algae attack - please help identify

[Charliesdad]

Hi

I have been away for a week and asked someone to feed the fish.

Prior to going away, the tank planting had been doing well.

However, on my return, I found this.

Could you please help me identify the problem and the cure before I lose any plants?

Also, as well as the algae, you can see that the dwarf hairgrass has started to brown. - is this a circulation problem?

My Pogostemon Erectus was doing very well and is now stripped at two thirds from bottom up - similar for the rubescens .

Their are only 8 fish in the tank at the moment - rummy nose and danios.

the tank is approx 180litres.

hardscaped with wood and rock

lit with LED TMC GroBeam 600 Ultima Natural Daylight x2 for 10 hours but ramped up and down with a controller. Ramp time it 4 hours up 2 hours on full 4 hours down.

Night time blue led TMC aquabeam ultra

Forced Co2 via FE.

External filter with spray bar - filter in on right of tank, spray bar on left of tank at rear pointing to front.

Co2 glass diffuser cup at bottom right with powerhead above. CO2 bubbles into the powerhead intake that forced around the tank via powerhead outlet.

powerhead is pointing in same direction as spraybar.



Many thanks

 

[ian_m]

You have far far far far too much light on for far far far too much time. This level and length of light will kill the plants, leaching organics and feeding algae.

You have CO2, but you haven't stated what fertiliser(s) you are using ?

You probably need to fertilise (if not already) and reduce the light power to say 20% for 4 hours until the plants "settle in" (which maybe as much as a month). Then start ramping brightness and time up.

As for algae, remove as much as possible, by hand and trimming away affected plants, and try a 3-4 day 100% blackout. Turn lights off and cover tank with blankets to block all light. No peeking, no feeding fish and maybe no CO2. This should kill all the algae. Clean tank and change water.

Any remaining or new growths can be killed with either liquid carbon or hydrogen peroxide squirted with a syringe.

 

[Charliesdad]

Thanks!

I note that my information is incorrect - my tank is 180 litres not 80.

I cleaned the algea off with a tooth brush - the plant that had algae on fell apart leaving some in place - let it settle, then hoovered it up. Did a 50% water change. Reduced the lighting to on at 1400hrs with a 2 hour ramp to full power at 1600hrs. Off at 2000hrs ramping down for 2 hours from 1800hrs. Then blue lights on until 2300hrs.

I replaced some of the plants, but much of what was in there did survive, albeit trimmed right back

The new regime is working well.

I was using a fairly cheap fert additive. So I invested in El ferts that i make up into liquid form.

Added some more fish and improved the water flow with a new and better positioned powerhead.

Thanks for your advice.

I am going to write a new thread now.

My original planting, I planted Cuba. It disapeared and seemed to die off. But now the entire surface of the water is cover in it! So im trying to work out the best way to get it into the substrate. The roots are around 5mm long and its literally individual leaves with roots, so its hard to capture but even harder to press into the substrate with tweezers. I have scooped it with a seive then tweezered and tried grabbing it with tweezers in case the seive method is damaging the roots, but the problem is it wont stay in the substrate, it comes back out with the tweezers.

 

[Edvet]

the entire surface of the water is cover in it

Sounds like duckweed

 

[xim]

If there was no one messing with your light, it should stay the same as before you left.
I suspect it's from overfeeding. I would do another 50% water change.

 

[Charliesdad]

thanks everyone. I suspected over feeding too.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

The roots are around 5mm long and its literally individual leaves with roots

duckweed...