Algae on sand

[Byron]

I’ve taken a screen shot but i don’t think tank is a good make! I think I fancy getting super fine gravel to try so I might look online. Anything but what I currently have! It’s a bit like buying cream carpets in a house!
Do plants grow just as well in gravel? I really want to have a nice looking bunch of plants. they don’t look great atm But some have grown ok. I can give them a good clean when I swap over gravel and I am rubbing the algae off the leaves a bit too. The gh is really hard about 15 degrees on the German hardness scale ! Kh was 11.
i feel bad for the poor frogbit it is definitely looking the worse for wear so I will stop the ammonia. The seachem has definitely stimulated roots but not leaves in some cases, so I will defo switch products. Thankfully I only bought the smallest bottle to give it a try. What would you recommend disease wise on the comprehensive supplement?
The lights cannot be switched between different settings I don’t think, just on or off and my lights looked different as to what is shown in the amazon listing too! I will try and find out more info about it.

Essjay responded on the play sand, so there you are. Personally I would recommend sand over any gravel. This is a small tank, so you will be having small fish, and some...like cory catfish...must have sand. Plants grow well in sand. No fish have issues with sand. And being small grain it does give the visual impression of more space. The darker the better, but whatever play sand you have in the UK is fine provided it is not white.

I don't understand the question about "disease wise on the comprehensive".

I did find more info online, but none that tells us the spectrum (Kelvin) of the light. This may not matter, once we have the other issues resolved. One site did mention replacement strips for the light on this tank, so it might be worth tracking down just what they offer.

 

[Libbyd]

Essjay responded on the play sand, so there you are. Personally I would recommend sand over any gravel. This is a small tank, so you will be having small fish, and some...like cory catfish...must have sand. Plants grow well in sand. No fish have issues with sand. And being small grain it does give the visual impression of more space. The darker the better, but whatever play sand you have in the UK is fine provided it is not white.

I don't understand the question about "disease wise on the comprehensive".

I did find more info online, but none that tells us the spectrum (Kelvin) of the light. This may not matter, once we have the other issues resolved. One site did mention replacement strips for the light on this tank, so it might be worth tracking down just what they offer.

Oh dear autocorrect fail! I meant dosing wise on the seachem thanks

 

[Byron]

Oh dear autocorrect fail! I meant dosing wise on the seachem thanks

OK, that makes more sense. Follow the label instructions, which are 5ml for each 250 liters (60 gallons) once or twice each week. This tank is 50 liters, which means closer to 40 actual liters taking into account water displacement by substrate, etc. Dividing the numbers, 5 ml for 250 liters comes out as 1 ml for 50 liters. So I would dose 1 ml once a week; twice with this few plants might encourage algae again. Once you have fish, once a week should be sufficient. And dose on the day following the water change; conditioners detoxify heavy metals and some of these (iron, copper, zinc, manganese) are plant nutrients, so there is no point adding the Comprehensive when these will be negated. Seachem told me to do this some years ago, and while I cannot say it has or hasn't been better, it certainly hasn't been worse and the logic does make sense.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

So your tank hood only has a blue light function?

You can buy play sand for around $5 per 50 pounds. I have play sand in all of my tanks, I really like it.

 

[Carolyn N]

It was my understanding that fine sand like that is hard for the plant roots to penetrate. It packs easily. I have a mixed rounded gravel in my tanks. The plants are all growing great. I use plant tablets pushed into the sand under the roots, once a month. Liquid fert once every two weeks.

 

[Libbyd]

Well I’ve ordered some very fine gravel, almost sand so hoping this will be ok. I will put no more ammonia in now. Thanks for the advice and Essjay you did mention plants at the time I remember.
I am not sure but I think that plant is an Anubis so maybe I need some wood or lava rock now too my other half is amazed how much money I’ve spent on a tank with no fish. The seachem is coming in the post.

will that bacteria disappear if I stop using ammonia and get more plants growing right? Why is it growing in the first place?

 

[Essjay]

You can always attach the anubias to one of the rocks you already have Tie the rhizome down with thread. By the time the thread rots, the roots (the thin things growing out of the underside of the rhizome) will be clinging to the rock like ivy.
Or get a piece of wood with crevices; it's easier to get the plants to stay in place if you can put it in a crevice before tying it on.

Plants use ammonia as fertiliser and they take it up faster than the bacteria. The bacteria grown during fishless cycling don't die quickly; as their food supply drops they become dormant and only die months later. If you stock the tank slowly once you can buy fish, that will make sure the plants are using all the ammonia made by the fish, and any 'spare' ammonia will 'wake up' the dormant bacteria.

 

[Libbyd]

Thanks all. I will tie it to the rock- might as well give it a go! I didnt think it would attach to that rock though yes I expect something with crevices might work faster. This is the most helpful forum I’ve ever been on thanks
I think the flow to my tank does need increasing (someone mentioned flow might help the green bacteria situation) so I was thinking of getting a mini power head to try and increase flow down the bottom of the tank. Is this worth a shot?

 

[Byron]

I think the flow to my tank does need increasing (someone mentioned flow might help the green bacteria situation) so I was thinking of getting a mini power head to try and increase flow down the bottom of the tank. Is this worth a shot?

Water flow has no actual impact on algae, or cyanobacteria. Algae is due solely to the nutrients and light, and cyano is due to organics in the presence of light. Any connection with flow is not indicative, because both can occur with or without flow.

When considering increasing (or decreasing) flow, you have to consider the fish species' requirements. Some fish like water currents, some need stronger currents, some fish need quiet water. Fish in an aquarium are forced to tolerate the conditions we give them 24/7, they have no means of escape, so this must be very carefully researched. When I had my 5-fgoot tank running, the canister filter intake was a t one end and the filter return (outflow) at the other, creating a current down the length of the aquarium replicating a river or stream. It intrigued me that some fish would never go near the end with the filter return which had an obvious stronger current. Some fish did tend to remain closer to this end. We need to always provide what the fish "expect" if we want to avoid stress and have more healthy fish--and happier, I'm sure.

 

[Libbyd]

Yes well I guess a betta would need slower flow if I can get one. That’s what I would really like but my water is very hard. I am thinking about a RO unit though, but haven’t settled on it yet.
so I had a go at tying the plant to a rock - I’m quite pleased it worked out pretty good I thought for a first try, I mean I know it’s only tying a plant to a rock but still...

that sand’s days are numbered

 

[Libbyd]

Changed the substrate today - and planted all my nice plants. I’m pleased but had a problem in that I hadn’t ordered anywhere near enough new sand so ended up mixing it with gravel but I think it looks ok. It’s way better than the horrid white sand from before

one of the plants - the one floating- I am not sure about it or what it is. I tried to plant it in the sand before as it had a little root but now this root seems to have died and it’s grown another one mid way down it’s stem. Does it just float at around like this or does it need to be rooting?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

IMO gravel mixed with sand looks terrible.

Is the plant you are talking about Anacharis? It sure looks like it. This plant can either be grown floating or buried in your substrate.

 

[Essjay]

Anacharis is usually called elodea or egeria in UK shops

 

[Libbyd]

Hi everyone, I’ve still got a huge problem with what I think is Cyanobacteria in my tank. But I don’t know because as described below, it hasn’t got some of the features that I’ve read about Cyanobacteria.
i have had this tank set up for quite some time now, maybe since March, and I can’t get rid of this stuff. I am starting to think it’s blue green algae which I know is hideous to get rid of. In my old tank it was growing on the glass and wiped off. It’s not doing that here as yet but I can see it on the gravel and plants. It grows into these threads if you don’t do anything with it. It doesn’t smell, it isn’t a slime, it does cling to the gravel but it doesn’t get removed in sheets
ive even now changed tanks and changed substrate, changed lights and picked every bit off I could see but to no avail, it’s just coming back in the new tank. I’ve changed ferts to seachem comprehensive as suggested, I’ve tried Blue green exit Which did nothing, a general algae remover which hasn’t done anything.
ive included some pictures Of it growing back in the new tank, they are not the best but it’s always hard to get good ones.
Short of getting new EVERYTHING which I can’t really afford to do, or giving thE livestock back to the shop and giving up, I don’t know what to do. I’ve only got a betta and 3 Amano shrimp (which I’m feeding due to trying to kill off all algae!)

at the end of my tether With it to be honest.
nitrate is low, maybe 20 max, hard water about 13degrees, temp 26. Dose once a week with ferts.

 

[Libbyd]

Sorry should have mentioned old tank was set up since March, new one since last weekend same Filter, from old. I knew that would Mean Some spores would get in, to the new tank, but I thought hopefully not enough to re establish