ScottW
Seedling
- Joined
- 7 Oct 2015
- Messages
- 18
Hi Everyone,
New to the planted tank scene and I was wondering if you could help diagnose a potential algae outbreak in my tank, it's a high tech setup compromising of the following
Tank specifications - ~425 liters, 60” x 18” x 24”
Lighting - 4x 54watt T5 on between 14:00 & 22:00 (8 hours), plus a cheap LED submersible light bar of eBay that was like £20.
CO2 - Pressurised (JBL Proflora m602 system),
just over 1bps and drop checker is green, with a inline CO2 Atomizer Diffuser. CO2 comes on at 12pm and off with the lights. PH is around 7.5, but need to calibrate my tester to make sure.
Filtration - 2x Fluval 406 external filters, output delivered by 2x spray bars.
Temperature - is around 27c, and I have 2x Hydor 300watt heaters.
Water parameters - Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 80+ppm, pH 7.2, KH 9 drops in the test tube 161.1 ppm, GH 16-17 drops in the test tube (must be high as it's not on my scale!)
*These were all took using the API Master test kit and API GH & KH test kit.
Fertilisation routine - EI method micro and macro on alternative days ~100ml, Saturday rest day. Sunday 50% water change.
So the tank is now in its third week now, week one I started with daily 40-50% water changes, and week two onwards I added the CO2 system and started dosing EI ferts.
I also used the Fluval Cycle biological enhancer for 2 weeks to help build the bacteria up along with Fluval Aqua+ water conditioner, when carrying out water changes.
So I noticed that when I did my 50% water change on Sunday that on my Christmas moss (think it is), that I'm trying to grown on some bogwood had this brown stringy hair like algae, I got what I could off and I've come home today to find its spread like wild fire along attaching itself to the taller plants at the back of my tank, rocks and bogwood ! (See pics).
I've also noticed I now have brown / green spots and patches appearing on the glass as well. I'm shocked of how this has spread within they likes of 18 hours as it wasn't that bad last night
This is my first truly planted tank so the past few weeks my mind has been blown with the amount of work and information overload and a big learning curve.
From skimming through a few post on here I'm worried that I may have started my 8 hour photo period too long too early, so should I look at reducing this? The algae on the glass I'm thinking of positioning the spray bars so water flows down the glass better, not sure if that would help ?
Other than trying to get it out by hand which is not easy as it starts floating everywhere and is hard to catch, do you have any other ideas ? Will it go on it's own eventually ? Will it cause any harm ?
I know that algae can be a big problem on new setups, so hoping that you guys could lend some help, tips and advise how I can combat this. Just don't want to destroy my plants already.
New to the planted tank scene and I was wondering if you could help diagnose a potential algae outbreak in my tank, it's a high tech setup compromising of the following
Tank specifications - ~425 liters, 60” x 18” x 24”
Lighting - 4x 54watt T5 on between 14:00 & 22:00 (8 hours), plus a cheap LED submersible light bar of eBay that was like £20.
CO2 - Pressurised (JBL Proflora m602 system),
just over 1bps and drop checker is green, with a inline CO2 Atomizer Diffuser. CO2 comes on at 12pm and off with the lights. PH is around 7.5, but need to calibrate my tester to make sure.
Filtration - 2x Fluval 406 external filters, output delivered by 2x spray bars.
Temperature - is around 27c, and I have 2x Hydor 300watt heaters.
Water parameters - Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 80+ppm, pH 7.2, KH 9 drops in the test tube 161.1 ppm, GH 16-17 drops in the test tube (must be high as it's not on my scale!)
*These were all took using the API Master test kit and API GH & KH test kit.
Fertilisation routine - EI method micro and macro on alternative days ~100ml, Saturday rest day. Sunday 50% water change.
So the tank is now in its third week now, week one I started with daily 40-50% water changes, and week two onwards I added the CO2 system and started dosing EI ferts.
I also used the Fluval Cycle biological enhancer for 2 weeks to help build the bacteria up along with Fluval Aqua+ water conditioner, when carrying out water changes.
So I noticed that when I did my 50% water change on Sunday that on my Christmas moss (think it is), that I'm trying to grown on some bogwood had this brown stringy hair like algae, I got what I could off and I've come home today to find its spread like wild fire along attaching itself to the taller plants at the back of my tank, rocks and bogwood ! (See pics).
I've also noticed I now have brown / green spots and patches appearing on the glass as well. I'm shocked of how this has spread within they likes of 18 hours as it wasn't that bad last night
This is my first truly planted tank so the past few weeks my mind has been blown with the amount of work and information overload and a big learning curve.
From skimming through a few post on here I'm worried that I may have started my 8 hour photo period too long too early, so should I look at reducing this? The algae on the glass I'm thinking of positioning the spray bars so water flows down the glass better, not sure if that would help ?
Other than trying to get it out by hand which is not easy as it starts floating everywhere and is hard to catch, do you have any other ideas ? Will it go on it's own eventually ? Will it cause any harm ?
I know that algae can be a big problem on new setups, so hoping that you guys could lend some help, tips and advise how I can combat this. Just don't want to destroy my plants already.