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ID this algae please
- Thread starter Jaap
- Start date
Communitytank
Member
- Joined
- 13 Sep 2009
- Messages
- 40
Could it be the starting of BBA?
BBA caused by poor/low CO2 levels, fluctuating CO2 levels and poor circulation.
1. Improve CO2 levels and circulation.
2. Remove any leaves with BBA on.
3. Hardscape can be dosed, preferably out the tank, with Excel to kill the BBA.
4. Done.
1. Improve CO2 levels and circulation.
2. Remove any leaves with BBA on.
3. Hardscape can be dosed, preferably out the tank, with Excel to kill the BBA.
4. Done.
Yes, but in my experience you will have to physically remove it by trimming or liquid carbon.
parotet
Member
Not the shrimps I've had for the moment (including Amano and cherries). IMO shrimps are good for cleaning and tank maintenance. They work for you for free and they don't ask too much in exchange. I'm sure they feed on young algae stages but don't expect them to clean developed BBA
Jordi
Hello,
So now I have BBA and some diatoms. I think the diatoms are subsiding since I cleaned the filter last week. However, the BBA isnt backing down. My co2 levels are now stable or at least I think they are stable because I havent changed injection.
1. If the weather ir changing and temperatures are dropping then unavoitably the water temperature changes which means more co2 is kept in the aquarium. So if one day the weather is hot and the other day its colder then co2 levels are different from one day to the other, does that mean flactuating co2?
2. I see that the plants are still hardly growing most possibly due to low light levels. I have BBA so now do I lower the lights from 35cm to 30cm or do I do nothing until I find a way to get rid of BBA?
Thanks
So now I have BBA and some diatoms. I think the diatoms are subsiding since I cleaned the filter last week. However, the BBA isnt backing down. My co2 levels are now stable or at least I think they are stable because I havent changed injection.
1. If the weather ir changing and temperatures are dropping then unavoitably the water temperature changes which means more co2 is kept in the aquarium. So if one day the weather is hot and the other day its colder then co2 levels are different from one day to the other, does that mean flactuating co2?
2. I see that the plants are still hardly growing most possibly due to low light levels. I have BBA so now do I lower the lights from 35cm to 30cm or do I do nothing until I find a way to get rid of BBA?
Thanks
parotet
Member
Light, BBA and CO2 cannot be regarded as independent issues... If you have BBA there's something wrong with light and co2 configuration. The problem is that light is easy to handle but co2 is very complex. I would try a medium light system that will give you more room for imperfect injection, flow, etc.
IME we are quite far away from having a good knowledge of what is happening in our tank (how much light, plants up takes, plants needs, etc.) that is why we rely on methods that let us work with a safety margin (medium light setup, EI dosing, etc.).
Keep your lights a a reasonable distance and power (there's lot of people using your lights in this forum) and improve all the things related to co2 injection.
Jordi
Unfortunately my pH profile reveals that CO2 is not an issue:
pH Profile:
11:00 - CO2 ON - 7.96
12:00 - 6.94
13:00 - 6.75
14:00 - Lights ON - 6.60
15:00 - 6.60
16:00 - 6.60
17:00 - 6.60
18:00 - 6.60
19:00 - 6.60
20:00 - 6.60
21:00 - CO2 OFF - 6.60
22:00 - Lights OFF - 6.75
Distribution shouldn't be an issue either as I have a spray bar on the back of the tank at the top a cm below water level and its a 1000 L/h filter on a 40L tank.
So I was thinking that maybe because the light is insufficient, the plants are growing or aren't don't have healthy growth and thus allows the BBA to take over....at least that is my theory. Just take a look at these pics.....very little growth in 9 days:
14/10/2014
23/10/2014
Don't you think that is very little growth for 9 days?
parotet
Member
I see a reasonable amount of growth just for 9 days (at least in the foreground plants, not that much in areas where flow is more complex such as sides and background) and taking into account that there is not too much biomass in your tank.
In my first enriched tank setup, once I had optimized my ph drop and changed to a spraybar (I though nothing more could be improved) I simplified the hardscape (got rid of some branches that were blocking the flow). I can see that some of your plants are behind the branches and stones. Just try to simplify the setup and see if your plant growth improves. At this stage I personally think it is much more important to learn how to grow healthy aquatic plants than to produce a good aquascape... At least for me, those superb setups that can be seen in the featured journals are something that I would reach once I can have a good control on the tank and a good understanding of plants needs.
Jordi
In my first enriched tank setup, once I had optimized my ph drop and changed to a spraybar (I though nothing more could be improved) I simplified the hardscape (got rid of some branches that were blocking the flow). I can see that some of your plants are behind the branches and stones. Just try to simplify the setup and see if your plant growth improves. At this stage I personally think it is much more important to learn how to grow healthy aquatic plants than to produce a good aquascape... At least for me, those superb setups that can be seen in the featured journals are something that I would reach once I can have a good control on the tank and a good understanding of plants needs.
Jordi
thank you very much for the advice Jordi. I am a bit skeptical on the circulation/distribution and the obstacles in the tank. If with a 40L tank a 1000 l/h filter and a spraybar I am unable to create good water distribution, then I should quit while I am ahead
the fish are straggling to keep up with the current at times is there a chance that the light is too low and causes algae problems?
BBA is totaly co2 related?
No. Lower light causes slower plant growth and certainly doesn't cause algae. The main easy way if one gets persistent algae is reduce light levels.
If you think your CO2 levels are OK, the plants are saying different. What does your drop checker say near the plants ? What does your drop checker say at the side of the tank etc etc. You will be surprised how in one part of the tank a drop checker can be green and another blue.
. Been there done that, got the T-shirt, got the algae, got the power head to stop it.Also can be a sign of too much light for the CO2 levels you have. You haven't stated your light source, most likely far too powerful for a 40l tank.
Anyway the chart below from http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105774 is a rough handy guide to light level.
It is grobeam 600 at 100% intensity and 35cm above substrate...I also have a glass lid in between which cuts down the light intensity due to condensation as well...No. Lower light causes slower plant growth and certainly doesn't cause algae. The main easy way if one gets persistent algae is reduce light levels.
If you think your CO2 levels are OK, the plants are saying different. What does your drop checker say near the plants ? What does your drop checker say at the side of the tank etc etc. You will be surprised how in one part of the tank a drop checker can be green and another blue.
Also can be a sign of too much light for the CO2 levels you have. You haven't stated your light source, most likely far too powerful for a 40l tank.
Anyway the chart below from http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105774 is a rough handy guide to light level.
A ukaps memeber stated that at 40cm above substrate this light fixture was prpducing 35 micromols....I dont know what the levels would be at 35cm and with a glass lid...
Bingo. These are demon lights, light is too strong for the CO2 levels you have, you are killing the plants as they can't feed fast enough, thus dying, releasing organics which the algae is feeding.
You need to improve your CO2 levels and distribution (what does drop checker say ?) and lower the light level to say 50% with the controller. When things settle down try increasing the light level.
Also your plants indicate poor CO2, regardless what your pH pen says, you need to repeat with a drop checker. The number of people that say but my pH has dropped by 1.0, so there must be correct levels of CO2 have been proved hopelessly wrong when they get a blue drop checking indicating poor CO2. The drop of 1.0 pH is in pure bicarbonate buffered water, which your tank will not be, there will be plenty of other interfering chemicals, so a drop of 1.0 is only a guide. You have been lead by the Matrix to get a drop of 1.0 regardless what your eyes are seeing. A drop checker will reveal all.
With a pH of 6.5 I am a bit afraid to increase co2 with fish and shrimp in there...
