Generally 1-3 bps works well more most plants, but that will depend on how good your diffusion method is.
Algae problem
- Thread starter Merbeast
- Start date
I have a japanese style glass diffuser with a ceramic disk... looks kinda like a funky tobacco pipe. It is directly underneath the intake for a fluval. Tiny little bubbles go in, no bubbles come out.
The pH last night was betweem 6.8 and 7ish and the ammonia was ~0ppm. I took off the fluval 205 that had the crushed coral in it. Now there is just a fluval 205 and a heater in the tank. I like it. It seems plants are very effective as bio filters, even more so than bacteria.
So last night after I was done removing the filter, there were lots of tiny bubbles coming up from the amazon swords. I have seen the slime algae pearl before, but never the plants. Good times, good times
Thanks, guys, for all your help.
Oh, the algae problem. Now that I have removed lots of filters, crushed coral and turbulance, will the algae problem resolve itself? I wouldn't mind brown & green algae, but I would much prefer to be beard and slime algae free.
So last night after I was done removing the filter, there were lots of tiny bubbles coming up from the amazon swords. I have seen the slime algae pearl before, but never the plants. Good times, good times
Thanks, guys, for all your help. Oh, the algae problem. Now that I have removed lots of filters, crushed coral and turbulance, will the algae problem resolve itself? I wouldn't mind brown & green algae, but I would much prefer to be beard and slime algae free.
Beard algae is tough to get rid of, but with some seachem excel dosed directly on the algae, it should go away. For the slime algae, it should go away on it's own, but with more water movement across the bottom, it will not reappear.
Well, all's well that ends well. The algae situation is done and gone. There is no more slime algae or beard algae evident in the tank. There is green algae growing here and there on the wood and glass, but the plecs keep it mostly in check.
What worked for me:
I am down to 1 fluval 205 running with the return almost on the bottom of the tank. I put in 3 penguin 550 powerheads. 1 is on the bottom blowing across the gravel. 1 is on the top blowing down over the gravel. The 3rd is on the top giving some agitation to the surface (the fish were breathing hard without it). I turned the CO2 up to 4bps. I turned off one set of lights, so there are only four 4' tubes on (2 plant lights and 2 full spectrum). None of my LFSs carry the flourish excel and I was too cheap to order it, but things seem to have worked out.
Thanks again for all the help!
What worked for me:
I am down to 1 fluval 205 running with the return almost on the bottom of the tank. I put in 3 penguin 550 powerheads. 1 is on the bottom blowing across the gravel. 1 is on the top blowing down over the gravel. The 3rd is on the top giving some agitation to the surface (the fish were breathing hard without it). I turned the CO2 up to 4bps. I turned off one set of lights, so there are only four 4' tubes on (2 plant lights and 2 full spectrum). None of my LFSs carry the flourish excel and I was too cheap to order it, but things seem to have worked out.
Thanks again for all the help!
That's why I bumped up the bubble count on the CO2. There isn't much surface agitation, but without the powerhead up there, the fish gasp (for lack of a better verb). CO2 is cheap, my fish aren't. I'd rather fill the bottle more often than lose a fish.
You might as well just turn the co2 off. Your wasting money. If your plants aren't producing enough O2, either you don't have enough plants, or your tank doesn't have enough nutrients for the plants to grow.
or I have too many fish for the number of plants... which I think is the case.
As for turning it off, I am just happy to be at a stable point where the plants are green and pretty, and there is no "bad" algae apparent.
As for turning it off, I am just happy to be at a stable point where the plants are green and pretty, and there is no "bad" algae apparent.
4 bps isn't enough to add co2 to the tank. In order for you to have an imbalance of plants to fish, where the fish are gasping, you would need to have a heavily stocked tank, with a very light planting. Take my advice for what you wish, but you are wasting your co2, for little to no benefit.
