Algae bloom - help with identify and cause.

[Mike87]

Hi got problem with algae bloom, did water change 50% and turn lower lights... Add easylife algexit (had it bought some time ago) changed fertilizing to Lean.
Info:
Tank 112l,
2 years,
Fluval 207 (sponges, Matrix, Jbl symec)fluval external UV lamp
Eheim skim 350 + diversa claro 300 as Co2 pusher.
39W POWER LED was 100% from yesterday (70%) 9h+ chihiros AII 801 30W was 50% from yesterday (20%) 10h,
Aqua substrate 2 pro,
Co2 from Cylinder,
Changed fertilizing yesterday due to algae bloom now - 1.5ppm No3, 1ppm K, 0.2ppm Po4 Daily + easylife profito 1.5ml after lights off.
Weekly water changes 30% with RO mineralized to GH 5-6-7 +- 35ca, 9mg,
(yesterday water change 50% due to algae bloom),
Bacopa caroliniana, microsorum mini narrow, Alternathera mini, sagittaria subulata, ehinodorus ozelot green, ehinodorus red, tonina fluvialitis, staurogyne repens, cirnum calamistratum, some plants cutted to substrate levels due to algae...
7 barbs +3 amano shrimps.

 

[X3NiTH]

Plants look healthy!

Other than the things you have already done like reduce the lighting a bit and increased the water change volume to reduce nutrient accumulation (don’t go too lean with dosing your plants still need to feed) then I would suggest dosing your traces just before or after the lights go on rather than after the lights go off as this ensures greatest availability when plants need it the most and also due to the lower pH from injected CO2, if your pH climbs above neutral overnight then it may have an impact on the chelate holding onto the Iron which may reduce its potential availability by the time the lights go back on, the algae may be taking better advantage of the traces than the plants.

🙂

 

[Mike87]

Plants look healthy!

Other than the things you have already done like reduce the lighting a bit and increased the water change volume to reduce nutrient accumulation (don’t go too lean with dosing your plants still need to feed) then I would suggest dosing your traces just before or after the lights go on rather than after the lights go off as this ensures greatest availability when plants need it the most and also due to the lower pH from injected CO2, if your pH climbs above neutral overnight then it may have an impact on the chelate holding onto the Iron which may reduce its potential availability by the time the lights go back on, the algae may be taking better advantage of the traces than the plants.

🙂

Plants look healthy, but I wish I found the cause of this bloom... Thinking of rise Po4...

 

[Mike87]

Plants look healthy!

Other than the things you have already done like reduce the lighting a bit and increased the water change volume to reduce nutrient accumulation (don’t go too lean with dosing your plants still need to feed) then I would suggest dosing your traces just before or after the lights go on rather than after the lights go off as this ensures greatest availability when plants need it the most and also due to the lower pH from injected CO2, if your pH climbs above neutral overnight then it may have an impact on the chelate holding onto the Iron which may reduce its potential availability by the time the lights go back on, the algae may be taking better advantage of the traces than the plants.

🙂

I will try with dosing traces before light.

 

[MichaelJ]

2 years,

Hi @Mike87 Is the bloom something that started recently? If so, I wonder what changed over time? The fertilizer you dose wont cause algae. The organic waste buildup very well might and is often the root cause. As suggested my @X3NiTH you probably want to increase your % WC amount, dial down your light intensely and keep on dosing what you used to... I wouldn't change the dosing regime to combat algae - lean dosing have plenty of merits, but implementing such changes to fight an algae problem is a bad idea. I'd say go back to your part regime - which may have been something like 15 ppm of NO3, 5 ppm of PO4 and 20 ppm of K weekly and keep up the higher WC. When the tank recovers, you can slowly switch over to a leaner approach if that is what you want (plenty of good sources around here to help you do that) and possibly dial down the % WCs a bit later on.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Mike87]

Hi @Mike87 Is the bloom something that started recently? If so, I wonder what changed over time? The fertilizer you dose wont cause algae. The organic waste buildup very well might and is often the root cause. As suggested my @X3NiTH you probably want to increase your % WC amount, dial down your light intensely and keep on dosing what you used to... I wouldn't change the dosing regime to combat algae - lean dosing have plenty of merits, but implementing such changes to fight an algae problem is a bad idea. I'd say go back to your part regime - which may have been something like 15 ppm of NO3, 5 ppm of PO4 and 20 ppm of K weekly and keep up the higher WC. When the tank recovers, you can slowly switch over to a leaner approach if that is what you want (plenty of good sources around here to help you do that) and possibly dial down the % WCs a bit.

Cheers,
Michael

I wish I knew the root of this. You guys May right to not lower the ferts but I wanted to get rid of this.

 

[arcturus]

As suggested, I would not reduce the fertilizers. I would decrease the total amount of light to ~6h and start from there. 10h of light is likely too much, especially if you were using the 30W+39W LED lights at high intensity. You can also profile your CO2 to check if it is stable, but reducing the light is the first step.

 

[Mike87]

As suggested, I would not reduce the fertilizers. I would decrease the total amount of light to ~6h and start from there. 10h of light is likely too much, especially if you were using the 30W+39W LED lights at high intensity. You can also profile your CO2 to check if it is stable, but reducing the light is the first step.

Yep, so I did because I thought so too... In addition added 5x Daily carbo dose.

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi got problem with algae bloom

Hi @Mike87

I don't recognize this 'growth' as algae. But, I may well be completely wrong, of course. What species of algae do you consider this to be? You could start by looking at the following:

Algae in the aquarium - | Aquasabi

Causes for algae and algae control

www.aquasabi.com

Looking at your photos, I'm drawn to the white specks. And they appear to be held together by a white/grey cottony type growth. Is that how you see this growth?

JPC

 

[Konsa]

Yep, so I did because I thought so too... In addition added 5x Daily carbo dose.

Hi
Easycarbo will have no/very little effect on green algae unless spot treating (with filter off to achieve high concentration) but that will damage most plants too.
Reduce the light intensity further and once you get rid of the algae you can start increasing very slowly (over weeks not days) to see how much you can push it.You don't really have that much light hungry plants anyway why make your life difficult😉
Regards Konstantin

 

[Mike87]

Hi @Mike87

I don't recognize this 'growth' as algae. But, I may well be completely wrong, of course. What species of algae do you consider this to be? You could start by looking at the following:

Algae in the aquarium - | Aquasabi

Causes for algae and algae control

www.aquasabi.com

Looking at your photos, I'm drawn to the white specks. And they appear to be held together by a white/grey cottony type growth. Is that how you see this growth?

JPC

Hey, checked this link and nothing for me matching to what I See, huh 😛
I See cottony, soft, 1-2mm greyo-greeny something on my plant leaves. :/ which is pearling during the Day or Just catching Co2, don't know. For now made few steps to get rid of this... Lowered light at both lamps, changed water (50%) add easylife algexit, add 5x Daily carbo, lowered some nutrients but people say to not so propably I'll back to normal dosing.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Looking at your photos, I'm drawn to the white specks. And they appear to be held together by a white/grey cottony type growth. Is that how you see this growth?

I think it is really fine threads of a green algae,

which is pearling during the Day or Just catching Co2, don't know

where the white specs are oxygen bubbles.

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike87]

Hi all,

I think it is really fine threads of a green algae,

where the white specs are oxygen bubbles.

cheers Darrel

Should add normal dosing Po4 as I used to (0.5ppm/day) or increase, cuz now it's lowered to 0.2 I red that it helps against green algae...

 

[Konsa]

Hi
to starve off algae is virtually impossible. They need very little nutrition to trive.You should focus on making sure your plants have everything they need so they can have the upper hand against algae and try not too fiddle too often changing fertilizer amounts as every time you do your plants will need to adapt to those changes.
I agree with dw1305 that you gave some green algae going hence my advice in regards of Easycarbo overdosing and to further reduce your light intensity. Black outs are usually affective against green algaes too.
Regards Konstantin

 

[Mike87]

Hi
to starve off algae is virtually impossible. They need very little nutrition to trive.You should focus on making sure your plants have everything they need so they can have the upper hsnd against algae and try not too fiddle too often changing fertilizer amounts as every time you do your plants will need to adapt to those changes.
I agree with dw1305 that you gave some green algae going hence my advice in regards of Easycarbo overdosing and to further reduce your light intensity. Black outs are usually affective against green algaes too.
Regards Konstantin

Thanks Appreciate your answer 👍