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

[rrkss]

a kH of 1.0 or higher is safe for CO2 injection. Here is a quote from Tom Barr who is probably one of the biggest experts when it comes to planted tanks.

Read up on KH.

You do not need it to be high, anything from 1-2 degrees is fine, adding more serves no purpose.

Raising the pH is bad for fish if you add lots of Baking soda all at once.
Lowering it or raising it with CO2 is not.

Ask yourself why this might be.........

If you place a fish in a high salt tank and then back to low salt tank, is that bad?

Yes.

Baking soda is a carbonate salt.

This shocks the fish.

CO2 does not.
We do weekly large 50-75% water changes with low pH CO2 enriched water with plain tap that's 1 full pH unit above. Never any issues nor anyone for the last 20 years.............due to pH changes and CO2.

Baking soda? Folks have killed their fish adding 4-6 degrees all at once.

If you want more CO2, the obnly way to do that is well.............add more CO2.

Lowering, raising KH, monkeying with strong acids, and other hairbrained ideas to get that pH/KH combo you seek are futile and waste time, $, and brain cells.

Plants want CO2, so if you want better conditions for the plants, only add CO2.

GH and the rest are nutrients(as is CO2).

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[djlen]

'You do not need it to be high, anything from 1-2 degrees is fine, adding more serves no purpose.'

Tom and I are old friends. I gotta come down on the other side of the coin on this one however. I've heard too many horror stories around people who's pH crashed from lack of buffer in their water. You people will do what you like. I will always recommend pushing kH to a minimum of 3.0°kH. It's easy to accomplish (without baking soda) and hold, and safer for the fish, IMO.

Len

 

[hmt321]

ok here is my projected dosing schedule

KNO3 = .75 teaspn (once a week - or WC)
Fleets = 8 drops (once a week - or WC)
Calcium sulfate = 3 teaspn (once a week - or WC)
MG = 2 teaspn (once a week- or WC)
Plantex = 5ml (per day or 30 ml per week - WC)

I assume that you disolve the dry powders in water before you dump them in?

once again thank you so much

 

[rrkss]

Break your KNO3 and Fleet dosing to every second day. Same with Plantex. Dose Plantex and your macros on opposite days. Calcium and Magnesium get dosed after a waterchange once per week. Good luck!

 

[hmt321]

ok so

KNO3 = 3/8 teaspn (twice a week - or 3/4 teasp per WC)
Fleets = 4 drops (twice a week - or 8 drops per WC)
Calcium sulfate = 3 teaspn (once a week - or WC)
MG = 2 teaspn (once a week- or WC)
Plantex = 15ml (twice a week or 30 ml per week - WC)

 

[djlen]

Here is an example:
If you do your W/C on Sat., add back your macros THAT DAY.
The following day start your traces and dose them EVERY DAY skipping zero days. Fe has a shelf life of 1 day in the water table. Keep it available by dosing daily.
The Wed. after W/C test your N and P and dose half of W/C dose if necessary.
This is a very simple plan and easy to follow. The only day after day constant is the traces; no change in dose size except if you want to dose at mid-week. It keeps things consistent.
If, over time you find a steady need for P+ or N+ on Wed. just dose them at 1/2 dosage automatically on Wed. No need to test if you find, over time that the tank needs them, and you're going to be doing your W/C the following Sat. to remove any overages.

Len

 

[hmt321]

OK my black out was done last night,

I did a 75% water change and ran my DE filter to get the water clear, tank looks great,

what i dosed

kno3 = 3/8 teaspoon
fleets = 4 drops
cal sulfate = 3 tsp
MG = 2 tsp
excel = 20 ml (as per instructions)

I also mixed up 250 ml of the plantex (1 table spoon to 250 ml)

OK I basically got some tank water really hot in the microwave, and dumped all the above in and I had some clumping, (my fish are currently grabbing the small white pieces and spitting them out)

next time i will dissolve the powders into separate containers

on Monday i will re-dose the kno3
and starting tomorrow i will dose ml per day of the plantex

question,

some of the new ludwig's are growing out of the water, should I trim them below the water line or let them emerge?

thanks tons

 

[djlen]

'OK I basically got some tank water really hot in the microwave, and dumped all the above in and I had some clumping, (my fish are currently grabbing the small white pieces and spitting them out).'

All of the above What!!!!???? You don't mix up the macros with the micros.
kno3 = 3/8 teaspoon
fleets = 4 drops
cal sulfate = 3 tsp
MG = 2 tsp
This is dosed after water change....once a week.

'I also mixed up 250 ml of the plantex (1 table spoon to 250 ml)'
This is mixed an stored in the fridge. You dose 5 or 6mls. a day skipping WC day.

Len

 

[grch36]

that stuff looks a lot like a cyano outbreak i had. hey hmt321, does it seem like your algae eaters aren't touching the stuff? if they aren't it may be a case of bacteria and not algae, you should start injecting co2, with a 40 gallon tank you'll get by with DIY as long as your get a good way to diffuse the co2. You can make a DIY diffuser to run aside your filter or a ceramic diffuser (scroll to the bottom of the page) Anywho, let me know on the previous question, like I said it looks like cyano that i had a problem with, it's fairly easy to destroy without algicide... and a five day black out WON'T kill your plants

I also agree with djlen, keep your KH at a minimum of 3deg, else you risk crashing the pH

 

[attack11]

cyanobacteria would slime the plants (or anything) it eventually settles on; that looks like thread algae. speaking of cyano, that stuff is kinda interesting to watch as it moves around in water.