Either a fixture with 3 T8 bulbs or 1 T5NO bulb should bring your light up enough and be considered low light for a planted tank. T5NO are very energy efficient.
Need ideas for algae control in planted tank.
- Thread starter koipoloi
- Start date
Either a fixture with 3 T8 bulbs or 1 T5NO bulb should bring your light up enough and be considered low light for a planted tank. T5NO are very energy efficient.
Yes more lighting would cause more algae normally. But your problem might be that you don't have enough light for the plants to grow. In order to out compete the algae your plants need to be growing and taking in nutrients in the water column. If they aren't growing and taking in nutrients they are useless and will eventually rot away and die. The dosing of the ferts is just making the amount of ferts available to the algae worse.
You can get my setup for like $40 online I believe. It's a coralife 36 watt T5 freshwater fixture. If you look at my gallery in my profile you can check out the plants I can grow in my 29 with it.
Maybe not, but if the plants aren't growing rapidly why dose at these intervals? Almost all of these plants are slow growers, the root tabs might be appreciated by the crypts and sword. I am with the others in the thinking the liquid dosing is just feeding the algae.
Low light and low tech usually mean few ferts also - but since it looks like the OP is thinking about upgrading lighting, this schedule might be fine after all. But with the current amount of lighting, it seems out of balance IMO.
try some nerite snails and some ottos or one of the small algae eating plecos. I had a cae that did a great job on my algae but I wouldn't recommend getting one.
Up the lights! Your plants will thank you by competing with the algae for the nutrients in the water. If you up the lights and add root tabs you might be surprised at how you tank will look as your plants come into their own. And the ferts are fine.
Thanks for all the help folks. You have definitely given me some ideas. In the short term I think I will cut back on the flourish and excel and get some root tabs and long term I also think I will be looking for a stronger lighting system. Either the DIY cfl's or the coral life mentioned above.
Cutting back on the flourish till you get a bit more light is fine, but not the excel (its not a fertilizer). Excel provides carbon to your plants and can help control algae.
