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The Crack

So, this is where I'm up to. Its proving to be a frustrating scape, with persistent algae problems and oddly poor plant growth.

Green thread/hair algae needs daily removal and I'm getting BBA on rock work and older buce and anubias leaves. This despite very high c02, strong flow, twice weekly 75% wc, regular filter cleans and TNC complete at 3 times standard dose (equivalent to EI levels according to TNC website).

Monte carlo which has been rampant in previous scapes with same lights, ferts and injection rate seems to grow slowly and slightly retarded.

Rock have the basic green algae which i dont actually mimd that much, but which was absent from previous scape using same stone type and regime.

By this point i had hoped the tank would have found some balance, but it doesnt seem to have.

Any thoughts on what's going on would be welcome. Im starting to enter the realms of magical thinking...

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CooKieS said:
Hi,

Aren't those rocks raising KH?
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That's possible. Although same type of stone was used in last scape.
Ive just ordered a TDS pen to see whats going on. But that said, my tap water is super soft and I'm changing most of the tank water twice a week.

If it was raising KH what would be the significance of this? Is that about how it affects co2?

Cheers
K
 
i found balance in my nano pretty hard with a rock dominated scape, high rock to water ratio and low plant mass meant my TDS swing was about 150 over the course of a week and pH/hardness was higher than i'm used to dealing with as well (very soft water), it's entirely possible to make it work but you just have less wiggle room
 
Ok, so i got a tds pen. Its not calibrated, but here's some relative rates.
Tap water 40ppm
10l tap water plus 3ml ferts (equivalent to tank) 75ppm
Tank water 210ppm (1 day after 90% water change).
My other tanks, that dont have this rock and have much lower levels of ferts and not had a water change for 2 weeks, 150ppm.

So what's the implication of that, if anything?

K
 
Last edited:
Hi all,
Kezzab said:
Tank water 210ppm (1 day after 90% water change).
My other tanks, that dont have this rock and have much lower levels of ferts and not had a water change for 2 weeks, 150ppm.

So what's the implication of that, if anything?
Click to expand...
It is likely to be CaCO3 from the rock. If you have new rock faces, where the rock has split, you are likely to get more dissolution, when compared to weathered rock faces.

I might try lowering the light level for a while and see what happens, I'd use floating or stem plants rather than reducing light intensity, they would also give you a bit of idea about the nutrient status.

cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all, It is likely to be CaCO3 from the rock. If you have new rock faces, where the rock has split, you are likely to get more dissolution, when compared to weathered rock faces.

I might try lowering the light level for a while and see what happens, I'd use floating or stem plants rather than reducing light intensity, they would also give you a bit of idea about the nutrient status.

cheers Darrel
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Cheers Darrel, appr3ciate the input. Your second para seems contradictory. Did you mean reduce lighting period, not intensity?
K
 
Hi all,
Kezzab said:
Did you mean reduce lighting period, not intensity?
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Sorry not very well explained. I'd keep the same light period and intensity, but use some floaters, or sub-surface floaters, as a "net curtain". When I had a really bright light (400W HPS Grow-light) I just had a much thicker layer of floating plants.

You can think of it a bit like a rain-forest, lots of layers of vegetation but still fairly gloomy at floor level, despite the intense sunlight at canopy level.

cheers Darrel
 
Kezzab said:
Ok, so i got a tds pen. Its not calibrated, but here's some relative rates.
Tap water 40ppm
10l tap water plus 3ml ferts (equivalent to tank) 75ppm
Tank water 210ppm (1 day after 90% water change).
My other tanks, that dont have this rock and have much lower levels of ferts and not had a water change for 2 weeks, 150ppm.

So what's the implication of that, if anything?

K
Click to expand...

CO2 dissolve better in low kh water, plants prefer soft water too. 😉

Got the same problem with my tap water
 
Kezzab said:
Ive given up on this scape. It was just annoying me. Constant battle with hair algae and bba. Life's too short. New journal coming soon.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that @Kezzab

Not an easy decision but looking forward to your new journal.
 
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