Algae problem

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Plants with heavy root systems, such as swords and crypts also benefit greatly from substrate fertilization. Root tabs or a more plant-friendly substrate will help a lot.

Your plan is doable, you just need to get a better balance of the nutrients in your tank.
 
OK, got home from work to a possible disaster. The pH had sank thru the floor. I believe it to be a combination of more CO2 and no aragonite (crushed coral). I did lots of small water changes to correct and now we are back up to 6.6pH. The ammonia looked good (I'm guessing less than 25ppm, but the test kit is not bullseye accurate), so I took out the bio media from 1 fluval and replaced it with the aragonite. I also took out all the remaining driftwood and put it in a low-lite 150. I figure the effect it will have on 150 gallons of water will be lesser than in the 55. I also turned off the CO2 for tonight. I may restart it tomorrow. The bichirs looked just fine, but the jewels are having a rough go of it, as are the bristlenose. If I am erring grossly, let me know.

P.S. I plan on getting some hornwort to add. The stickies suggest it will do well, grow fast and use up nutrients.

P.P.S. Oddly, the beard algae is not doing so well now, it is much easier to remove from the leaves. The slime algae is still cooking right along, though. It grows fast.
 
OK, more questions. Ready?
1) The java fern on the driftwood is now in my 150 (with wet/dry and aquaclear 110 and 2 fx5's). There is no CO2, and only 2 48" full spectrum t-12 lights. Is that enough light for them in their low CO2 environment? I have more I could add if needed.
2) What does everyone else do to combat the pH reducing power of their CO2? I assume I am not the only one to battle this beast.
 
Merbeast;1220816;1220816 said:
OK, got home from work to a possible disaster. The pH had sank thru the floor. I believe it to be a combination of more CO2 and no aragonite (crushed coral). I did lots of small water changes to correct and now we are back up to 6.6pH. The ammonia looked good (I'm guessing less than 25ppm, but the test kit is not bullseye accurate), so I took out the bio media from 1 fluval and replaced it with the aragonite. I also took out all the remaining driftwood and put it in a low-lite 150. I figure the effect it will have on 150 gallons of water will be lesser than in the 55. I also turned off the CO2 for tonight. I may restart it tomorrow. The bichirs looked just fine, but the jewels are having a rough go of it, as are the bristlenose. If I am erring grossly, let me know.

P.S. I plan on getting some hornwort to add. The stickies suggest it will do well, grow fast and use up nutrients.

P.P.S. Oddly, the beard algae is not doing so well now, it is much easier to remove from the leaves. The slime algae is still cooking right along, though. It grows fast.
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The pH likely crashed, because you cranked the co2 too high. Your co2 shouldn't be on at night anyway. The addition of crushed coral is a bad move, as it will have a direct effect on your co2 reading, and is not needed.
 
Merbeast;1221082;1221082 said:
OK, more questions. Ready?
1) The java fern on the driftwood is now in my 150 (with wet/dry and aquaclear 110 and 2 fx5's). There is no CO2, and only 2 48" full spectrum t-12 lights. Is that enough light for them in their low CO2 environment? I have more I could add if needed.
2) What does everyone else do to combat the pH reducing power of their CO2? I assume I am not the only one to battle this beast.
Click to expand...
1) Java fern will grow well in a body of water with basic incandescent. It has no need to have injected co2 into the tank.

2) Don't bother trying to combat the pH swing. That will show you exactly where your co2 saturation is.

3) RELAX. You are trying to do too much at once, without knowing what problems can, and will arise from the actions you are taking.
 
I would love to not combat the pH swing. The problem always seems to arise with the pH when I am at work, and coming home to dying fish is NO BUENO! (One of my jewels did not pull thru last night, and I might come across as a little pissy this morning as the result).

Ok, so I am relaxed. I will take no further actions until told to do so by those who know more than I.
-- the situation as it stands so the powers that be may make informed decisions: I have just the Amazon Swords (10 of them) in the tank with the fish (less 1 jewel cichlid). I have 2 fluval 205s running. 1 has the foam, ceramic prefilter rings, and bio media rings in it. The other has foam and crushed coral (it is bad what with the crushed coral and all... should I unrelax and take the fluval out?). The light is on for 10 hours per day (on a timer). The CO2 is running at 1 bubble every second or two. There is no driftwood in the tank. I didn't have time to check the pH this morning, but the fish are looking good (except the dead one I pulled out... he doesn't look so good). I'm going to check the pH and ammonia when I get home, and to be honest, if it is screwey I am going to unrelax and do water changes.

I am going to leave the single shop light (2-48" lights) on the 150 with the java fern in it, and not add another shop light. I was not planning on adding CO2 on the 150.
 
Your co2 seems a little high for just swords. Really, they don't need it, and will grow just fine with just your lights. A water change isn't going to hurt much, but neither will it help too much. You may want to consider investing in a co2 controller for your tank, since you are having large pH swing issues. The addition of the crushed coral is going to make those swing be bigger.
 
I think the large pH swing was due to the 12-15 bps that was recommended to me early in this thread. My pH had been stable at ~7.5 with the crushed coral in the sump, the driftwood and the CO2 at 2-3bps for a couple of months.

I will look into a CO2 controller.
 
12-15 bps is about minimum with the use of a wet/dry, but combining the higher bps, and removing the w/d, resulted in a co2 dump, causing a drop. The cc still isn't helping though.
 
Gotcha. So I will check the pH when I get home, and if it is at all reasonable, I will remove the crushed coral. I will check the ammonia, and if at all reasonable, I will remove the second fluval leaving just 1 fluval 205 on the tank (all bio media in it). How many bps should the CO2 be set for?

P.S. I knew that surface agitation was bad for retaining CO2, so when I set up the fluvals, I put the return deep underwater, with little/no surface agitation. Just an FYI.
 
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