Blackout Advice Please

CharlieV

CharlieV

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Feb 16, 2005
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Hi all,

Currently doing a black out on both of my tannks as they are both rife with green slime algae. I live in a WW2 property so my curtains are the real deal Blackout curtains (disgusting too look at but keep light out)

so... problem is on 100g. It's south american biotype - I have nothing but swords in the tank. Loads of Behleri, couple of osiris (one double red cross breed). The tank is planted descending from right to left and the lower plants are E. Uraguyensis and an Echinodorus that was labled as tenelus but it looks more like a dwarf behleri not like grass.
The suspect tenelus / dwarf sword is melting badly - nearly all leaves are eteolated and yellow. My Beheleri are lighter but still nice and green as are the osisris (red slightly fainter on new leaf of double red).

I have flourite in the substrate and a heating cable. Temp is 81f, see beloow for PH/KH

Will my plants survive or should i get them out now during the blackout period before the rot and melt away?
This is the second day of a 3 day blackout.

Any help greatly appreciated
 
No experience with black outs for green slime algae, only green water. Seems the magic number was 4 days?
As always, it may be a temporary fix, you should investigate the cause of the problem so it doesn't re-occur.
Sounds like your plants will be o.k. (except maybe the tenellus) for the black out.
 
Thanks for advice. Am working through the possibilities of cause and i think over the top feeding when i was on holiday. When i got back i did 100% change over 2 days but it's coming back faster than ever. Thankfully only on decor at the moment and plants relatively uneefected.

More water changes over next week after blackout to try and irradicate.

any more advice greatfully recived
 
I have done the black-out twice to eliminate beard algae. I too have a 100gal with lots of swords. I covered the entire tank for 5 days. The plants were fine afterward (unfortunately so did the algae). So go ahead, it will be OK.
 
I have done 3 blackouts on my 10 gallon to try and get rid of that stuff as well...... the longest was for 5 days....and it still came back. Im going Chemical now. It definatley helps and the plants will be fine, but that is some stubborn ****.
 
With so many swords, do you use fertilizer tab/sticks? That brings up the whole leaching of nutrients into the water column idea...?
2 blackouts, 3 blackouts, you can keep doing them, but let's try to figure out why the algae is so persistant so you won't have to do any blackouts!

Well, you're injecting CO2 but I don't see your lighting listed anywhere! The pic I hope is an old one b/c with so few plants, high light, CO2, algae should have been there a long time ago. Sorry for the sarcasm. Do you dose nutrients?
 
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Blackouts are great for green water, and BGA, Beard algae will survive a blackout pretty well. Some (Or I should say most) green algaes will die in 4 days or less, but the stubborn stuff like BBA will keep right on going.

I'm guessing by green slime you probably mean blue green algae (cyanobacteria) which will die off in a 3 day blackout.

According to a few experts here, BGA thrives in low nitrate environments, and does well in low current tanks.

Dave
 
Hi all,

Thanks all for advice - blackout def working as dying off rapidly. Going to leave it another day or 2.

Dose weekly with Nutrafin plant food.
Pic is def old one, plants are more established, just under 2ft on behleri's, all getting new leaves.
Flourite layer (1inch) under 2" of top gravel. No tabs or sticks.
Lighting is lousy at present - just over 1.5WPG

Current might be issue - I have 1000lph pump as std and a second internal canister giving another 1000lph. Tank is 450l so circulates just over 4 times an hour. Should I add another powerhead?

I did another 50% change today (RO w/ minerals:3dh 7.2ph) and will be monitoring closely over next few days.

will update tomorrow.... feel free to give more advice
 
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blackout has worked - no slime left in tank at all.

have gone back to usual photoperiod of 10hrs per day and will be watching carefully.
 
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