with that.

Light, that is a lot of light, like a lot lot lot of light.

Try this: 10 hours total

If you have separate switchingm, stagger the lighting, go no more than 1/2 this power 10 hours, maybe a noon day blast for 3 hours or so at the full 500w.

The 120gal we did had 330w available, but we had much better balance at 220w of PC, 6700K.

I think these few changes will make life much easier, the fish will be healthier and things should go smoother.

Regards,
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com
 
OK. Way overdosing on the KNO3. I'll give this regimen a shot and see how it goes. What's TMG? That the trace elements from Greg Watson? I don't have separate switching on the lights but I'll see what I can come up with.
How about co2? Last week RTR had suggested with my lighting that I need to go down a full log in ph. De-gassed is 7.0. I spent all day Sunday tweaking it up. At 6.4 the tank looked like a bubble factory but the fish were stressing so I cut back to 6.6. Still good pearling and no fish gasping at the top. If I lose some of the light do you think the co2 should still be increased?Thanks again, Tom.

Mark
 
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