Do newly planted tanks always have a slight algae outbreak? I just set up a 10G planted and a week into it, I am getting algae all over my plants and rocks. I was just wondering if this is normal fro a tanks that has just been set up and planted. Will the algae die down after the plants take root and start to compete for nutrients? In your experience, how long does it take for this to happen? Right now I have 36W with a hagen CO2 that is pumping out one bubble every 7-8 sec. yesterday I emptied the CO2 canister and added the contents minus the baking soda to hopefully get more bubbles per sec. Someone please assure me that this is natural and that eventually the algae will die down.
Newly planted tanks and algae
- Thread starter johnstires
- Start date
Once the plants are established things will probably clear up. However, I would definitely recommend an oto cat or two (1" to 1.5") and a batch of Malaysian Trumpet Snails. If you get a bunch of hair algae, you may have a tough time getting rid of that unless you get a Siamese Algae Eater which can be tough to find. See my other post in the other algae thread...
I already have 2 ottos in there and plan on adding a third on tuesday. How long does it usually take to clear up?
Well, I think the biggest factor in clearing my tanks was the trumpet snails. It will take some patience. I would say that after 4 weeks or so with snails you might start seeing your rocks again. Not sure how it will turn out with just the oto's. Maybe double or more? Either way it depends on a lot of other things too with nutrient balance and such.
Yes, this is totally normal. Make sure you have a lot of fast-growing plants, anything cheap will be good. Have you been calculating your CO2 levels? Measure KH and pH, and read off the CO2 concentration from a chart. Here's a good one:
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/kh-ph-co2-chart.html
You want it between 20-30 ppm. Feel free to add more yeast to your mix. The reactor that comes with the hagen system is pretty good, I've been using it with my DIY set-up.
Also, are you fertilizing? Adding potassium (~20ppm), phosphate (~1ppm) and traces will do wonders. It won't bring more algae. I only got rid of my algae after I started dosing this way. I have the same set-up as you btw, 10 gal w/ 36w.
Good luck
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/kh-ph-co2-chart.html
You want it between 20-30 ppm. Feel free to add more yeast to your mix. The reactor that comes with the hagen system is pretty good, I've been using it with my DIY set-up.
Also, are you fertilizing? Adding potassium (~20ppm), phosphate (~1ppm) and traces will do wonders. It won't bring more algae. I only got rid of my algae after I started dosing this way. I have the same set-up as you btw, 10 gal w/ 36w.
Good luck
I am going to tell you something you probably don't want to hear... you are going to have a very difficult time keeping up with 36W of lighting on a 10 gallon using DIY CO2. Algae eaters are good at keeping things in check, not cleaning up after outbrakes. So what can you do now? Roughly (And I mean very roughly) you'll need over 1 bubble per second out of your CO2, probably something near 2-3, but be sure to test as mentioned above. This is your most critical issue right now: 20-30ppm of CO2. I would be doing 50% water changes every 3 days or so if the algae gets bad until your plants start growing a bit. Use really fast growers, H. polysperma, and plants like that. For an algae crew, 1-2 ottos, 15-20 Amano shrimp, your tank is way too small for SAEs.
You are going to need at the least a good trace fert, and a source of potassium, eventually NO3 and PO4 if you get the CO2 moving. Do you have these chemicals around? If so keep change water at 10ppm NO3, 1.0ppm PO4, 20ppm K+... I see the suggestion of 3 wpg lighting, I dont think this is good for those just starting, it can be really rough... your other option is to use two 10W (I think they are 10) strip lights they sell for 10 gallon aquariums, regular T8 bulbs... I've grow E. tennellus var micro and Riccia fluitans under this stuff, plenty of light, maybe cost 10-15 dollars or so per light...
This is how I got into high-tech tanks, by overdoing my lighting in my first setup, not really what I wanted... I struggled for a year or so with all sorts of algae until I bought a pressurized system...
Thanks for all the tips. I think right now I'm gonna try and have a little faith that things will balance out once the plants take hold, the tank still is pretty young. I'm going to start my water changes at 30-40% per week. I'll also try to trim or remove any plants that get too cover with algae. I don't have any pics right now. I will keep you al posted aseverything develops.
You didn't mention fertilization again. You definitely need traces, K and P. Pick up Seachem products if you don't want to do any research. The potassium will run out quickly - you'll need about 20 mL per week on a 10 gal (of Seachem's potassium). The Phosporus is concentrated enough to last you a long time. Also pick up Seachem Flourish or Tropica Master Grow. It may seem a little counterintuitive to add so many fertilizers when you already have algae, but your plants will never grow well without. Good luck
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These guys are right, you have to keep your CO2 up and stable if you want to avoid algae with that much light. I am running 4.1 WPG CF over a 10G and have hardly any algae as long as the CO2 is kept up. I am running a compressed setup so it's pretty self maintained. I have experienced severe algae problems when CO2 fluctuated and/or dropped. Ottos are a must. My tank is stocked with 1 Florida Flag Fish, 1 SAE, 4 Ottos and various snails. I also fertilize heavily.
BTW: IME it usually takes about 6-8 weeks for algae to start clearing out.
These guys are right, you have to keep your CO2 up and stable if you want to avoid algae with that much light. I am running 4.1 WPG CF over a 10G and have hardly any algae as long as the CO2 is kept up. I am running a compressed setup so it's pretty self maintained. I have experienced severe algae problems when CO2 fluctuated and/or dropped. Ottos are a must. My tank is stocked with 1 Florida Flag Fish, 1 SAE, 4 Ottos and various snails. I also fertilize heavily.
BTW: IME it usually takes about 6-8 weeks for algae to start clearing out.
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