# Roma 240 algae and leaf rot, please help



## cozmoz (12 Jul 2014)

Hi guy's,

I have owned my Roma 240 since the 28th April (now 12 July) and have had algae problems from quite early on with what I believe is Green Dust Algae, I have added 2m worth of "1m 24v Single Colour LED Strip Lights, 60x5050SMD, 14.4W" (6000K) and covered the inside of the hood with reflective tape. I am also using pressurized CO2 which I monitor with a drop checker.

The substrate consists of an inert clay substrate covering a thin layer of aquatic soil and have added lots of aquarium nutrient tablets. I also add two squirts of Tropica Plant Growth Premium Fertiliser daily, although I stopped while dealing with the worse of the algae problem using lots of water changes, rubbing the plant leaves and spot treating with Hydrogen Peroxide (8% H2O2, 92% H2O).

Since adding Tropica Plant Growth again the plant growth seems to have picked up, especially the Limnophilia Aromatica which seems to be suffering but so has the algae. I also had Blyxa Japonica in this which has died off.

Any advice on the best approach from here would be appreciated, the fish were added on the 5th July.

Please see photos below:

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/93e0pr3cy8we6/Aquarium_12_July_2014


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## Tomfish (12 Jul 2014)

Are those LEDs additions to the existing lighting? What method do you use to diffuse co2? What colour is your drop checker when lights come on? what is the LPH (liters per hour) of your filter and anything else that adds to flow? Sorry for so many questions, but getting these areas right will make the difference. I suspect you have too much light and not nearly enough flow. Also you should never stop adding ferts, and using enough Tropica for tank that size must get expensive (Branded fertilisers often suggest overly lean dosing), mixing your own salts is far more economical, there is advice in  the tutorial section. Cheers


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## ceg4048 (12 Jul 2014)

WAY too much light, not enough CO2, not enough flow and poor distribution.

Cheers,


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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

Yes, the LED lighting is in addition to the existing lights. I am using CO2 injection using a Precision CO2 Atomizer 70mm Bazooka Diffuser. The drop checker is green morning till evening and my filter is a Fluval 306 with a flow rate of 1150 L/H, no additional power heads. Any advice on the lighting? I thought the standard lighting was too weak to grow medium light plants hence why I added the additional lighting, how much would be enough? Also why are my medium light plants melting?

I currently have the lights on for twelve hours a day, should I reduce this to ten?

If I were to add additional power heads which ones would be recommended for this size tank and how many? 

Many thanks,


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## Wallace (13 Jul 2014)

Are the std lights in the hood T8 or T5? I guess either way the std lighting is more than adequate enough for growing plants. I'd say with the addition of those LED strips that you do have far too much light, and you are struggling with CO2, flow and distribution as Ceg has already said. 

Also, 12 hours is far too long a photo period. I would reduce that by at least 6 hours whilst removing the extra LED's and concentrate on getting the CO2 , flow and distribution of said CO2 spot on. If you can manage to do this, whilst continuing with lots of big water changes then your plant health will improve. 




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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

The original lighting consists of two 30w t8 lights, I will reduce the lighting to 6 hours a day starting tomorrow. Will a powerhead with a flow rate of 2800 litres per hour be enough pointing across the front of the tank in the hope that it will improve the flow throughout? I have algae on a lot of my Marsilea Quadrifolia which is at the front of the tank and leaves melting on my Rotalla Indica which runs across the back.


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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

I'm worried about turning off the LED's entirely as this would bring my lighting down to 1.15 watts per gallon and I don't want my Rotalla Indica dying off, would it be okay to leave them on for at least part of the photo period?


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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

Judging by the flow rate of my pump I guess one with a flow rate of 1600 litres per hour would probably be more appropriate.


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## GHNelson (13 Jul 2014)

Hi Cozmoz
All plants will survive in low light...they just will not grow as quick.
Wallace gave you good advice...strive to grow healthy plants not to grow plants quickly.
You will achieve this when you become experienced and accustomed to executing the advice that's been given.
Blyxa's death is a sure sign of poor Co2 and probably low fertilizers...mainly Nitrate/Phosphate.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tropica-P...l-/301195421738?_trksid=p2054897.l4275...This fertilizer is not suitable for your needs.
Premium Fertiliser does not however contain nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P)
Ditch the bottle and purchase some dry ferts from here http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals.html
Cut your lighting down to 5 or 6 hours...get your Co2 running well before you switch the lights on...use a Co2 drop checker for a reasonable guide.
Cheers
hoggie



Wallace said:


> Are the std lights in the hood T8 or T5? I guess either way the std lighting is more than adequate enough for growing plants. I'd say with the addition of those LED strips that you do have far too much light, and you are struggling with CO2, flow and distribution as Ceg has already said.
> 
> Also, 12 hours is far too long a photo period. I would reduce that by at least 6 hours whilst removing the extra LED's and concentrate on getting the CO2 , flow and distribution of said CO2 spot on. If you can manage to do this, whilst continuing with lots of big water changes then your plant health will improve.
> 
> ...


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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

Thanks for the response and clearing some things up for me, I am using Tropica Plant Growth Premium Fertiliser. I'll switch to using a 6 hour photo period using just the lights that came with the tank and be sure to turn on the CO2 half an hour beforehand. I will also start pushing the CO2 up bit by bit starting tomorrow until I have a deep green or slight yellow first thing in the morning on the checker.

Will the Hydor Koralia Nano 1600 Circulation and Wave Pump be adequate for increasing the flow in the tank or would I be over compensating?[DOUBLEPOST=1405277866][/DOUBLEPOST]I just checked the link you sent, yes, that's the one. I thought I wasn't adding enough light, I guess I was lacking in nutrients.


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## Wallace (13 Jul 2014)

cozmoz said:


> I'll switch to using a 6 hour photo period using just the lights that came with the tank and be sure to turn on the CO2 half an hour beforehand.



That's a good place to start but you will want the gas coming on at least 2 hours before the lights come on, and turning off about an hour or so before the lights go off. 



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## GHNelson (13 Jul 2014)

Hi Cozmoz
Co2 must come on @ least 2 hours before as Wallace has mentioned...if you have fish you need to be vigilant.
Strive for a Green drop checker if your fish are gasping raise your spraybar/outpipe for more gas exchange.
I'm not sure regarding the Hydor Koralia Nano 1600 Circulation and Wave Pump...maybe some other member can give you that advice.
Cheers
hoggie


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## cozmoz (13 Jul 2014)

Okay, I've made the changes to my timers and will start raising CO2 based on what the drop checker shows Tuesday morning, thanks Hoggie.[DOUBLEPOST=1405280736][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh, I've also ordered some dry ferts, I'll switch to those as soon as they arrive.


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## GHNelson (13 Jul 2014)

If you can achieve a Green drop checker without stressing your fish you can add a little more each couple of days.
Slowly over the next weeks strive for a Lime green colour drop checker.
http://www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=co2-measurement-using-a-drop-checker
Cheers
hoggie


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## ceg4048 (14 Jul 2014)

cozmoz said:


> I'm worried about turning off the LED's entirely as this would bring my lighting down to 1.15 watts per gallon and I don't want my Rotalla Indica dying off, would it be okay to leave them on for at least part of the photo period?


People who worry about not having enough lighting are the ones who continue to suffer the worst problems.

Cheers,


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## cozmoz (15 Jul 2014)

Thanks Ceg, I've got to say things are already really perking up in there, looking forward to things growing out so I can get rid of the nasty bits.

I'm going to carry out another water change tomorrow and clear up any algae that I can, I would still appreciate some advice regarding an appropriate wave pump, preferably a quite one .


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## ceg4048 (15 Jul 2014)

Hi,
    Well the Koralia pumps are all very good, but I don't know if a Nano sized powerhead is appropriate for a 240L tank. I would opt for one of their regular pumps, although those are quite a bit more expensive....

Cheers,


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## Wallace (15 Jul 2014)

Newave are supposed to be very good circulation pumps. I've not used them personally, I've got a Koralia. I've seen them mentioned on the forum a lot though and I know Alistair uses them / has used them in his monster tank, and I'm pretty sure he rates them highly. 


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## cozmoz (15 Jul 2014)

What flow rate should I looking for?


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## ceg4048 (15 Jul 2014)

Hi,
   Get one that you don't mind paying for with similar rating to the Nano size you mentioned originally. You only have to make up the 1000LPH or so right? So that should be the target. You can get bigger rated unit if you want, and if it has adjustable speeds then so much the better. I don't value useless "wave" features because at no point do we need to implement waves. So that's just a gimmick from our perspective. Just plain circulation power with steady, quiet force is what's needed. The idea is to move a large volume of water. It is not "Death Race 2000" for maximum LPH. Small nano pumps move only small nano amounts of water.

The size and shape of the effluent is much more important than sheer turnover number. The head should also be flexible so that you can adjust the flow direction. A large wide conical flow shape is better than a small conical footprint at high speed. If you were using 3 or 4 of those nanos spaced evenly across a line then that would move a more significant amount of water. That;s how spraybar works. Small high speed jets, but lots of them so that their total mass of water movement add up to a larger amount but distributes the energy across a wider footprint.

The only problem with the larger pumps is of course that they are a bigger and uglier contraptions mounted in the tank, but if you don't mind how they clutter, then a larger unit or multiple nano units are the way to go. You might even consider another filter the same as the one you have, or similar, if the costs are comparable.

Whatever brand or option you choose, just make sure it meets the above specifications and you'll be OK.

Cheers,


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## parotet (16 Jul 2014)

I tried a nano Koralia 900 in my densely planted 65 liters some months ago and the flow was high but not that much... and it was fixed at the black glass, so there were only 30 cm of water in front of the pump. I also noticed that the flow was not so directional as you would expect looking at the design of the pump. As a result, the flow around the tank was significant, plants were moving but I had no problems with substrate or debris floating all over the tank. So a single nano pump IMO won't do very much in 240 liters. The advantage is that this model is quite small and silent. Maybe having two of them instead of a big and ugly one could work.
In my case I finally decided to simplify the hardscape to improve flow... Much easier, less energy consumption, less equipment on the tank.

Jordi


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## cozmoz (17 Jul 2014)

Thanks for the advice guy's, I'm going to buy a Hydor Koralia Nano 1600.


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## cozmoz (10 Aug 2014)

Hi guy's I thought I would do a tank update now that things are looking more healthy, I bought a Hydor Koralia Nano 1600 as posted above, am now only using the two 30w t8 tubes as and have started mixing and dosing dry ferts as suggested.

I must say things are now looking much better, the whole tanks looking much healthier and the Rotalla Indica is now looking much healthier although I have bought some more to help move things along.

Please find picture below:

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/xsuk6swcr1j1d//Aquarium_10_August_2014


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