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Lost beginner

darrensp

darrensp

Member
Joined
29 Jul 2016
Messages
73
Location
Glasgow
Hi guys

I'm new on here and struggling with plants and algae tank has been up and running over a year but have always struggled

I have a 48"L x24"h x18"w tank

2 fluval 406 filters with coarse and medium sponges ceramic rings and some bio balls

Two 54w fluorescents possibly h.o? 3 on 5off 3on

Have been dosing tnc complete 4ml per day (also have trace but don't dose) 50% weekly water change cleaning alternating filters

Substrate Is tetra complete mixed with gravel

I have Anubis tied to driftwood which has bba,
Amazon swords? Which has a kind of thin black algae like dust almost but stubborn to remove,
ludwigia repens which gets coated in bga , p.helferi which struggles also gets bga,
Alternanthera Rosaefolia Gets the same algae as the swords but bga also
Also have some green cabomba which does ok and some Java moss just been added.
I get bga on the substrate too

I know this sounds like a lot of plants but really there isn't because I've lost so much and barely have any left because I keep getting beat by algae

I have an Api liquid test kit and api 5 in 1 strips.

Just looking for some help/advice
 
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Probably, light related, to intense and or to long in periode.. It's a game play to begin with, which you probaly had (wrong) from the beginning to anticipate with the light to the plants needs and growrate. In my case BBA is always light related and could aslo be excess in ammonia.. BGA actualy also is light related and excess of organic waste, like to much feeding and or bad cleaning and dirty substrate. All 3 factors can cause higher ammonia levels, all 3 factors can induce BBA and BGA growth.. BGA likes to build up in high light places, at the glass in the substrate or on the glass at the top even of top plant leaves. BBA dito, likes to build up at high light areas, e.g filter outletm top leave edges or even as you already state where enough light hits the substrate and if this substrate is dirty even more. ;)

Giving the tank less light to dim it and or reduse the periode and good husbandry, it will in time reduce.

When algae slowly gets under controll and plants get cleaner and grow bigger you slowly could up the light again, depending on plant spieces and goals it might not be needed. That's often a personal preference.

BGA is easy, to clean out and is not realy attaching itself it's a bacteria (slime coat) feeding on light and organic waste. So reducing both prevents it from comming back once it is cleaned out. BBA is rather agressive and attaches itself to plants and hardscape.. Heavily infected leaves are best trimmed off.. Hardscape which can be taken out the tank can be cleaned. Everything not removable can be spot treated with Liquid carbon or peroxide. These a remedies to start cleaning it out for a start. To prevent it from growing back as fast as you remove it is reducing lights. Peroxide is also very active and fast against BGA, also kills BBA it will turn red after a day or 2 and it tells you its dead.

Search the algae section of this forum how to spot treat and or dose liquid carbon as algicide. There are many articles to find with very good information. :thumbup:
 
Hi thanks for the reply

Today was water change day which I done 50% as I usually do and I thoroughly hoovered the substrate as I do every week.

I measured my ammonia which was low <0.25ppm as indicated test was lighter in colour than 0 but not as dark as 0.25

I have since removed one of my light tubes so now have 1 t5 54w with reflector still with the same 3hours on 5off 3on light schedule

Should I keeps dosing tnc complete at 4ml per day or change dosing?

I would post a pic using my iPhone if I knew how

Thanks
Darren
 
I wouldn't have a break in the lights.Just have them on for 5 or 6 hours for now.
Are you using Co2 ?.
 
Me too i'm with Neil on that one, keep 'm on for a 5 to 8 hour periode this even can be made 10 if you have the proper intensity. But this depends on the plants you are growing. SOme plants need higher intensity,so then shorter period, low light plants lower intensity and can have a longer periode. Like i have all low light plants in the high tech and have 10 hour periode reasonably dimmed.. Have a low tech lit by daylight, so it gets all day light which is over 16 hours at the moment, relativily free of algae.

Dimming can be accomplished to use dimmable drivers for tube lights or hanging the hights higher above the tank.. @J Art has a podcast, he also does photography and gave the tip (A very nice one) "In the photography hobby shop you can buy translucent sheets to filter light (to lower the intensity), these come in different denseties, so these are a very nice option to put in front of the tube lights or place on the glass cover panels if you have. You could take a set of different shades and find the right intesity for you setup. And or slowely up the intensity again if your plants require this.

Forgot which one it was
http://aquascapingpodcast.com/
but just listen them all can't hurt.. :)

If you have only 3 hours of light with a 5 hour brake and 3 hours of light again.. My best guess is, it is far to much in intensity.. :thumbup:

I can't answer the TNC question, don't know the stuff.. But 4ml a day on 48 litre seems a bit much if it is what i think it is..
 
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Thanks guys will try changing to a single 6 hour photo period

I am not using co2 can't afford to go buy a pressurised system and tnc Carbon seems to melt my p.helferi which I would really love to grow
 
Definitely too higher light intensity to start with, see how you got with just 1 bulb...
An alternative is to introduce some floaters and generally increase plant biomass.
 
Hi Darren, nothing useful to add except your tank seems more shallow than the average four foot tank so I'm sure looks spectacular. When you get your light right, I'm sure will look amazing ☺

Big clown said:
With tnc complete if you add the weekly dose printed on the bottle three times per week then this is the equivalent of EI dosing
Click to expand...

Hi big clown, sorry to hijack, but I wondered if dosing tnc complete three times a week as per the recommended dose achieves EI levels of dosing, should this be reduced if you are running a low tech without co2 enrichment?
 
Manisha said:
Hi Darren, nothing useful to add except your tank seems more shallow than the average four foot tank so I'm sure looks spectacular. When you get your light right, I'm sure will look amazing ☺



Hi big clown, sorry to hijack, but I wondered if dosing tnc complete three times a week as per the recommended dose achieves EI levels of dosing, should this be reduced if you are running a low tech without co2 enrichment?
Click to expand...

Yes if you just use the bottle dose once a week then this will be more than enough for a low tech
 
Hi guys thanks very much it's great to see so many replies I do have some pictures but need to figure out how to upload them as I know it will help a great deal with this

My fish stock is roughly: ( not home at the moment)
10 phantom tetras
20 harlequin rasbora
6 rummy nose tetras
6 glow light tetras
15 zebra danios
1 peppered cory ( I know I should have more but only have one left out of 6)
I also have one ruby shark

Manisha I think you might possibly have misread the dimensions of the tank it is 24" deep
 
darrensp said:
Hi guys thanks very much it's great to see so many replies I do have some pictures but need to figure out how to upload them as I know it will help a great deal with this

My fish stock is roughly: ( not home at the moment)
10 phantom tetras
20 harlequin rasbora
6 rummy nose tetras
6 glow light tetras
15 zebra danios
1 peppered cory ( I know I should have more but only have one left out of 6)
I also have one ruby shark

Manisha I think you might possibly have misread the dimensions of the tank it is 24" deep
Click to expand...


To post images you have two options..

Download tapatalk forum app in the App Store, log in and I'm sure there is an option there to post a pic in your reply.

Use a free image hosting site and then copy and paste one of the thumbnail links into your reply..

I use https://postimage.org, quite simple to do that way. Good luck
 
Fill that tank with plants! That gives you a better chance against algae.
 
I do realise I need more plants in there but have been off work due to injury for 3 months now so can't afford to buy much at the moment.

I have a second small tank which I am trying to grow some stuff out in and is going well albeit slowly. It is only 2 weeks old and from tiny trimmings although the Java moss ball in there is doing great and I'm hoping to take more and more from there I have already been taking bits and tying it onto the piece of wood I have in the big tank

Do you think I could get away with trimming and replanting the cabomba which I don't seem to have much trouble with for now until I am in a position to do so?
 
You certainly can trim and replant. Otherwise need to reduce light. algae has upperhand otherwise.
 
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