Help with combating algae

[Jakeyjake]

Hi I'm new to the forum and new to the hobby also.

I've been running a juwel Rio 180 for 8 weeks now.lighting is 2 t5 high output bulbs with reflectors,running the juwel internal filter with standard media and jbl silicatEx (initially filled the tank with tap water) switched to ro now and have put 125 litres in.

Purchased a eheim pro 4+ 600 to install and also using an eheim stream on plus 2000.

Dosing flourish ferts twice weekly and also using jbl npk and mg daily plus running a pressurised co2 system.

Photoperiod has been reduced from 10 hours to 8 to try reduce the algae but it's returning quite badly

I'm sure it's hair algae and possibly some bba.

I have 6 Amano shrimp in the aquarium but they can't keep up with it.had 2 Siamese algae eaters but they started eating the plants so have them to a friend

If anyone had any tips to help me get it under control id greatly appreciate it

Thinking of buying some easy life algexit to try

 

[rebel]

Algaefix is fine for green hair algae but you might want to remove the Amanos first.

Do you think it's just filamentous diatoms etc? Any pics??

 

[Jakeyjake]

Algaefix is fine for green hair algae but you might want to remove the Amanos first.

Do you think it's just filamentous diatoms etc? Any pics??

Thanks for the reply.i will get some pictures later on when I finish work and upload them

Algexit states it's safe with inverts ? Would it still be best to remove ?

Someone else has suggested using flourish excel and upping the dosage 5x

 

[herezor]

I always start analyzing algae problems in this order; light, CO2 and flow. As you comment on BBA and hair... I bet you are not doing ok with CO2. Dissolution method, delivery (flow), amount (bubble rate), etc... I would check that first.

 

[Jakeyjake]

I always start analyzing algae problems in this order; light, CO2 and flow. As you comment on BBA and hair... I bet you are not doing ok with CO2. Dissolution method, delivery (flow), amount (bubble rate), etc... I would check that first.

I'm not sure where to start to be honest

I'm using a co2 bazooka diffuser ,it diffuses on the substrate near the juwel outlet which pushes it around to the front of the tank,the the eheim stream on pushes it around the front into the other corner

Co2 is on 2 hours before lights and running at about 3bps.drop checker is always light green for lights on

 

[ian_m]

Your light and lighting period is way way way way way way too bright for when starting a tank, you will have an endless algae battle....oh you are. You are killing your plants with such high light levels (and possibly insufficient ferts if using CO2 as well) the plants are releasing organics into the water which the algae is feeding from.

When I started my tank, two T8 tubes, reflectors twisted round to block some of the light and about 4-5 hours only, for about the first month whilst tank "settled in". Then rotated reflectors to give more light and increased lighting period to about 8 hours and no algae at all.

Got algae again when moving to T5 tubes and just plonked them in forgetting to change light level over a period of weeks. 🙁

You need to:
- Remove your reflectors.
- Use reflectors to block some of the light (might not be possible with Juwel T5, unlike Juwel T8).
- Find some other way to reduce the light, foil rings around the tubes is a good one, say block 1/3 - 2/3 of the tube.
- Reduce lighting period to say 6 hours or even better 4 hours.
- Do this for at least a month before increasing light and light time, allowing plants to settle in.
- As for existing algae, you could use expensive chemical fixes, I think they are general dye's of some form to block the light, they do work or just wrap the tank in blankets for 3 days, lights off, no feeding fish, no peeking and this will generally kill the algae.
- Algae stuck to glass, rocks and hardscape should be removed by scrubbing. Rocks & wood can be washed in bleach or liquid carbon.
- Algae on plants if nearly impossible to solve if 3 day blackout doesn't work. Can "wash" the plants in diluted liquid carbon, but too strong it kills the leaves or too weak nothing happens.
- Generally algae on plants is only removed by pruning.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Your light and lighting period is way way way way way way too bright for when starting a tank, you will have an endless algae battle....oh you are. You are killing your plants with such high light levels (and possibly insufficient ferts if using CO2 as well) the plants are releasing organics into the water which the algae is feeding from.

When I started my tank, two T8 tubes, reflectors twisted round to block some of the light and about 4-5 hours only, for about the first month whilst tank "settled in". Then rotated reflectors to give more light and increased lighting period to about 8 hours and no algae at all.

Got algae again when moving to T5 tubes and just plonked them in forgetting to change light level over a period of weeks. 🙁

You need to:
- Remove your reflectors.
- Use reflectors to block some of the light (might not be possible with Juwel T5, unlike Juwel T8).
- Find some other way to reduce the light, foil rings around the tubes is a good one, say block 1/3 - 2/3 of the tube.
- Reduce lighting period to say 6 hours or even better 4 hours.
- Do this for at least a month before increasing light and light time, allowing plants to settle in.
- As for existing algae, you could use expensive chemical fixes, I think they are general dye's of some form to block the light, they do work or just wrap the tank in blankets for 3 days, lights off, no feeding fish, no peeking and this will generally kill the algae.
- Algae stuck to glass, rocks and hardscape should be removed by scrubbing. Rocks & wood can be washed in bleach or liquid carbon.
- Algae on plants if nearly impossible to solve if 3 day blackout doesn't work. Can "wash" the plants in diluted liquid carbon, but too strong it kills the leaves or too weak nothing happens.
- Generally algae on plants is only removed by pruning.

Thanks for that ,some great tips on there

If I go the blackout route should I turn co2 off and stop dosing ferts? I introduced 6 cherry barbs on Sunday so will they be ok ?

 

[ian_m]

If I go the blackout route should I turn co2 off and stop dosing ferts? I introduced 6 cherry barbs on Sunday so will they be ok ?

Might as well save a few pennies as plants can't make use of them without lights. Fish won't mind. I did a 4 day blackout on my tank, after moving to T5 tubes, and forgetting to lower the light levels. Fish were all fine after 4 days not being fed.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Hi I have some pictures of the algae.pictures aren't the best but hopefully they are clear enough

when using the jbl npk and mg it has a dosage guide for medium light and high light.i have been dosing for medium light but not sure what mine would be classed as 2x 45w t5 high output with reflectors

Struggling to upload the pictures from my iPhone it states file has an invalid extension

 

[ian_m]

2x 45w t5 high output with reflectors

That is very very high level light.

Your tank is 50US gallons and 90W gives about 2W / gallon so definitely high light region.

This graph below will help you confirm you are high light. Your tank is 20" deep & two tubes & reflectors so I make that over 250PAR, so way high.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Thanks for all the responses guys

 

[Jakeyjake]

That is very very high level light.

Your tank is 50US gallons and 90W gives about 2W / gallon so definitely high light region.

This graph below will help you confirm you are high light. Your tank is 20" deep & two tubes & reflectors so I make that over 250PAR, so way high.

Thanks for that.I've clearly not dosed enough fertiliser then.as local fish shop advised to use the medium light doses.possibly the cause of all this.i will also remove the reflectors and see how it goes

 

[herezor]

As ian has pointed out, you are way high on lights.

How about disconnecting one bulb?. That would give you theoretically around 60-70 umol photons at substrate. Decreasing you photoperiod, upping your CO2 a little and prunning infected leaves would improve things a lot.

Don't forget ferts. Go high on them in you current setup otherwise you will be back on square one.

 

[Jakeyjake]

As ian has pointed out, you are way high on lights.

How about disconnecting one bulb?. That would give you theoretically around 60-70 umol photons at substrate. Decreasing you photoperiod, upping your CO2 a little and prunning infected leaves would improve things a lot.

Don't forget ferts. Go high on them in you current setup otherwise you will be back on square one.

I think that if one bulb is disconnected on the juwel units then both stop working.ill test it tonight and see if it's possible

Purchased some flourish excel to hopefully halt the growth of the algae

Will also reduce photoperiod further and increase the co2 aswell.doubled the fert dose today also

Thinking of removing the t5 lights and getting some led's instead,local shop stocks beamsworks led's

 

[ian_m]

Thinking of removing the t5 lights and getting some led's instead,local shop stocks beamsworks led's

Great way of reducing light levels. Most cheaper LED fixtures are significantly dimmer than T5 tubes.😀