# Yet another staghorn problem



## curefan (25 Apr 2009)

Hi all,

Poxy algae strikes again   I have a case of staghorn algae (getting worse) and there seems to be many conflicting ideas on it. Also worrying too, is that I saw a small trace of BGA. Removed it. 

My KH and GH are very low. Testing KH from my tap is 3 d (german scale)when changing from blue to yellow/orange, but when I test tank water, the water does not even go blue at all, just goes yellow after 2 or so drops. So is KH 0? Some web forms suggest a KH of zero is ok?? GH from tap is 3 and tank is 2. PH is also low.....6.0. Could this be Aquasoil ? Tank is running 3 months and initially all was going great....nice HC/hairgrass carpet and moss doing well. 

Co2 injection(drop checker green). Some say staghorn is because of low co2....if i raise it any more, fish are gasping. Ammonia 0. Nitrate 5. Nitrite 0

Tank is 260L and I add 3mil Tropica plant Nutrition daily along with 2mil TPN+. Also i put in 5mil Seachem flourish excel daily. Some people suggest Nitrates should be 0 and others say up to 10 ? 

Any help welcome,
Cheers, Dave.


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## George Farmer (25 Apr 2009)

Hi Dave

How are the circulation levels in your tank?  

Poor circulation can trigger BGA, especially with low nitrates.  

Poor circulation also mean that your CO2 may not be effectively distributed, resulting in algae issues.

Your dosing seems very lean.  What lighting do you have?  In a 260 litre I'd consider adding 10ml TPN+ and 10ml Excel per day.


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## nry (25 Apr 2009)

You don't need TPN and TPN+ unless I'm missing something - TPN+ contains everything in TPN but also has N P and K in too...


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## George Farmer (25 Apr 2009)

nry said:
			
		

> You don't need TPN and TPN+ unless I'm missing something - TPN+ contains everything in TPN but also has N P and K in too...


Some (Graeme for one) have good experiences with this leaner NP dosing technique i.e. effectively diluting the NP but keeping the trace content.


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## curefan (25 Apr 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Hi Dave
> 
> How are the circulation levels in your tank?
> 
> ...




Hi George,

I have 3 54W T5's with reflectors. Never thought my dosing might be lean...might increase so. Filters are the internal Jewel and an external Cascade 1200 with spray bar. I put a sponge type cover over the intake of the external to stop shrimp getting sucked in. This seems to be comprmising my flow, especially as algae builds up on it. Catch 22 really...poor flow or shrimp in external :?  I was thinking of getting Eheim 2075 but it may not be much better than what i have (especially with foam over intake!). Is there any other way to stop shrimp getting sucked into intake without flow compromise ?

I have the diffuser under the internal outlet which seems to help distribution.

Again, all suggestions welcome...thanks, Dave.


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## curefan (25 Apr 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> nry said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Graeme did suggest to me!


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## nry (25 Apr 2009)

Fair enough on the TPN 

I've only ever found staghorn an issue with poor CO2 stability - I switched to pressurised CO2 purely because I could not get rid of staghorn and BBA when using DIY even if I rigorously changed the two yeast bottles on the right days, though a clean filter does have something to do with it aswell, I often found my old Juwel internal filter needed much more frequent cleaning than my current TetraTec EX-600 (15 gallon tank).


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## Dave Spencer (25 Apr 2009)

curefan said:
			
		

> My KH and GH are very low. Testing KH from my tap is 3 d (german scale)when changing from blue to yellow/orange, but when I test tank water, the water does not even go blue at all, just goes yellow after 2 or so drops. So is KH 0? Some web forms suggest a KH of zero is ok?? GH from tap is 3 and tank is 2. PH is also low.....6.0. Could this be Aquasoil ? Tank is running 3 months and initially all was going great....nice HC/hairgrass carpet and moss doing well.



You have practically the same water parameters as me. You have nothing to worry about from this aspect.



			
				curefan said:
			
		

> Co2 injection(drop checker green). Some say staghorn is because of low co2....if i raise it any more, fish are gasping. Ammonia 0. Nitrate 5. Nitrite 0



Once again, you are in the same situation as I was with my 120cm. I bought two Koralia 1 powerheads to supplement two EX1200 filters, I never had to adjust the CO2 up, and now I can stay on top of the algae.



			
				curefan said:
			
		

> Tank is 260L and I add 3mil Tropica plant Nutrition daily along with 2mil TPN+. Also i put in 5mil Seachem flourish excel daily. Some people suggest Nitrates should be 0 and others say up to 10 ?



Who says they should be zero? Plants require nitrogen, and nitrates are a major source. I run my tanks circa 25ppm.

For the record, they have BGA problems at TGM.



			
				curefan said:
			
		

> I have 3 54W T5's with reflectors. Never thought my dosing might be lean...might increase so.



You have a lot of light. I have 2 x 39W T8 over 240l and had CO2 distribution issues. Your tanks demands on CO2 will be greater than mine, so I am fairly confident that it is a circulation issue. I run a yellow CO2 dropper, but with lots of surface agitation.

Dave.


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## curefan (25 Apr 2009)

Interesting Dave, as you have the same water conditions as me. I have a power head at home that I could put in (just didnt really want more equipment in tank!).  It would be worth trying to get rid of this crap.


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