Help! What is going wrong??

[Chris-W]

I have a Juwel Vision 180 with upgraded T5 lighting and reflectors, a JBL Pro-Flora CO2 system and additional Fluval 206 external power filter. The lights are on 6 hours a day and the CO2 comes on an hour before the lights and goes off an hourbefore the lights go off. The substrate is Amazonas Aquasoil. The aquarium receives no natural daylight and is currently stocked with 12 Lemon Tetra, six Neons and two Bristlenose Catfish.

The plants grow well but I have horrendous problems with algae. I have sheets of blue-green algae developing constantly across the upper levels of the aquarium coating all the plants, on the rocks, bogwood and aquarium equipment at lower levels I have black brush algae and the aquarium glass constantly covered in green-brown algae. Some of the bogwood is also showing a strange branching white growth I have never seen before. I have deliberately kept stocking levels low and have tried regular water changes without success. My water test kit shows the following readings - Ammonia 1.0, Nitrate 50, Nitrite 0.5, GH 125, KH 50, pH 7.2.

I have no idea what is going wrong. I was advised on another forum that the introduction of CO2 would solve all algae problems as the plants would out-compete algae but the algae is worse now than it ever was before. The plants are growing much more strongly and not disintegrating as before the CO2 system was installed but everything looks so disappointing because of the algae. I have attached some photos. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm almost thinking of giving up on the plants......

 

[Kezzab]

hi, are you doing fertiliser? And how long has tank been running?

 

[Edvet]

We would like to see a full tank shot too, but from what i can see this looks bad.

CO2 comes on an hour before the light

we need to know more: how much, which way, distribution,

upgraded T5 lighting

How many and how strong?

are you doing fertiliser

which and how much

Looks like you need a thourough clean and restart, but we need to correct the problems first other wise you end up like this again.

 

[ian_m]

I have a Vision 180 with 4 off 35W T5 HO tubes & CO2 and EI ferts & 6 hours light with 4 tubes and despite the odd bit of BBA occasionally (especially if water not changed weekly) I never really seen any algae. I have the internal 600l/hr filter, and external JBL e1501 @ 1400l/hr and a power head at 3200l/hr as well as CO2 levels that the drop checker reads green/yellow for the whole lighting period.

So you have an issue some where.

Could you please tell us...
- The number of T5 tubes and their power (35 W for Vision 180 ?).
- Have you still got the internal 600l/hr filter ?
- Is the Fluval 206 800l/hr ?
- What is the output of the Fluval connected to ? An outlet pipe, a full width spray bar ????
- How you are injecting CO2 ? I can see a JBL ProFlora Taifun which is certainly a major part of your issues.
- What ferts are you dosing ?
- How often do you change water ?
- How old is the tank ? Did you leave it say 3 months on lowish light (with plants ?) and frequent water changes before adding fish, to allow filters and the Amazonas Aquasoil to stop leeching ammonia ?

Things to be worried about...

- You KH & GH seems incredibly wrong....my water is 320ppm hardness which is liquid rock which equates to GH of 18.
- KH and GH test kit reading are notoriously wrong in soft water areas for two reasons, most test kits won't give reliable readings in soft water (GH < 8 ?) and presence of phosphate in the water (to prevent lead leeching) will cause GH and KH test kits to give erroneous readings.
- Having any ammonia reading is bad. Ammonia is toxic to fish. Frequent water changes and use of conditioner like Seachem Prime will reduce ammonia if still being leeched from immature substrate or use of immature filter.
- How do you know your CO2 levels ? Have you a pH pen to measure pH as CO2 is injected ? Have you a drop checker to indicate CO2 levels ?
- A pH of 7.2 is worrying as should be less than this if CO2 is injected. How are you measuring pH ? A pH pen is reasonably reliable, a test strip/test kit is not.

Basically all the algae symptoms point to too much light for the CO2 levels you have. Ok the white stuff is probably mould growing on organics leeching from the wood, will eventually go or be eaten.

So way forward is...

- Much much much much (did I say much) better CO2 injection method to get copius amounts of CO2 into the water.
- Much much much much better CO2 distribution to get the CO2 injected water around the tank. You are looking for a filtration rate of at least 1800litre/hour for a 180l tank.This is what you are looking for across the whole width of the tank. Anything less and you are inviting lack of CO2 and associated algae issues.
I had to add a power head as despite 2000l/hr filtration rate I was still get algae areas in the tank where CO2 water flow was non existant.
- Turn CO2 on at least two hours before lights come on to allow CO2 to settle before lights come on and plants start using the CO2. Varying CO2 levels during lights on leads to plants dying, leaching organics and providing a feast for algae.
- Ammonia in the tank with light is providing a feast for the algae. You should really have 0 ammonia reading. Ammonia can come from leeching substrate, immature filter, rotting fish, rotting food, overloaded filter, dieing plants (too much light) and incorrect fertilisers.
- Lower the light levels & timing until you get CO2 sorted. You are possibly vaporising the plants with too much light for the CO2 levels currently in you tank. Remove reflectors and put foil rings around the tubes. This will lower levels until you get thing sorted.
- Remove algae from wood and rocks by scraping away (tooth or wire brush). If removed from tank, then either liquid carbon, bleach or hydrogen peroxide will kill algae.
- Some algae covered plants may be cured by dipping in weak solutions of liquid carbon or hydogen peroxide, but if too weak has no effect or two strong will kill the plant.
- Liquid carbon or hydogen peroxide using a syringe can be squirted at bad algae spots in the tank. Change water after doing this.
- Remove all algea covered leaves and plant only algea free shoots.
- Black the tank out for 3-4 days to kill algae. Turn off lights, CO2 and wrap tank in blankets, no fish feeding, no peeking. Change water and clean tank at end. Algae will quickly die if there is no light.

So lots and lots to think about and lot and lot of ways forward.

 

[Chris-W]

Hi, thanks for all your advice, I feel overwhelmed with all that could be or is wrong!

Firstly the tank is not new, the substrate has been in for more than two years and the internal filter has been running all that time too. The external filter was added early this year together with the T5 lighting which consists of two tubes of 35W with reflectors. The CO2 system is as it came out of the box so It has the spiral diffuser, there is no spraybar. I have a drop checker which is approximately one bubble a second. I was doing partial water changes (about 10%) every week until I could see it was making no difference to the algae, then I gave up. The test readings I have given have all come from test strips. I need to make it clear this was not a brand new set up but an existing aquarium where I just upgraded the lights, filter and CO2 to try to solve the problem of algae and plants dying.

So is the best thing to cut the light, CO2 and food for 4 days, then clean out entire tank and start again but with reduced lighting? Is 6 hours without reflectors better? Or too little or too much? Is it best to just buy some new plants and get rid of those with algae on? Do I need to fill the aquarium with plants from the start or could I get fewer of particular species?

Full tank photos attached.

I really appreciate all your advice and help.

 

[Kezzab]

You can salvage this if you have patience.

Most obvious thing from your last post is your water changes... Needs to be 50% a week, like clockwork. More frequently if you are battling algae and high ammonia. Amongst many potential causes this stands out.

Improved co2 diffusion and water circulation, plus dimming the lights will assist. But upping your water change game needs to be top of list.

 

[Edvet]

It doesn't look as bad as the first pics showed.
The problems got worse with the new lights, that's what we see a lot.
Low dosage CO2 isn't realy bad, but you'll need a regular dose (not fluctuating) and good dsitribution. But you had decent results without the new lights and CO2, so lets start from that.

I would take away the reflectors and go back to 5-6 hours of light.
Take out all the plants, give them a thorough clean ( rub leaves clean, remove bad leaves).
Scrub all the decor and things like wood/stones and background if you have them.
Do a large waterchange ( this depends a little on your tapwater compared to your tank water), as large as possible with the fish.
Replant everything ( maybe do another waterchange)
You can use CO2 but you dont need to ( kinda makes it harder in the beginning without experience)
Keep doing 50% change once or twice weekly
Dose ferts (see EI method) after each change and maybe once more per week

Then see if all goes well, it should

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
The first thing I would say is that on the full tank shot the plant growth looks fine and the fish look healthy, so I'm pretty sure it is retrievable.

Some of the bogwood is also showing a strange branching white growth I have never seen before.

Now that looks really interesting. I wonder if it is a fresh water bryozoan? Have a look at <"Freshwater colonial...">. I would love some of these.

You should really have 0 ammonia reading.

You should, but looking at the plant mass and the fish (they look healthy, the Lemon Tetra are a good colour) I don't think you have any ammonia.

What media do you have in the external filter, do you have floss or fine sponge? Can you swap the juwel filter media out for a media that doesn't impede the flow so much (a coarser sponge)?

I don't have any mechanical filtration inside the filters, I like to stop all the crud in a pre-filter before it enters the biological media in the filter.

cheers Darrel

 

[techfool]

I have retrieved several tanks from the brink, it was a steep learning curve. I don't inject CO2 and my plants are low-light so these tips may not work for you:
Reduce the light period
Dose macros as well as micros even if you think your tank doesn't need them
Every few days, run the leaves of crypts through your finger tips. Give the other plants a shake
If you like snails, horned nerites do a good job of keeping algae down and are small enough to go up and down hairgrass.
Dose liquid carbon

 

[HiNtZ]

125GH? Jesus Christ! Are you sure?