# relentless brown algae problems



## andyniceday (30 May 2011)

Hello,

Tank specifications - 240l
Lighting - 2x54w T5 - 6 hours 
CO2 - Pressurised FE, 5 bps - drop checker showing yellow all over the tank, on 2 hours before lights, off 1 hour before lights out.
Filtration - ext filter 1000l/h, full length spray bar distributing CO2 using 3000l/h powerhead
Fertilisation routine EI - (pretty sure im being more than generous with the ferts?)
1.5 teaspoons KNO3 + 1 teaspoon KH2PO4 + 1 Teaspoon traces - per day
Water changing 50% 2 times per week.

Im really struggling with this brown algae on all my plants. Growth is fairly good, everything pearls nicely, new shoots appearing everywhere. But after a couple of weeks everything that was perfectly healthy is completely covered in brown algae. It rubs off really easily and also appears on the glass and gravel in patches. The tank has been running 3-4 months and i've still not managed to overcome this


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## John Starkey (30 May 2011)

Hi Andy,it's look you have a dose of good old detritus,even though it's 3/4 month's old it can still be a problem especially if you started with a new filter/filter media,you need a clean up crew in there,some thing like amano shrimps,some otto's would help too if water parameter's are ok,and it look's like you could do with a lot more plant's too,2 54w tube's is quite a bit of light for so few plant's,

john.


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## GHNelson (30 May 2011)

Hi Andy
The water looks milky in the photos :?: 
hoggie


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## GHNelson (30 May 2011)

Thats a boat load of Trace your throwing in there.


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## andyniceday (30 May 2011)

the trace goes in every other day, not every day, my typo!

Why/how does detritus build up then? It does coincide with running the tank with no fish in since i re-did it all.


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## GHNelson (30 May 2011)

Hi Andy
That's still a lot of trace your just wasting money.Make up your own bottled trace.
Your filter doesn't seem to be mature enough....yet
Yes that's the problem did you redo everything new/fresh from the set-up?
ie Substrate, filter, fresh water.

First I would do major cutbacks to get this aquarium matured.
1.Cut back on the lighting 1T5 only 4/5 hours a day.
2.Cut well back on the Co2 get the drop checker to Green.
3. Ditch the powerhead.
4.Check the filter for decent benefical bacteria growth use filter pads/sponges only.Reduce the flow if possible.
5.Do a large water change and leave for 6/8 weeks
6.Check your dosing routine and reduce to a 25% dose while the aquarium matures.
7.Clean the aquarium gravel periodicaly.
8.Add floating/surface plants
Regards
hoggie


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## andyniceday (30 May 2011)

Hoggie,

The filter, sponges and ceramic media is nearly 2 years old. The gravel is 4 months old.

Surely by ditching the powerhead and lowering co2 & nutrients i'm going to lose all my circulation and starve plants of co2 and nutrients, causing decay and more algae?


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## GHNelson (30 May 2011)

andyniceday said:
			
		

> the trace goes in every other day, not every day, my typo!
> 
> Why/how does detritus build up then? It does coincide with running the tank with no fish in since i re-did it all.



The problem is that when your setting up a large aquarium this size and its high tec you can get into problems.
Trying to run before you can walk.
Its slightly different with a smaller aquarium as you usually can control it more with water changes and good husbandry.
We still have problems in the new nano set-ups with the dreaded diatoms but they seem to clear eventually when the filter and aquarium is fully matured.
Back to the larger aquariums.
I personally start low light low Co2 on these beasts from scratch as they can cause problems with too much light.
Then when the aquarium is matured (this can take months) up the lights, Co2, nutrients ....and you wont have many problems.
hoggie


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## GHNelson (30 May 2011)

Andy
You have far too much light.
Your powerhead is blowing huge amounts of detritus around your aquarium.
Also with doing 2x50 water changes that will force detritus into the water column.
This lands on your plants combined with your lighting and causes brown algae.
Cutting back on Co2 will not cause problems it just slows the growth of plants.
Lighting is your main concern.
Have you cleaned you checked your filter recently.
Your foreground seems quite barren of plants.
hoggie


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## CeeJay (31 May 2011)

Hi all


			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Cutting back on Co2 will not cause problems it just slows the growth of plants.


I'm from the other camp when starting a tank.
I keep the light low and crank up the CO2. Best possible start for the plants.
Seems to work for me   .


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## GHNelson (31 May 2011)

Hi Ceejay
That may work for you.....but I think it would be a waste off Co2 if your reducing the lighting.
Others may advocate lots of water changes to remove waste and detritus.
That's all well and good in a fully mature heavily planted aquarium doing massive water changes but I think it upsets the balance of a res-scaped set-up.....or a new set-up.
Andy quoted that his gravel is 4 months old but its void of lots of foreground plants this wont help his situation.
His filter is 2 years running there maybe a clue there.
I have moved a aquarium recently not in the size of Andy's about 2 feet in size.
Removed everything re-shaped it added fresh water....cleaned the filter.
Now this is the key I haven't switched the lights on for 2 weeks it gets a few hours of light from a small window each morning.
Saying that there all crypts and moss but no algae....no crypt melt or die back...no fish losses.
There was a touch of milkiness in the water at first but this disappeared after a couple of days.
I will not do a water change for at least 6 weeks.I dose a 25% of EI index even without Co2....to keep the plants in healthy condition.
This works for me but its trial and error at this game its not a exact science. :? 
Cheers
hoggie


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## andyniceday (31 May 2011)

do you think i'd be better off with 2 x 40w T8?


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## GHNelson (31 May 2011)

andyniceday said:
			
		

> do you think i'd be better off with 2 x 40w T8?


Hi can you not switch off one of your T5s :?: 
hoggie


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## andyniceday (31 May 2011)

No its a luminaire with 4xt5 and the bulbs are wired in pairs. Its 4 bulbs on, 2 bulbs on, or no bulbs on!


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## GHNelson (31 May 2011)

andyniceday said:
			
		

> No its a luminaire with 4xt5 and the bulbs are wired in pairs. Its 4 bulbs on, 2 bulbs on, or no bulbs on!


Just have 2 bulbs on for 4/5 hours a day your plants will not suffer.
Plants don't have constant sunshine they have periods when there is cloud cover..get my drift.
hoggie


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## andyniceday (31 May 2011)

ok.

And to combat the detritus, you think i need to mature my filter more? So if i lose the powerhead for a couple of weeks, no water changes, this should help?


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## CeeJay (31 May 2011)

Hi hoggie


			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Hi Ceejay
> That may work for you.....but I think it would be a waste off Co2 if your reducing the lighting.


That may be the case, but my plants get off to a flying start   
99% of the problems we hear around hear are always related to too much light and not enough CO2 or flow or both.
I now don't have any of these problems.
Funnily enough, I just rescaped my 180l yesterday.
I'll keep you posted on it's developments.


			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Andy quoted that his gravel is 4 months old but its void of lots of foreground plants this wont help his situation.


I agree, I start with the whole tank planted in one go.

You are wise to keep the lighting low at start up but I've never left my lights off completely at start up. I always start with 5-6 hours and build it up over a few months.


			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Saying that there all crypts and moss but no algae....no crypt melt or die back...no fish losses.


Well your moss will survive nearly in the dark and Crypt melt is purely down to lack of CO2. I have just finished running a tank full of them here, and never had any melt on any of the 8 varieties in that tank.
Never lost a fish on a rescape either. Although mine do seem to be bullet proof  
With all that said, I'm glad you've found a system that works for you too.


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## GHNelson (1 Jun 2011)

andyniceday said:
			
		

> ok.
> 
> And to combat the detritus, you think i need to mature my filter more? So if i lose the powerhead for a couple of weeks, no water changes, this should help?


Hi Andy
I think this would be your best option.
Give your filter a service get the finest filter floss/media and add that to your canister.
Keep a check on your filter flow.Then see if there is a algae improvement.
hoggie


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