• 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

HCC melting after blackout

Jaap

Jaap

Member
Joined
30 Sep 2011
Messages
1,068
Location
Nicosia
Hello,

I have completed a 3 day blackout successfully, BGA is gone and brown algae is gone. However, the HCC is pale yellow, melting, has holes in the leaves and the leaves look like as if snails are eating them off even though I have NO livestock in the tank (maybe micro-organisms exists that I can't see?).

I resumed regular operation with high doses of macros and micros and CO2 as before but I don't see the plants growing, bounding back, pearling a bit to show signs of photosynthesis.

Should I worry or just wait and see?

Thanks
 
It seems a CO2 lack. Just keep the light at low intensity and make sure you have enough CO2.
 
It is exactly opposite the spray bar so the outflow is directly on this spot but the melting is due to the blackout....I just made a complete water change 100% and the plants are pearling like crazy so I hope after a few days of everyday 100% water changes the melting HC will bounce back!
 
The melting is either getting worse. It is either that the HCC melts dues to bad conditions or the the effected parts of HCC are melting due to the blackout.

I believe it is the second one since I am surely overdosing EI macros and micros (5ml Sera Florena and half a teaspoon of KNO3 + half a teaspoon of KH2PO4 daily for a 20L tank), my 11w lights are on for 4 hours and the UP atomiser is filling the tank up with tiny bubbles at full blast since no livestock. Furthermore my internal filter is 200 l/h with a spray bar on the left side of the tank and on the right side is the diffuser. I also do a 100% water change every day since the end of the blackout which ended on the 28th of April, so 6 days until today.

Should I wait to see if the HCC bounces back or do I have to act fast to change something?
 
11w lights (how many?) over 20 litres seems a lot. Increase the CO2 or reduce the light I think. HC is a pain. Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' is much easier to grow. Anyway, I think CO2 is the key for either plant.
 
Jaap said:
my 11w lights are on for 4 hours
Click to expand...
The photoperiod is too short. Increase your photoperiod to 8 hours and move the light fixture far from water surface (to reduce the light intensity). As pepedopolous said, 11 w over 20 L seems a lot. I still think the meting plants has nothing to do lighting. It's a CO2 problem.
 
The melting part and plant won't recover regardless of the cause. If there was any healthy looking portion of the melting part you should have cut it making sure no melts are left on it and replant it. The melting is kind contagious I figured when I had my share of melts.
I would be inclined to agree that the blackout caused the melt. It's happened to me, though it was not a planned black out.
And yes, the photoperiod sounds to me too short. The plants will just start their game and the party will be over.
Not sure if 11W is too much as I got 11W on 6hrs in a low tech 28l also using the window light next to it and no CO2 but it all depends on the tank and its state, plus your scape is very open. However, if the plants are weak and you deprive them of light, they need to work harder to get it so lowering the light is not a universal solution to every problem. Obviously burning the plants with light isn't either.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately lights arw fixed and I cant move them up or down....should I change the bulb from 11w to 9w or even lower?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
I have lost half of the HCC and the melting keeps going...however in contrary to what most fellow hobbiests thought, that I had alot of light, I actually have little light. This is because what I failed to mentiin was that the CFL bulb that I had was horizontal, without a reflector and furthermore with clear pvc dome covering the bulb to protect it from humidity...removed the 11w bulb and replaced it with a 9w, removed the clear pvc and added a reflector...hope it makes a difference...will also chage the photoperiod from 4 hours to 8 hours...

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top