Failing Planted Tank?

Alrighty! Let me show you my little shop of horrors.

Tank:

20 gallons
3 watts per gallon
Brown gravel/Flourite subtrait
Flourish 2x per week
Red Sea CO[sub]2[/sub] system

Plants:

5 Micro Swords
3 Amazon Swords
3 Java Plants
1 Cardimum?
3 tall grassy plants (no name sorry)

I am currently getting brown algae on the leaves of my plants and it is making my tank look like crap (no pun indended). Ornaments are also getting a coat of green. I don't know my phosphate levels at the moment. I do water changes every week (60%). I read around and nothing fit.

Before:


After:

How long has it been set up and how long do you leave the lights on?

Nice 'scape; I love the cave!

3wpg, CO2 but only using Flourish to fertilise - therein probably lies the problem. 3wpg and CO2 needs a decent fertiliser regime and Flourish is not going to provide that. You might want to consider looking at EI (see pinned thread) if you want to continue at 3wpg, and I think you may also be suffering from not enough plants (especially fast growers), many of the ones you list are no going to do much to out compete the algae as they don't grow quickly enough.

Edit - also the java ferns need tied to some wood or rock, if you bury them like that they will usually rot - the rhizome needs to be above the gravel.

At 3WPG youre not going to be getting too much joy using yeast based CO2. I would suggest going pressurised or at least using the DIY mix in the pinned article and getting 2 kits.

Andy

Well i'll make a DIY co2 along with the one I am using now. Mind telling me what EI stands for? I will purchase the expanded sets of fertilizers for the tank. I am currently running the lights for 12 hours per day

OK Schools in, Your getting a crash corse construction 101..... as a builder the first and most important item the building block in this case your substrate. Appears you have pebbles yes?_________. Just about every plant in the world will survive for a short period of time in a bucket of water but eventualy it needs something for it's ROOTS foundation to take hold in.. also at 3watts per gallon without Co2 you better have as little nutriets in that water as possible. or algae bloom. Try Florite or simular substrate. you can add some of your pebbles ontop if you don't like the NEW substrate color.

If you had bothered to read my first post. The pebbles are only on the top and the front. A clenver disguise to cover the flourite.

I don't need a crash course. I need a spacific know reason for the ALGAE.

Danno said:

If you had bothered to read my first post. The pebbles are only on the top and the front. A clenver disguise to cover the flourite.

I don't need a crash course. I need a spacific know reason for the ALGAE.

Click to expand...

Y so agressive? they only helping

EI stands for Estimative Index. There is a pinned article on it at the top of this forum. Like everyone says, with 3WPG you really do need stable CO2 at 30ppm, a good fertiliser regime and a lot of fast growing weeds for the time being, or the algae will get worse.

Your 3WPG is the big driver for this tank, promoting rapid growth which your fertiliser and CO2 regime cannot cope with. The plant growth becomes stunted and this, along with the light levels is triggering the algae. What you are looking to achieve is a well dosed water column feeding a lot of fast growing plants, alongside a stable 30ppm of CO2, that will outcompete the algae. After about three or four months the tank should be stable enough for you to plant more of the slower growing varieties.

Dave.

If thats the way you want to ask for help I shall reply in the same manner

Your first post does not state there is only gravel in the front
It says Brown Gravel/Flourite

From the pics it looks like you have gravel on top of the flourite

There are many many reasons for algae, most presumed, and most unproven so there is no definitive answer but defficiency is known to cause most algae.

Nearly all algae problems are caused by inconsistent CO2 but with your light the plants will most definately be needing all the various ferts and nutrients.

If you come and ask for help there is no use snapping back on the defensive.

We are all just trying to offer advice not from scientific knowledge but most often from research we have done on the internet or through going on the same answer hunt when we had the same problems although we weren't so rude about answers we received.

Question answered.

Andy

the cause of algae, I find, is never the same for every tank. Each tank has different imbalances in their system, and when the balance is off we get algae. I think in your case as someone else has posted, you are lacking fast growing plants. You are also do not have a lot of plants which is something else you should work on. Those two things will help. If you want to get real serious you should start testing your water daily for levels of nutrients to better solve the issue but I don't think you need to go this far.


Hope this helps..

Thanks everyone. That helped a lot. Just...please...don't jump to conclusions as I didn't mean for that to come out rude. I guess it was just worded that way.

It's actually a 55 watt light so it isn't quite 3 watts per gallon but I will deffinatly have to figure that out a bit. I cannot do presurized. Certain....limitations so to speak. I can up the CO2 regiments though. Would anyone suggestion and nice fast growing plants that would be nice in the aquascape?

From my own experience, I can recommend Rotala rotundifolia, Hygrophilia polysperma and Micranthemum umbrosum.

Dave.