rubadudbdub
Member
- Joined
- 27 Oct 2015
- Messages
- 143
Hi guys, I've been lurking for a while but only just registered. I need some advice about my tank, apologies for the long post.
It's a Rio 125 with t8 tubes 6500k bulbs on for 8 hours. It's got tetra complete plant substrate under most of the gravel, partitioned into plastic food containers due to previously moving house frequently and needing to be able to remove substrate and plants without destroying the tank.
For years it's been a jungle of crypt wenditii and barely a spot of algae. Maintenance was infrequent, shamefully often 4-6 weeks between water changes, no dosing with ferts or co2 but both the fish and crypts thrived.
I got ideas above my station and thought I'd try growing something other than crypts and it's been problem after problem.
I pulled up some crypts and added hydrocotyle tripartita which was leggy and grew to the surface, contrary to along the gravel that I've seen everywhere else. So I added an extra T5 on for 4 hours in the middle of the day, thinking it was reaching for the light. I've also put in an echinodorus, heteranterus zostifolia, nymphoides and lileopsis. Feeling keen I added fire extinguisher co2 dosed via glass ceramic disc diffuser and then got several huge outbreaks of blue green slime algae. I followed the guide on James planted tank website and have done blackouts and put a 600lph power head attached to a spray bar from back to front glass. Followed by another BG algae outbreak. Nitrates tested low so I dosed with some macro nutrients from TNC, again another algae outbreak.
The plants I've picked are not complicated, yet I cannot seem to get the balance right and suspect fluctuating CO2 and nutrient levels are the problem. I've had a previous tank set up with dennerle substrate and gravel planted very heavily with vallis and crypts that, following comments in diane walstead's book, I slowly removed filter media and let the plants take up the nitrogen as ammonia. This tank never had algae despite being well stocked with fish, lots of light with two power compact t5s and yeast CO2. The current tank lacks anything that is growing as fast and easy like the vallis, which I think kept algae at bay before. From the outset I was trying to repeat my previous effort, but have gone down the slippery slope of fixing higher tech problems with more tech, which was not the plan initially. I haven't yet dared to reduce the filter media like I did before because I don't have anything growing fast like the vallis that I trust to remove ammonia and keep the fish safe.
Im not after a lush amano tank, just something a little more interesting than just crypt wenditii and thought adding a small amount of extra light/CO2 would allow me to achieve this without going full on high tech. Is it possible to have your cake and eat it? I'd be very grateful if you guys could suggest a way of breaking this algae cycle and suggestions about which, if any, of the co2, ferts and light are helpful. Or should I go back to square one and pick some plants that will suit a more lower tech approach?
It's a Rio 125 with t8 tubes 6500k bulbs on for 8 hours. It's got tetra complete plant substrate under most of the gravel, partitioned into plastic food containers due to previously moving house frequently and needing to be able to remove substrate and plants without destroying the tank.
For years it's been a jungle of crypt wenditii and barely a spot of algae. Maintenance was infrequent, shamefully often 4-6 weeks between water changes, no dosing with ferts or co2 but both the fish and crypts thrived.
I got ideas above my station and thought I'd try growing something other than crypts and it's been problem after problem.
I pulled up some crypts and added hydrocotyle tripartita which was leggy and grew to the surface, contrary to along the gravel that I've seen everywhere else. So I added an extra T5 on for 4 hours in the middle of the day, thinking it was reaching for the light. I've also put in an echinodorus, heteranterus zostifolia, nymphoides and lileopsis. Feeling keen I added fire extinguisher co2 dosed via glass ceramic disc diffuser and then got several huge outbreaks of blue green slime algae. I followed the guide on James planted tank website and have done blackouts and put a 600lph power head attached to a spray bar from back to front glass. Followed by another BG algae outbreak. Nitrates tested low so I dosed with some macro nutrients from TNC, again another algae outbreak.
The plants I've picked are not complicated, yet I cannot seem to get the balance right and suspect fluctuating CO2 and nutrient levels are the problem. I've had a previous tank set up with dennerle substrate and gravel planted very heavily with vallis and crypts that, following comments in diane walstead's book, I slowly removed filter media and let the plants take up the nitrogen as ammonia. This tank never had algae despite being well stocked with fish, lots of light with two power compact t5s and yeast CO2. The current tank lacks anything that is growing as fast and easy like the vallis, which I think kept algae at bay before. From the outset I was trying to repeat my previous effort, but have gone down the slippery slope of fixing higher tech problems with more tech, which was not the plan initially. I haven't yet dared to reduce the filter media like I did before because I don't have anything growing fast like the vallis that I trust to remove ammonia and keep the fish safe.
Im not after a lush amano tank, just something a little more interesting than just crypt wenditii and thought adding a small amount of extra light/CO2 would allow me to achieve this without going full on high tech. Is it possible to have your cake and eat it? I'd be very grateful if you guys could suggest a way of breaking this algae cycle and suggestions about which, if any, of the co2, ferts and light are helpful. Or should I go back to square one and pick some plants that will suit a more lower tech approach?
