# Help with Algae and Lack of Plant Growth



## Katie656 (9 May 2021)

Hi all, 

I set up this current tank 4 months ago as a replacement to my Fluval Roma 125 high tech planted tank. I have always struggled a bit with algae, however I have never experienced problems before like I am experiencing now! I am growing every type of algae imaginable including green spot, green dust, stag horn, black beard and diatoms. I know I am having algae problems because my plants aren’t growing, but for the life of me I can’t get the plants to grow. Please help!


Tank: Aqua One OakStyle Urban 230 (245 litres)

Lighting: Nicrew SkyLed Plus + the Fluval Plant 3.0 lights from my old tank at 20% (I only turned the Plant lights on 2 days ago and plant to slowly increase them over the next week or two)

Substrate: sand with plenty of root tabs

Filtration: Fluval 306 external canister (I also have a powerhead to create more flow and push the CO2 bubbles around)

CO2: Injected

Fertilisation: EI dosing with dry ferts purchased from Plant Food U.K. which I make up to their recipe 

Water Parameters:

Ammonia 0 ppm

Nitrite 0 ppm

Nitrate between 10 and 25 ppm

PH 6.5

KH 4dH

GH 8dH

Stocking: moderate (1x Angelfish, 7x Dwarf neon Rainbowfish, 2x Harlequin Rasbora, 1x Oto, 1x Cory, 1x Bristlenose Pleco)

Planting: various crypts, Echinodorus, corkscrew Vals, Hygrophila polysperma, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Amazon frog bit, salvinia, and a few more.

Things I have noticed:
-The floating plants and some of the fast growing plants develop holes in their leaves
-Only the plants are affected by diatoms, and it’s mainly the fast growing plants


I am obviously doing something very wrong but I just don’t know what.


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## ceg4048 (10 May 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I am obviously doing something very wrong but I just don’t know what.



Hi,
   Your flow/distribution methods are suspect. The first photo shows the spraybars mounted very low and is too far beneath the water's surface. Also, it seems there are two pipes. The one on the left is pointing too far up and I cannot see the holes on the right side pipe. I see a powerhead mounted on the far right side, which is the worst place it could possibly be. The powerhead needs to augment the flow of the spraybars and currently it is doing nothing. I suggest that you re-position the powerhead so that it is directly beneath the spraybars exactly in the middle at that gray colored union is and all holes and pump outlets should be facing towards the front glass.

I cannot see your method of diffusion so it's difficult to determine if adjustments need to be made.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (10 May 2021)

Thank you for your reply ceg4048. 
All the holes in the spray bar are directed at the water surface towards the back glass. Originally I had them pointing down towards the back to the tank, but I was told I needed more agitation at the water surface.

The powerhead is positioned where it is to move the CO2 around the tank, the diffuser is just in front of it.

I will make the changes you have suggested, and again, thank you.


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## Cd2021 (10 May 2021)

Hi Katie, 

You have the exactly the same tank and issues that i had/ have on my tank. Ceg has been a fantastic help for me and starting to see some great results. I'd certainly recommend having a read of the thread.

Thanks Chris


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## Katie656 (10 May 2021)

Hi Chris, thank you for directing me to your thread. I’ve just read through the first page, and so far it has been extremely informative. I look forward to reading the rest later this evening.


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## Katie656 (11 May 2021)

Just an update on what I have done so far.

-The spay bar is now directed at the front glass of the tank
-The powerhead is now situated under the grey connecter of the spay bar, directed at the front glass 
-The CO2 diffuser is directly beneath the powerhead so that the bubbles get sucked in and pushed around the tank... hopefully 
-I have taken a sample of tank water and am letting it gas out so I can get a actuate pH reading off my tank waters pH
-I have purchased 2 700 LPH pumps to replace my current powerhead and will situate these on the back glass when they arrive. I would like to split the CO2 tubing and have a diffuser under each powerhead. Would a plastic Y splitter work with CO2? 
-I have removed the Fluval Plant lights and just have the Nicrew lights running at about 80% for 7 hours. 

What I plant to do at the weekend
-Measure my CO2 hourly throughout the day and adjust my CO2 turn on time accordingly 

I just want to thank you guys so much. I know overcoming the algae issues is going to be a hard slog, but it’s so nice to have a plan in place. If I can just get these plants growing like the weeds they are meant to be, I’ll know I’m heading in the right direction


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## ceg4048 (11 May 2021)

Katie656 said:


> The CO2 diffuser is directly beneath the powerhead so that the bubbles get sucked in and pushed around the tank... hopefully


Hello Katie,
                 I suggest that you move the CO2 diffuser to the filter inlet tube so that the bubbles are sucked into the filter,
This accomplishes dissolving of the gas into it's aqueous form. The problem with placing it under the powerhead is that the powerhead is at the top of the tank where the gas will have an easier time escaping out the top of the tank. We really are not interested in bubbles per se. we want to dissolve the gas so that it stays in solution and therefore goes where the water goes. When the gas in in bubbles they are fighting the water. Allowing the gas into the filter allows more travel time for the gas to dissolve.
Sometimes the gas into the filter causes the bubbles to travel to the impeller chamber where you can get some cavitation of the impeller, which we want to avoid, but this should always be the first option if an inline injection option is not available.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (11 May 2021)

Unfortunately it appears that an inline diffuser is not an option due to the ribbed hosing of the Fluval 306 filter. I know that others have used different hosing on the filter or somehow connected a diffuser by other means, but I’m a bit reluctant to try this a incase I mess it up and end up with a very wet floor. I am planning on upgrading the filter at some point and will definitely get an inline diffuser then, but for now I’ll just have to make do.

I did have the CO2 diffuser under the filter inlet a long while back for a bit, but moved it for some reason. It maybe because it caused a rattle, or maybe it was because I was concerned about the nitrifying bacteria, I can’t remember. I will move the diffuser back to below the filter inlet tomorrow, see how it goes.

Thanks ceg4048


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## ceg4048 (12 May 2021)

Katie656 said:


> Unfortunately it appears that an inline diffuser is not an option due to the ribbed hosing of the Fluval 306 filter. I know that others have used different hosing on the filter or somehow connected a diffuser by other means, but I’m a bit reluctant to try this a incase I mess it up and end up with a very wet floor. I am planning on upgrading the filter at some point and will definitely get an inline diffuser then, but for now I’ll just have to make do.
> 
> I did have the CO2 diffuser under the filter inlet a long while back for a bit, but moved it for some reason. It maybe because it caused a rattle, or maybe it was because I was concerned about the nitrifying bacteria, I can’t remember. I will move the diffuser back to below the filter inlet tomorrow, see how it goes.


Hi Katie,
            A shame about those Fluval filters. I forgot about their unique hose configuration. Well routing the gas bubbles into the intake is the only remaining option. The rattling is definitely annoying and can wear out the impeller blades. There is a way around this, but that involves either modifying the impeller blade tips which allows them to chop the bubbles up easier or by replacing the stock impeller with a different impeller, called a "needle wheel" impeller. There are third party suppliers , but you would have to find one that specifically fits your brand and model. In any case, these are very effective, whether store bought or DIY modified.

The issue of harm to nitrifying bacteria is a red herring and we've discussed this many moons ago in the thread Best and simplest way to inject CO2? so this is not something we need to worry about.

Cheers,


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## Driftless (13 May 2021)

I have several Fluval 7 series filters that I run inline CO2 diffusers on.  I replace the Fluval hosing with Eheim hosing and the combination works well.


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## Katie656 (13 May 2021)

Thanks for the reassuring Ceg, re the nitrifying bacteria. I have moved the CO2 diffuser to below the filter intake and all bubbles are been sucked into the filter, it will be interesting to see if this makes a difference to the drop checker.

I am also very pleased with how the new position of the spray bar and the power head is making the plants sway. There appears to be equal movement from both left to right and front to back.

@Driftless, do the Eheim hoses fit well onto Fluval? I am worried about leakages.


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## Katie656 (16 May 2021)

I did a partial water change today and was able to get a good look at the water exiting my filter. With the whole spray bar the steams of water were only reaching about halfway across the tank. I removed half the spay bar and the water streams were reaching the front glass. I have positioned the 2 pumps on the other side of the tank to ensure there is still plenty of flow on that side too.

I positioned my CO2 diffuser under the filter intake for a few days last week, and it kind of worked well. However there was definitely CO2 building up in the filter, which would come out every few minutes in a kind of filter burp, and bubble up to the surface. Today I have placed the diffuser under one of the pumps to see how it works in comparison. I can always move the diffuser back. I’m sure I’ll have to play around with the positioning of everything a bit. 

I tested my gassed out tank water pH earlier in the week and it was around 7.7. Today I checked my pH levels at rough hourly intervals during the day, and it went something like this:
12:15 CO2 switches on
12: 30 6.7
13:30 6.7
14:30 6.4 (tank lights come on)
15:30 6.4
17:00 6.4
18:00 6.3
19:00 6.3
19:30 CO2 switches off
I don’t think this is bad?


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## ceg4048 (17 May 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I tested my gassed out tank water pH earlier in the week and it was around 7.7. Today I checked my pH levels at rough hourly intervals during the day, and it went something like this:
> 12:15 CO2 switches on
> 12: 30 6.7
> 13:30 6.7
> ...


Hi Katie,
             This is actually quite bad. It should not take 7 hours to drop the pH by 0.4 pH units. Ideally, we want to drop the pH by 1 full unit within about 1 to 2 hours. Was this with the bubbles going into the intake?
When you have the burping this can sometimes be reduced or eliminated by removing some of the filter media which improves the flow rate and helps to diffuse the gas faster.



Katie656 said:


> I removed half the spay bar and the water streams were reaching the front glass.


Yes, again, this is due to less pressure loss along a shorter tube. What you can do is to simply exted the solid tubing inside the tank in order to move the spraybar to the center. From that last photo it still looks like the two powerheads are too far below and that the outlets are still pointing in every direction except straight and level.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (17 May 2021)

Thank you for your input cleg, I know there is still a bit of work to be done in regards to the flow. I am already planning on putting some solid tubing at the start of the spray bar so that the water exits at the centre of the tank like you suggest. I can then have a circulation pump either side of the spray bar, and remove those little directional nozzles so the water exits straight forward. The pump on the right is going to be a problem though as it will have to binder the spray bar.

I can certainly try removing some of the media out of the filter, there is plenty in there.

When I did the pH test the diffuser was under the circulation pump, not the filter intake. If I get time at the weekend I will do the test again with the diffuser under the filter inlet. I have only got one day off work this weekend though, but I will do my best. 

I thought the 1 degree drop in pH was a 1 degree drop from my gassed out reading (which is 7.7)? My pH was already a degree below this when the CO2 came on and dropped a further 0.4 degrees before the lights came on, at which point it stayed pretty stable. I would be a bit nervous about dropping the pH down any further as the drop checker (which contains CO2 supermarket premixed 4dKH solution) is already lime green. 

Although it’s early days, I believe that I am already noticing some plant growth, especially on the Heteranthera zosterifolia, which is excellent. 
Thank you for your help so far, it is very much appreciated.


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## Katie656 (17 May 2021)

I’ve moved the circulation pumps higher and removed the nozzles.
I am doing a long day at work tomorrow but will move the CO2 diffuser under the filter intake when I get home. So that I can monitor things on Wednesday.


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## erwin123 (19 May 2021)

Here a some photos of Fluval 07 filters connected to an inline CO2 diffuser: Not all heroes dare scapes


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## ceg4048 (19 May 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I thought the 1 degree drop in pH was a 1 degree drop from my gassed out reading (which is 7.7)? My pH was already a degree below this when the CO2 came on and dropped a further 0.4 degrees before the lights came on, at which point it stayed pretty stable. I would be a bit nervous about dropping the pH down any further as the drop checker (which contains CO2 supermarket premixed 4dKH solution) is already lime green.


Hi Katie,
             OK, I misunderstood your explanation. If the natural pH of the water is 7.7 then the target pH is 6.7.

Looking at the last photo at the bottom showing the pumps, they are still a bit low, but if it's the best that can be done then that's how it goes. I would try to rotate the pumps 90 degrees so the the bulky head is turned down into the water and which would raise the outlet a few inches. This might not be possible due to the wiring though, and if you are seeing an improvement already then that might be good enough.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (31 May 2021)

It’s been a while since I last posted, I apologise. Life gets in the way sometimes.

I have made a few changes since I last posted, hopefully most of them for the better! First I have a new filter, an Aquael Ultramax 2000. I feel this is much better suited to the tank size than my old 306. I also purchased an inline diffuser, which appears to be doing a good job.

I have removed the circulation pumps I purchased, I wasn’t loving them, and have gone back to my old power head which circulates 900 LPH and placed it on the opposite side of my tank to the filter spray bar.

I know Cleg, you are going to tell me my spray bar and powerhead are too far below the surface of the water, but I have been having terrible problems with my floating plants when they are higher. They either are getting pushed right under the water or are gathering up in one area of the tank. Please, tell me if there is a way to overcome this?

The plants do appear to be growing better since my last post, but so does the algae, I fear that most of my plants aren’t salvageable any more. However I don’t want to buy anymore when I know they are going to get covered in algae.

A problem for a long time is the plants developing holes, including the floating ones. Because the floating plants are getting holes I believe it’s more than a CO2 issue. What are others thoughts?


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## Katie656 (31 May 2021)

An old photo showing holes in the floaters


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## ceg4048 (1 Jun 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I have made a few changes since I last posted, hopefully most of them for the better! First I have a new filter, an Aquael Ultramax 2000. I feel this is much better suited to the tank size than my old 306. I also purchased an inline diffuser, which appears to be doing a good job.


Hi Katie,
           Regarding your floating plants there really is not a good compromise. You either have to optimize your flow distribution for the submerged plants, who are at a disadvantage or you live with the issues below the surface in order to prioritize the floaters. I suppose that if you had very dim lighting then it wouldn't be an issue, but I would remove the floaters temporarily to another tank or container in order to solve the main problem.

The photo shows that the spraybar segments are not centralized. I've fixed this by extending the hose so that the spraybar is shifted over to the center. In fact, if your filter has a much higher throughput then you can add more spraybar segments and that will reduce the force of the jets, which might help the floaters.

Also, looking closely at the spraybar, it appears that some segments are pointed up, others are horizontal and yet others are pointed down. I suggest that you align all the holes to point horizontally. This is a key issue for spraybars. Their effectiveness is greatly reduced when holes are pointed in different directions.

I assume also that you are removing the affected leaves and mechanically removing as much of the algae as you can during your water change? Leaves that are attacked by algae never get better. We have to depend on the new growth coming in to be algae free, assuming we have fixed the problem.

I'm not sure about the holes in the floaters, but sometimes they get water droplets sprayed on them and the droplets act as magnifying glasses in the sun by burning the leaves. If you have a way of restraining the floaters to one of the four corners, perhaps a darker corner then that might help.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (1 Jun 2021)

Again, thank you for your response a Ceg!

I guess I will have to remove the floating plants then, which is a shame because I do like them, but not enough to sacrifice the rest of the plants.

I think the holes in the spray bar are pointing in the same direction, but I will check. A couple of the segments haven’t got holes in, but I added them to extend the bar further across the tank. Unfortunately due to the design of the tank top, I can only attach the spray bar at the corners, there is no way to centralise it, but I will try and find some tubing that fits to extend it centrally that way, so the bits with the holes in are more centralised. That shouldn’t be too hard.

I am removing the worst affected leaves during every partial water change. The problem is, I think that the majority of leaves are affected to some extent now, so if I were to removal all of the affected leaves I’d have hardly anything left. I think I might need to get some more quick growing stem plants and hope I have done enough for them to grow before they get covered in algae 🤞


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## Ian61 (1 Jun 2021)

There seems to be a lot of surface scum which is not ideal for gas exchange. Do you have any form of surface skimming?

Ian


Katie656 said:


> An old photo showing holes in the floaters


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## Katie656 (1 Jun 2021)

Hi Ian! There used to be a lot of surface scum, you are correct. However I have a lot more movement at the waters surface now which seems to have solved that problem. I do not have a skimmer though.


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## Ian61 (1 Jun 2021)

Ok. Worth keeping an eye on. Whilst I’m sure there’s a net benefit to floating plants and I’m a fan, there must be something of an effective reduction in water surface area for gas exchange so any other impediments,e.g scum, can’t help. You can get really effective skimmers for a tenner.

Ian


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## Karmicnull (1 Jun 2021)

ceg4048 said:


> if you have a way of restraining the floaters to one of the four corners, perhaps a darker corner then that might help


One of the things many of us do is corral our floaters, using various ingenious methods - I use a length of airline attached to the glass with suckers to pen them in to one end of the tank.  Before that they were all treating the spraybar like their own personal flume, which really wasn't great for them.

Cheers,
  Simon


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## ceg4048 (2 Jun 2021)

Karmicnull said:


> One of the things many of us do is corral our floaters, using various ingenious methods - I use a length of airline attached to the glass with suckers to pen them in to one end of the tank.  Before that they were all treating the spraybar like their own personal flume, which really wasn't great for them.
> 
> Cheers,
> Simon


Haha, Hi Simon, yeah I was brainstorming this problem and though that Katie could temporarily use one of those fry cages that is mounted to the front glass. That would coral the floaters but wouldn't look so good...



Ian61 said:


> There seems to be a lot of surface scum which is not ideal for gas exchange. Do you have any form of surface skimming?
> 
> Ian





Katie656 said:


> Hi Ian! There used to be a lot of surface scum, you are correct. However I have a lot more movement at the waters surface now which seems to have solved that problem. I do not have a skimmer though.


The surface scum is caused by the same issue which causes the algae. These are oil, lipids and fats and proteins that are hemorrhaging from the plant tissues as a result of poor CO2 uptake. The irony is that the scum actually helps to keep CO2 from escaping, but this is not a good tradeoff, especially when the lights are off as it also reduces oxygen exchange.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (3 Jun 2021)

Thank you for your continued help all, it is so very much appreciated.

I will have a look into skimmers @Ian61 

I am pretty pleased with myself as I have adapted the spray bar so it reaches further across the tank, and it is now situated right below the waters surface.
I have also made a little loop with air tubing for my remaining few floaters. I have removed the salvinia, but have kept a few Frogbit because I love the roots. I have a 57 litre tank I can move them too if all else fails. 

I spent over an hour yesterday removing as many algae covered leaves that I could find, and have added 4 pots of hygrophila. Hopefully if they grow they will help outcompete the algae.

sorry for the not great photos, the tank is cloudy because I disturbed the substrate.


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## ceg4048 (4 Jun 2021)

Hi Katie,
            OK, when you have a chance, perform another pH profile to see if there is any improvement with the changes you've made.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (4 Jun 2021)

I will try and get one done this weekend 👍


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## Katie656 (6 Jun 2021)

I think the pH profile could be better. Here it is

7.7 gassed out pH

12:00 pH 7.3 CO2 switches on
13:00 pH 7
14:00 pH 6.8 lights on
15:00 pH 6.6
16:00 pH 6.5
17:00 pH 6.4
18:00 pH 6.3
19:00 pH 6.5 CO2 switches off at 19:30
20:00 pH 6.5 
21:00 pH 6.5 lights off at 21:15

I am currently using my liquid pH test to do the profile, which isn’t exactly accurate, but accurate enough to know the pH is still dropping until around 18:00. I have a pH meter coming in the post, so will repeat the test next weekend. However, I can already see I’m going to have to make some adjustments as the pH hasn’t quite dropped 1 point by lights on.

What can I do to improve this profile do you think? Have the CO2 turn on slightly earlier, or increase the flow CO2 a little?


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## erwin123 (7 Jun 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I think the pH profile could be better. Here it is
> 
> 7.7 gassed out pH
> 
> ...


Hi, I've been reading this excellent thread with great interest and I may not have understood it fully so I'm checking my own understanding-  If your gassed out pH is 7.7, your target pH is 6.7? In which case you would have reached it around 14:30?


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## Katie656 (7 Jun 2021)

Yes, erwin123, this is correct. However as far as I am aware I am supposed to reach my target pH of 6.7 by the time the lights come on at 14:00. I’m not far off for sure, it just needs a few tweaks. 

This tank has given me so many headaches. I want everything to be as perfect as possible


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## ceg4048 (8 Jun 2021)

Katie656 said:


> What can I do to improve this profile do you think? Have the CO2 turn on slightly earlier, or increase the flow CO2 a little?


Hi Katie,
             You'll need to do a bit of both. It looks like the pH continues to depress for about 4 hours, so try moving the gas ON time back by an additional 4 hours first. This is extreme and is not the final solution, but try that first. The expected result is that the pH drops to around 6.3 by lights ON. and stabilizes during the period. After that try increasing the injection rate a little to see if you can reduce that lag time. Remember that you can also turn the gas off earlier as well. This is the hardest part of CO2 unfortunately, although it will be a lot less tedious when you get your pH probe. Hopefully you also bought pH probe calibration solution?

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (8 Jun 2021)

Thanks Ceg, I will do as you suggest.

Calibration solution should be coming on Wednesday 👍


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## Katie656 (13 Jun 2021)

Interesting pH profile this week. The pH dropped slower and not as far as previous weeks. My starting pH was also a little higher.
Gassed off pH 8
10:30 7.6 co2 injection turns on
12:30 7.2
13.30 7.2
14:00 7.1 Lights turn on
15:00 7
16:00 7
17:00 6.9
18:00 6.9
19:00 6.9
20:00 6.9
21:00 7
21:15 lights off

I guess this still needs some work


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## Katie656 (21 Jun 2021)

I think this weeks CO2 profile is looking a little better.

Gassed off pH 8
10:00 7.4 CO2 injection turns on
11:00 7.1 
12:00 6.8
13:00 wasn’t home unfortunately
14:00 6.7 lights turn on
15:00 6.6
16:00 6.5
17:00 6.5
18:00 6.5
19:00 6.5 CO2 switches off at 19:30
20:00 6.5
21:00 6.6 lights off at 21:15

It still needs a bit of work as there is a 2 hour difference between the lights coming on and CO2 bottoming our, but there has definitely been some improvement.

I have been removing algae covered leaves on a daily basis, but the algae is covering new leaves as fast as I am removing the it, if not faster. I also have a problem with brown algae on the fast growing plant leaves. Is there anything else I could be doing, I feel like I am losing the battle?


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## ceg4048 (21 Jun 2021)

Katie656 said:


> It still needs a bit of work as there is a 2 hour difference between the lights coming on and CO2 bottoming our, but there has definitely been some improvement.


Hi Katie,
             Well, yeah, that is not great but what I look at is how long it takes to drop the pH from gas ON. It still looks like a 4 hour lag just to drop it 0.7 units. I've seen this lack of performance from several peoples' tanks and it seems very odd to me and I always wonder whether there are leaks or kinks in the gas line. It may be just a matter of being very conservative with the injection rate.
Some of the photos on the hygrophila show the brown, "dusty" type of diatoms. They should wipe off easily. Try doing that with the leaf held between your thumb and forefinger and gently try to remove it. It may feel slimy and then as you wipe you'll feel more friction, then let go so as not to tear the leaf.  Cleaning the leaf surfaces temporarily removes the biofilm which covers the leaves and blocks the uptake of CO2. Do this any time but especially at water change time. The BBA affected leaves have a much harder time and only overdosing liquid carbon can arrest their growth by turning the tufts pink/purple.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (21 Jun 2021)

Thanks for your reply Ceg, your input is always very much welcomed.

I will turn then injection rate up again and hopefully we can get rid of the lag, I will also check any connections for CO2 leaks. 

I have been wiping the diatoms off the leaves daily and will continue to do so. It’s always back again the next day. 

I am dosing liquid carbon daily at 6mls, which is just over the daily recommended dose of of 5mls. Sometimes I turn the filter off and spot dose the hard decor, sometimes I just dose the water, because let’s face it, the algae is everywhere. Do you think I should up the dose of liquid carbon?


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## Karmicnull (21 Jun 2021)

Been pondering this a bit.  Normally I would say add a large handful of Red Cherry shrimp and they will power through the diatoms in no time. But you've got an Angelfish which would hoover up the shrimp whilst smacking its lips.  Your Bristlenose will, I expect, be doing a great job of keeping the glass clean, but won't clean your plants.  You could bolster your Oto population - maybe get another half dozen.  Otos like company, so that would be good for your current one, but they are also notoriously fragile, so it's not the silver bullet that it might be.  You can try - slowly - upping the dose of liquid carbon.  I've gone to 2x the recommended dose of excel, with no adverse affect to shrimp or fish.  But from what I've read liquid carbon isn't as great at dealing with diatoms as it is with thread/hair/staghorn.  
Another approach would be to massively increase the plant mass in the tank until you're up and running - you added some Hygrophila, and you've got Heteranthera zosterifolia (Star Grass). Maybe add a pile more, or other 'thugs' that just grow and grow, like Potamogeton Gayi (slender pondweed), or Limnophila sessiliflora (Asian Marshweed).  Enough volume and they will laugh in the face of algae.
Cheers,
Simon


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## Katie656 (22 Jun 2021)

I will certainly get some of the plants you suggested, and a few Otos too. I did have a larger school of Otos, but over the years I have lost one here and there. I also plan to add some more Amano shrimp. I added 5 Amano shrimp about a month and a half ago to see how they would get on and they seem to be doing well. I plan to add 10 more. The Angel doesn’t seem interested in the shrimp, but I wouldn’t risk anything smaller than Amanos with him, just in case.

I have also have a Crossocheilus reticulatus that is growing out in another tank, he was tiny when I got him, the perfect Angel sized snack. He will be going in the 245 litre once I’m happy he is big enough, which he very almost is.

Hopefully all these measures will help 🤞


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## Gorillastomp (24 Jun 2021)

Katie656 said:


> I have made a few changes since I last posted, hopefully most of them for the better! First I have a new filter, an Aquael Ultramax 2000. I feel this is much better suited to the tank size than my old 306. I also purchased an inline diffuser, which appears to be doing a good job.





Katie656 said:


> Interesting pH profile this week. The pH dropped slower and not as far as previous weeks.



Just giving my thoughts on your CO2 Injection. The drop being slower in PH could be due to your filter losing flow from the filter pads being a little bit dirtier overtime. IMO it's better to have injection from another pump and not using the filter for this.

I experienced a bit about CO2 injection in the last few months, you can improve your CO2 injection efficiency by augmenting the turn over rate of the water where the CO2 is injected (Works best for inline injection). I guess with an in tank diffuser, the overall turn over inside the tank should help aswell. (Did not experienced much with in tank diffuser, just a thought).


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## Katie656 (24 Jun 2021)

Hi Gorillastomp! I don’t think there has been much of a change in the time it has taken the CO2 to drop since swopping from an in tank diffuser to the inline diffuser.
I have purposely only half filled the canister bucket with media, so hopefully there will still be plenty of water flow, even when the media gets a little gunky.


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## chrisjohnson (5 Jul 2021)

ceg4048 said:


> The surface scum is caused by the same issue which causes the algae. These are oil, lipids and fats and proteins that are hemorrhaging from the plant tissues as a result of poor CO2 uptake. The irony is that the scum actually helps to keep CO2 from escaping, but this is not a good tradeoff, especially when the lights are off as it also reduces oxygen exchange.
> 
> Cheer



I quite often have trouble with surface scum/biofilm!! I usually just get a jug and skim the top layer off. How could I increase co2 uptake within the plants without adding pressurised co2?


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## ceg4048 (6 Jul 2021)

chrisjohnson said:


> I quite often have trouble with surface scum/biofilm!! I usually just get a jug and skim the top layer off. How could I increase co2 uptake within the plants without adding pressurised co2?


Hi,
   By far the easiest and most logical approach is to reduce the demand for CO2 by reducing the light intensity. Low tech tanks had a much easier time of it when they were limited to T8 fluorescent tubes. Another, more expensive option is to use daily liquid carbon product dosing such as daily application of Excel and equivalent, but that is itself a can of worms.

Cheers,


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## Katie656 (15 Jul 2021)

Hi, sorry it’s been so long since my last reply.
Things have been going relatively well and I have been seeing good plant growth. However on Monday (3 days ago) there was an issue with my CO2 and I almost lost all of my fish. Luckily the incident was spotted and the CO2 was turned off before a complete disaster occurred, and all fish have thankful made a full recovery. 
The CO2 has been switched off since, I have dimmed the lights to 50% and am only dosing 1/2 the recommended dose of fertiliser.
I don’t think I am going to restart the CO2 on this tank as all of my plants should adapt to low tech conditions, and hopefully the algae will be more controllable.
I have got a 15 gallon Fluval Flex which I am planning to set up as a soiled planted tank for dwarf puffer fish, and I think I am going to move the CO2 system onto there. I have learnt so much in the last few months, hopefully I can get things right from the get go this time!


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