Soilwork
Member
- Joined
- 22 Nov 2015
- Messages
- 559
Main focus - high production of dissolved organics and high BOD/low oxygen levels.
I was using Eco complete. Had all other types of algae but not BGA. Switched to soil BGA. Not straight away mind. Took a couple of weeks but the days I noticed it more prominently was the couple of days after I moved my spraybar below the water line to prevent co2 gassing out.
This could be coincidence but BGA appeared last time i used soil.
Tap water TDS is about 60ppm yet with pretty minimal dosing it sits at 315 despite a 50% water change not too days ago. I think it's safe to say the soil or my previously established JBL 1501e is having to do some pretty serious work. Soil has only been in a fortnight roughly so I doubt I have the bacterial colonies required at substrate level to keep up with the current organic loading (soil)
Perhaps o2 is low. Low enough to induce such a pest. Is it a pest? Or does it sense a failing Eco system and proliferate engineered by nature to save the day by providing oxygen for any potential life forms? A question for another thread.
So if it hasn't become overly clear at present I'm not the most astute at growing aquarium plants. I've had trouble. Perhaps too much light and too little co2. So the plants at currently are probably offering little in the way of oxygenation and are actually 'taking without giving' exacerbating the low o2 issue.
I haven't cleaned my fiter for a good while too and it's clear from my TDS that water changes during the soil submergence period have been somewhat lacking.
My plan:
*Begin to perform 50% water changes every other day to reset TDS.
*Increase surface agitation
*reduce light
*increase co2
*clean canister filter
How do you think this will go and does anyone believe the hype about increasing No3 levels being a direct fix? I can only think that no3 is low in the first place due to a slow in aerobic nitrification due to low o2/high organics and that adding no3 helps plants to grow and oxygenate roots/water column.
Thanks
I was using Eco complete. Had all other types of algae but not BGA. Switched to soil BGA. Not straight away mind. Took a couple of weeks but the days I noticed it more prominently was the couple of days after I moved my spraybar below the water line to prevent co2 gassing out.
This could be coincidence but BGA appeared last time i used soil.
Tap water TDS is about 60ppm yet with pretty minimal dosing it sits at 315 despite a 50% water change not too days ago. I think it's safe to say the soil or my previously established JBL 1501e is having to do some pretty serious work. Soil has only been in a fortnight roughly so I doubt I have the bacterial colonies required at substrate level to keep up with the current organic loading (soil)
Perhaps o2 is low. Low enough to induce such a pest. Is it a pest? Or does it sense a failing Eco system and proliferate engineered by nature to save the day by providing oxygen for any potential life forms? A question for another thread.
So if it hasn't become overly clear at present I'm not the most astute at growing aquarium plants. I've had trouble. Perhaps too much light and too little co2. So the plants at currently are probably offering little in the way of oxygenation and are actually 'taking without giving' exacerbating the low o2 issue.
I haven't cleaned my fiter for a good while too and it's clear from my TDS that water changes during the soil submergence period have been somewhat lacking.
My plan:
*Begin to perform 50% water changes every other day to reset TDS.
*Increase surface agitation
*reduce light
*increase co2
*clean canister filter
How do you think this will go and does anyone believe the hype about increasing No3 levels being a direct fix? I can only think that no3 is low in the first place due to a slow in aerobic nitrification due to low o2/high organics and that adding no3 helps plants to grow and oxygenate roots/water column.
Thanks