• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Assistance with algae please

C

chrisjj

Seedling
Joined
17 Oct 2009
Messages
193
Tank-186ltr 97x37x45
Light - 2x39W T5 - on at 3pm, off at 11pm
1400lph external filter
1x 1800lph powerhead on 24/7 (recently added)
1x 1800lph powerhead on 7pm til 9pm - extra flow after dosing. (recently added)
Easy carbo - 5ml dosed at 7pm
Liquid ferts (tpn+ equivalent) - 3ml dosed at 7pm
Plants - generally easy growers with the exception of HC - jave ferns, anubias, fissidens etc...
w/c 30% ish weekly

I have a bit of Cladophora, which I'm spot dosing with easycarbo & is generally under control.
I have staghorn, which I'm hoping will be helped by the powerheads & regular filter cleaning.

My main problem is BBA, which I'm hoping will be helped by the powerheads & spot dosing.

Is there anything I should be doing differently to help combat the algae. I can't dose earlier, as I don't get in til 7.
 
Dose in the morning, liquid carbon doesn't stay too much in the water.
You should also balance the light for the plants you have, it's really hard to mix fast growers with slow growers, the second have high demands in regard of CO2 when you bombard them with light.

I'd drop the light to one bulb or rise the luminaire 20-30cm above the tank surface (not sure if you can) or switch to T8s or start adding CO2 instead of liquid carbon and keep the lights.

Cheers,
Mike
 
I leave at 7am - should I dose before going out? - there would be pretty much no easycarbo left by by the time the lights come on - it lasts about 12 hours I understand. Is it still advised to dose in the morning?

Do you mean fast growers have high CO2 demand with light? The plants seem to be doing well. though growth of HC is quite slow. I suspect that's due to lack of CO2, but it's definately growing!

I could reduce to one bulb, but that will prob cause the HC to struggle no?

Raising lights not pos.
Pressurised CO2 isn't an option at the mo either unfortunately, but may be in the future.
Converting to T8's is an option.
 
It's better to have some carbon source in the first hours of the photoperiod than in the middle.
You can of course dose twice, in the morning and after you arrive back home, never tried that though.
Sorry I meant that slow growers (anubias, ferns etc.) are having higher demands when there's plenty of light, fast growers should be fine. When I'm using ferns and anubias I try and pair them with undemanding plants and drop the light so they stay in good shape.

Just do a trial for a week or so on dosing easy carbo.
 
I was just thinking that - maybe dose 3ml in the morning (7am), then another 3ml at 7pm.

I'll give that a go.

Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top