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If we look at this is the most basic form, then if you were not using any light, you would not get any nuisance algae. If you allowed 16 hours of natural sunlight, you would have a green algae bath, so somewhere in between is a sweet spot. The sweet spot is determined by various criteria but C02...

What a horrible experience, nice to see an improvement ….

Hi Nathanh, if you can find some spare time I would suggest that you re read back through this thread as all your questions have been answered…. basically, you have previously been told a lot of false or incorrect information!

It seems to me that if you spend time and effort trying to get perfect C02 just it time with lights on…ie switching on gas several hours before and getting a steady lime green there after …. then it makes sense to have the light ‘on’ Can you ramp the light upto say 50% in 30mins and keep it...

Two T5s the length of the tank should be perfectly adequate and as Paraguay points out, was the hobby standard for many years. However some floating plants might well be a good idea and I also like the idea of fast growing stems even as a temporary measure. As usual with many of the post on the...

Considering your tank is one year old and you are not injecting C02 it looks quite good! However, I would say your algae is caused by to much light for the amount of availability C02 . I have never used liquid C02 and I don’t know the max safe dose of Excel but I would check if you can up the...

Have you ever seen this guys sealed bottle garden.... No spraying, no watering, no airing for 40 years! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2267504/The-sealed-bottle-garden-thriving-40-years-fresh-air-water.html

It is quite simple but time consuming, you need to take a PH reading every hour during the C02 cycle. So take a reading just before the C02 comes on and then every hour until the C02 supply is switched off. This is easily done using a cheap PH pen (or an expensive one) the results will tell you...

Hi Deeny, you can buy a ph pen for £15 ish (unless you want to spend more for a more accurate model) and that will do fine to give you (us) a good idea of how effective your C02 system is working. Not enough gas and too much light is by far and away the two most common issues leading to excess...

You could stick you DC in a class & stick the C02 in the glass and see what happens.

Have you done a ph test yet?

Nothing difficult about mixing your own....

You could test the PH to see if it drops when the gas is on.

Hmm I would not worry too much about the additional moss, but I always blast my immersed set ups with as much artificial light as possible for 12 hours. Growing out of water is nothing like growing under water, you will have unlimited atmospheric C02 available so if you want fast lush growth, I...

Do you have a lime green drop checker from lights on until the gas is switched off, have you done a PH profile? 20 x is a lot, do you have a lot of surface agitation?

Hi Chris, I find this situation fascinating, so you have 250lt & a PH drop of almost two points with 3BPS. I don't think I have every read about such a large drop with so little gas. I assume this has something to do with your tap water parameters? Anyway your C02 bottle is going to last a long...

Atmospheric C02 levels are around 400ppm, I don't know what the max water will hold, maybe 40ppm but no where near the levels that the plants could use. That is why, virtually all the plants we keep before we buy them, are grown with their foliage out of water. Anyway if you can do a PH profile...

Yes BCs are a great guide for yourself but not always comparable to others BCs. My own shows around 6-8 BPS on my 200l. I don't know what my KH is but, I do know a one point PH drop will give me lush plants & long lived fish.

Did you get a PH pen? I know a lot of the experts on here believe a drop checker is the best way to establish the correct C02 levels but I wonder what you might find out by checking the PH drop. I strongly suspect you don't have enough available C02 for your plants to really thrive.

Look for a PH pen, just a few £ on eBay.

I rather enjoy removing hair algae, I find it quite satisfying finding a little strand that has intwined amongst the carpet and then extracting it with tweezers!

2 x 75% is more than enough but do you waft the plants around just before the water change? Anyway the tank looks pretty clean to me :)

Now listen ... that is Not BBA! I have just goggled up 17 scientific papers that absolutely proves I am right :)

Lovely tank though! PH pen about £15, I feel that testing your PH will give you some surprises as I suspect you don't have enough C02 reaching the bottom. Sumps are terribly good at degasing the water, you could try to get the return below water level in the sump, some folk seal the sump with...

How does your sump work, overflow, trickle tower etc? Do you have a PH pen? How do you inject the C02? Do you have a picture?

I would not like you to consider me as sarcastic or condescending, I tried (& it seems failed) to make a light hearted response to your post, complete with silmly icon. No, not a competitsion, although there are some competitive aspects relating to planted tanks, I am not competitive in anyway...

So that is one up for us on the Ammonia ..... just the test kits now :)

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/accuracy-of-test-kits.20009/

Hi Dr Mike, keep reading the forum post and you will soon discover the importance of C02 & light balance. High light or perhaps more accurately put .. too much light to match the available C02... is the main cause of algae! Get the flow & C02 in harmony & then match the light to avoid algae, you...

Hi, unfortunately you don't give us much information! Is the set up new? Do you have plants? Do you inject C02? Do you carry out water changes, how long are the lights on for, what size filter, are there fish?

How much will a UV light cost and will it be of any use once the green water has cleared?

Considering you don't presently have any active biological filtration but, do have livestock, I would most definitely recommend lots of water changes!

Yes that is how they work, not everybody likes the mist effect but, it certainly works! You might want to study how to operate two diffusers ... unless you will be running two regs & tanks?

If you are using an inline diffuser for the C02 then you want to the whole tank filled with micro bubbles, termed as mist... no you cant overdose the plants with C02.

If you don't have any fish then turn up the gas & drop the lighting to 6 hours. Under ideal conditions with perfect flow & ferts you might get away with 4-5 bps but I would guess you are going to need quite a lot more. See if you can drop the PH one point by lights on. You may end up lowering...

OK, even though most folk don't like to quote bps as it can vary from counter to counted depending on design, 2bps would be the sort of rate used on a 100lt tank. Do you have the correct agent in your DC, perhaps move it to near the bottom but in any case I would strongly suspect you don't have...

Did you really mean.... one bubble per second? that would have to be a big bubble for 400lt

You can get rid of it by finding out the cause & then rectifying the problem! However you will have to give a lot more info about your set up if you want us to help :)

Yes I use one, in fact I use a modified one! I enlarged the internal nipple by drilling it out a bit. The result was dramatic ... my massive bubble count went down by about half :)

Chin up Andy, start a fresh with new knowledge ....

Try increasing your water changing routine, 50% as often as possible or practical! Every day would be perfect but 3 times a week might see the BBA demise!

I would buy a PH pen or if you are feeling flush a PH monitor, that way you can check the PH drop & rise during the during the tanks cycles.

Island scapes work well with a circular flow around the island with all the outlets facing the same direction. 240l tank will need a lot of C02!

It is the normal problem of not enough gas reaching the plants to match the light! Looks like you have fish in there but if you did not then the simple answer would be to continuously turn up the gas until things improved. So you will have to be more carful upping the gas levels unless you can...

There are different types of stress Bert ;)

Or take your fish out and increase C02 bubble count by 3 Xs to match the light.

Looking forward to seeing what you get up too next Bert.

LOL bloody Iphone is to small.... I meant to write PLANTS not PANTS lol Try & take some more detailed picture Bert....

Sorry to here about all you concerns Bert, the tank looks ok from the picture! So your pants are growing but you have some algae? It seems to me from you info that you have enough C02 going in & you cant increase the amount anyway because you fish will suffer so it seems to me that reducing your...

Hi Bert, I thought you were only using one bulb at the moment?

Hi & welcome to the forum. Ady's advice is sound although I would strongly suggest that 4 tubes (119w) is the main culprit. We try to match the amount of C02 required to the lighting being used & I doubt if you could do that with your system. Half your lighting as .5 of a watt per litre is fine...

Why would you stop the lighting at mid period! That was a popular thing to do back in the 80s & there was a guy on the forum who tried that method a few years back but I don't think it really makes any difference ?

How about 'other person' or 'old poster', perhaps 'oblivious persona' odd pervert!

OK well that doesn't sound to good, you have opposing spray bars! far better to have the two placed along the back wall end to end & the full length of the tank. I guess you are only introducing gas into one spray bar? Re the photos... very easy but you first need to join a photo hosting site...

I am not really sure but I could guess ... the operator?

The more water you change the heather the tank will be, most folk change 50% once a week I favour 15 -20% a day but if it is not an issue then 2 x 30 would be good, like I sat the more the merrier. It seems you have the pump power but how is it distributed, do you have a spray bar? Pictures...

Dont get to concerned about bright light as it has bean proven time & time again that low light with good gas distribution is the way to go. You can use bright light but it will put you tank in a high risk situation at least until you fully understand how your tank will behave with the plants &...

That is a nice big tank! If you have only a little algae after 3 months then things must be close to ideal. Two 30% water changes would be great but if not one at 50% would be an improvement. Most Algae are caused by to much light for the amount of CO2 supplied, so more gas or less light or...

That is a lot of light for a tank with gas let alone one without! Use one tube for 6 hours, at least until you get the gas running.

Yes I would have to agree that your tank looks like a challenge for an expert & certainly not an easy tank for growing plants! Your algae is most likely a result of ... lack of C02, poor flow & too much light in the wrong area. You could try using a short & low light light regime, I would not...

What do you do with the fish when it is an old one?

I have never seen mature anubias without some alga in a high tec tank. I am sure there are plenty of specimens out there but, I have yet to personally witness them. I have kept many successful tanks containing anubias but never without algae growing on the leaves. However I have seen some lovely...

It is more about matching the C02 available to the lights you are using.. If you use bright lights then you need lots of C02 however if you use to much C02 you kill the fish! Rather than living on the edge, like a competition show tank, most of us prefer to use slightly less light & manage the...

Try 7 hours, that is a very popular duracion.

This thread might help you... viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15244

So you have four 2180s? I am afraid I dont really get the pipe work format though :? Is it possible to post some pictures - I really need far more info?

I use several ways on different tanks but, introducing the gas into the pump inlet or using a reactor are good methods! If you can explain more about you system then we can probably help more?

OK - well I dont quite understand that? Perhaps you could explain how you introduce the C02 & how the filter works...there will be a way as I also use 21.5 overflow pipe!

You could try a full length spray bar fitted just under the surface & along the back wall, this is a very efficient way to distribute the co2. Why no ferts?

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow Maybe so but, at least you have a good idea now & to be honest it only took you a few hours or so :)

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow I think it might pay ypu tp read a few forum threads like this viewtopic.php?f=34&t=467 This viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1211 & this viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1275

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow Yes but, be careful as to much gas will kill your fish!

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow Growing plants is not that difficult once you grasp the fundamental basics of how it all works. If we had a fish free tank then we would turn up the co2 to a high level & adjust the flow & light to suit, however, most fish would be poisoned at such high...

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow Well if I am talking rubbish - then pump up the gas, turn up the flow, turn on the lights and grow plants - easy!

Re: Algae and java moss won't grow Hi b1zbaz, keeping sensitive fish & plants is not always easy1 You have received some good advice although large water changes might not be the best for your discus? Perhaps you could carry out several smaller water changes during the week rather than one big...

Virtually all algae problems are C02 related & I would guess your problem is too. I would suggest you disconnect your PH controller & things will be fine! The problems with pH controllers is that the CO2 flow rate is set high to make the pH drop, when the pH reaches a certain value the CO2 is...

It does seem amazing how BBA can just appear after even the most basic change of condition within the tank!! I recently had an outbreak, this came about 4 months after the tank was set up, everything was going very well until the appearance of the BBA. All I had done was replace the spray bar...

You just need to get a cleaning rhythm going, use a gravel syphon or just make one. These syphons work quite well & the diffused flow at the wide part should not dislodge your plants but you will just have to give it a go to see... Once your tank is more mature you can get away with much lower...

I am pretty keen on getting all the loose stuff & mulm out asap so frequently wharf the inside of my tanks, I also like corydoras as they are great at keeping stuff in suspension. However Hoggy does have a point about 60mm of fine sand being a bit on the edge! Did your friend recommend any way...

Still looks like a decomposed plant material to me - anyway yes definitely syphon the substrate. I use a 440ml plastic drink bottle with the bottom cut away & attached to some 16mm tube, it is really important to keep the tank as clean as possible.

Looks like dead plant tissue? Are you going to inject any c02?

Another light! that would be 45w over a 60lt none C02 tank? :? I run 200lt with C02 & use 76w.

I might be miss reading this - "X2 24 Watt T5's. X1 Original Tropical. X1 Plant Pro. - 8 Hours. AquaFX 15W LED" that's 63 watts over 72 lts?

OK cool I think we would need a pic to help you any further now....

Any change within the tank can upset the balance so you need to have some patience as the plants adapt to the more powerful flow. However getting the flow just right is not always that easy, how are you distributing the flow - spray bar perhaps? Just by moving a return nozzle a few mm can make a...

You can definitely up the fert dose as I was double dosing the same fert mix at one time with great results. Also you can up your water change, try 50% twice a week for a few weeks or even more if necessary. If the problem persist perhaps try dosing some liquid carbon as well!!

Hi Kieren, can I ask where you buy HC that has been grown submersed? Some folk believe it is better to plant very healthy algae free HC that have been grown in the more conventional way above water?

You might find this useful http://blog.fluidsensoronline.com/calcu ... ive-index/

Easy, they need some gas :lol:

I think it would help us if you could post a picture of your tank?

Well it sounds like you killed the fish with to much gas but the plants might need more flow to get the C02 into all the corners & the bottom to feed your ground cover. I know you say you have an additional pump but perhaps it need repositioning. The best effect come from a strong circular flow...

New tanks benefit from several water changes each week but more importantly - did you say PH controller!?

Your test kits might not be very accurate, hardly anyone relies on them for this reason! Your problems is almost certainly based around the light (to much ) & the Co2 (to little). The limiting factor as regards the C02 is based on your fish's tolerance to survive! You can keep turning up the...

More gas, less light...

Can you show us a few more pics, I would like to see inside the lid as your tank, with its permanent fixings, is not something I am familiar with! It must be possible to attach a spray bar onto one of your pump outlets...

Generally speaking spray bars are excepted as - if not the best - a very effective way to get even C02 distribution throughout the tank. They work by sending a flow of water enriched with C02 across the surface of the tank & in a circular fashion down the front & across the bottom! However you...

Hi Mark, I think you problem is C02 related! I say this because your kind of issues are nearly always cured by better gas distribution or more gas introduction. If it were possible to introduce a full length spray bar & a external inline atomiser I would be prepared to bet money your plant...

I have always struggled to grow anubia without algae on their leaves, it seems the plants grow well enough but after a new open leaf is about two weeks old the algae starts to grow! Dam annoying because anubia would make a lovely center piece display but they always end up having to be placed...

Hey Joe, that all sounds a bit frustrating for you at the moment but, dont give in as you will get there in the end :) It does sound like your reactor is struggling to cope with the increased C02 - can you try & post a pic of the device