# Algae problem



## D4rks1d3r (15 Jan 2011)

Hello UKAPS! This is my first post! I need your help with some algae issues i have the past 3-4 months. I have a 24G aquarium full planted iwagumi style. I have co2 near 25ppm with pressurized co2 and Dennerle DeponitMix soil. I don’t dose any fertilizers except iron 1/4 of the proposed dose every water change. I have 4x24W Sylvania gro-lux 8H per day with 2H break at the middle of the lighting period, i change water from RO system 50% every week, my water values are PH=5 GH=1 KH=2 Temp=28C. I don’t have any PO4,Fe,NO3 tests though i have planned purchasing them next week. I have read on some posts here that algae issues means bad co2/nutrition/light combination so i decided to start a fertilization program. I already purchased Easy-Life full fertilization set and i am willing to start(when PO4,Fe,NO3 tests arrive) with 1/2 dose to see how things are going. I just want to ask if this is good or do i have to get rid of the algae and then start fertilizing? Do i have to limit my light period to 4-5H per day and start fertilizers too? What steps do i have to follow now? Any suggestions much appreciated. Here are some photos of the algae:


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## foxfish (15 Jan 2011)

I used to run a  Dennerle system about 20 years ago, it did work & I did eventually end up with a nice tank but, you might want to study the forum a bit to find out about the more successful methods we use today.
Daily fertilisation, tap water for water changes, high flow pumps & in line diffusers might be worth you reading up on.
(sorry I haven't posted any links as I am sort of time at the moment)


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## shrimprodeo (16 Jan 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> i change water from RO system 50% every week, my water values are PH=5 GH=1 KH=2 Temp=28C.



Are you adding minerals to your RO or mixing it with tap water before adding it to the tank? The KH/GH seem very low. If your just use RO with no added minerals then you will have nothing to buffer the PH, this would result in PH swings....... which algae love.

Also, why use RO? Are you keeping soft water fish?


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (16 Jan 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> Hello UKAPS! This is my first post! I need your help with some algae issues i have the past 3-4 months. I have a 24G aquarium full planted iwagumi style. I have co2 near 25ppm with pressurized co2 and Dennerle DeponitMix soil. I don’t dose any fertilizers except iron 1/4 of the proposed dose every water change. I have 4x24W Sylvania gro-lux 8H per day with 2H break at the middle of the lighting period, i change water from RO system 50% every week, my water values are PH=5 GH=1 KH=2 Temp=28C. I don’t have any PO4,Fe,NO3 tests though i have planned purchasing them next week. I have read on some posts here that algae issues means bad co2/nutrition/light combination so i decided to start a fertilization program. I already purchased Easy-Life full fertilization set and i am willing to start(when PO4,Fe,NO3 tests arrive) with 1/2 dose to see how things are going. I just want to ask if this is good or do i have to get rid of the algae and then start fertilizing? Do i have to limit my light period to 4-5H per day and start fertilizers too? What steps do i have to follow now? Any suggestions much appreciated. Here are some photos of the algae:



Hi and welcome to the forum.

Your Co2 levels within the water column seems reasonsably @ 25ppm - I'm assuming you are using a drop checker to indicate your co2 levels within the water column then comparing the colouration against a co2 chart ? - try and aim for a lime green colour. As for fertz you need to be adding them daily inc. liquid carbon even if its 1ml per day. Lighting - 4 x 24 watts assuming these are T5 tubes if so the intensity of light is too much and forget to 2 hrs break - all in all excessive light and no fertz regime has caused your problem, you need to reduce your lighting period, add fertz and slightly increase Co2 levels. As for the test kits - dont waste your money on them they are more of a miss than a hit and will give a different reading every time you do a test - your plants will give indication on growth rates. To start off knock you lights down to two tubes @ 5 hrs lighting period, once you have your fertz add them daily eg. if nitro requirement works out at 10 mls per week as per calculation on bottle, divide the 10mls by 6 = 1.66mls per day so call it 1.5mls per day - no point in dosing fertz the day prior to carrying out a water change, liquid carbon is different as it only last 24 hours.
Hope this helps and if you need further assistance please post a reply.

Regards
paul.


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## D4rks1d3r (17 Jan 2011)

Thank you all for your replies. I got some fish that need soft water thats why i use RO water. I use the remineral from Dennerle to add minerals to the RO water i use the dose that adds KH=2 i can add some more so that KH goes higher what KH should i aim for in order to have stable PH? 

@Paul: I use the drop checker to check my co2 value and the colour is lime green already. Today i recieved the fertilization series and i am gonna dose as u said me by spliting the dose into 6 and add them daily. I will reduce lighting period to 5 hrs per day, as for the bulds are 2x24 enough for the HC? I am afraid that it will melt and i have been w8ing 6 months to get it to this level


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## nry (17 Jan 2011)

Lighting - tick
CO2 - tick
Additional fertilsers - cross

You've got the plants wanting to grow, but by not adding N,P and K to the CO2 and decent lighting, they're starving and the algae is loving you


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (17 Jan 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> @Paul: I use the drop checker to check my co2 value and the colour is lime green already. Today i recieved the fertilization series and i am gonna dose as u said me by spliting the dose into 6 and add them daily. I will reduce lighting period to 5 hrs per day, as for the bulds are 2x24 enough for the HC? I am afraid that it will melt and i have been w8ing 6 months to get it to this level




Hi 

Five hours running 2 x 24 watts T5's should be ample - HC will melt or transform as soon as you emerse it into the water, its grow as a semi aquatic half in water (the roots) and the leafs above water, you should have seen some transformation once you planted it. 

N.B High lighting requires: High co2 levels, High levels of fertz and High levels of water circulation within the tank - where there is limited circulation within the water column the algae will strike this is due to limited fertz / co2 being in that area.

Regards
Paul.


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## Anonymous (17 Jan 2011)

You should really start dosing Nitrogen and Phosphorus don't wait for the test kits to arrive, they would tell you nothing you already know. Just up the Nitrogen to 20ppm and Phosphorus to 0.5 by reading the Easy Life bottle label (they should be ~0 if you don't have any in your tap water) and then follow the EI scheme you'll find in the articles here on UKAPS.

If you dose Dennerle regularly your Fe level is more than enough but of course this could be accomplished with any other trace powder fertilizer. 

Cheers,
Mike


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## D4rks1d3r (18 Jan 2011)

Thats what i ll do thank you all for your help i will keep you updated!


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## D4rks1d3r (18 Jan 2011)

clonitza said:
			
		

> You should really start dosing Nitrogen and Phosphorus don't wait for the test kits to arrive, they would tell you nothing you already know. Just up the Nitrogen to 20ppm and Phosphorus to 0.5 by reading the Easy Life bottle label (they should be ~0 if you don't have any in your tap water) and then follow the EI scheme you'll find in the articles here on UKAPS.
> 
> If you dose Dennerle regularly your Fe level is more than enough but of course this could be accomplished with any other trace powder fertilizer.
> 
> ...



Please help me with this: My Easy Life Phosphorus bottle states that 2ml for every 100L will increase PO4 concentration by 0,1 ppm so i should add 2ml x 5 at the beginning so my PO4 concentration would go up to 0.5ppm and after this as the EI article stated i should add 3ppm of PO4 splitted in 3 doses every week? Is that how i should start dosing?


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (18 Jan 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> clonitza said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I would start dosing 1ml per day and increase if required - the way of finding out whether you have hit the sweet spot is by looking at your plants ie condition of the leafs + growth rates.

Regards
Paul.


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## D4rks1d3r (18 Jan 2011)

I just cant understand should i add the dose to increase my PO4 to 0.5 ppm and then add what my plants will consume in daily basis or start adding only the ammount that my plants will consume in daily basis?


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (18 Jan 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> ammount that my plants will consume in daily basis?




If we new the above - we would be laughing   but we don't know so by adding a quantity of fertz and then watch what happens to your plants - if there is no improvement in plant growth or better condition of plants or the algae has dissappeared its no enough so add some more. 

Regards
paul.


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## D4rks1d3r (18 Jan 2011)

Ah now i understand  I got a koralia powerhead today and i am gonna put it into the aquarium now and i am gonna finnaly start dosing  thanks for the help again


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## D4rks1d3r (10 Feb 2011)

After 3 weeks here is my update: Removed 2 bulds and now my lighting is 2 bulds Sylv. Gro-Lux 24W HO 6H per day. Added one koralia powerhead to help circulation and co2 defussion. Dosing fertilizers half doses of EI method. My algae now still grows, but i have in one week as much algae i had in two days and seems to be darker green than it was before. By blyxa japonica melted but now starts to grow again as the roots where not removed. My HC(cuba) does not seem to grow at all but it seems greener than before. What should i do now do i have to double the fertilization dosing? Add more lights?


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## LondonDragon (10 Feb 2011)

Start with increasing the dosing and wait for two weeks before you do anything else, then compare the results, you might need to increase CO2 also, but be careful not to poison the fish, increase it slowly, a tiny turn every 2-3 days and monitor.


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## D4rks1d3r (10 Feb 2011)

I think my CO2 is high enough... my drop checker is lime green  so i will just add more ferts


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## LondonDragon (10 Feb 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> I think my CO2 is high enough... my drop checker is lime green  so i will just add more ferts


Is it still lime green when you turn on the CO2 after its been off during the night?


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## D4rks1d3r (10 Feb 2011)

Nope its dark green... do i have to turn on co2 2 hours before the lights turn on?


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## LondonDragon (10 Feb 2011)

D4rks1d3r said:
			
		

> Nope its dark green... do i have to turn on co2 2 hours before the lights turn on?


Just wanted to make sure your solution was working fine, you should turn on your CO2 at least 2 hours before the lights come on, to ensure there is enough CO2 in the tank for the plants.


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## D4rks1d3r (10 Feb 2011)

I will update with a second timer asap then


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