what type of lighting are you using,are you dosing any ferts,and you need way more plants than that to out compete the algae.you need tons of stem and fast growing plants to start out with so the algae does not use up the nutrients before the plants are able to use them.try getting a fert plan together and using seachem excel.its great to help fend off algae although its not the cure all.you will need to get things stable first..remember way more fast growing plants,good lighting,and proper nutrients..most people think they can add a few live plants say 6 or 7 and think they have plenty.you need a great deal of the substrate covered in plants that grow fast till you work out a plan that is best for your tank,then you can slowly remove stems and add slower growing plants to your liking,a good substrate is crucial to healthy plant growth also.
Algae Troubles, Please Go To Last Few Posts.
- Thread starter Dr Bob
- Start date
Hi
It looks like bba algae im having the same probs in my tank, i have found out its a lack of co2 in the tank, take a look at this webpage it is very useful http
/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/
It looks like bba algae im having the same probs in my tank, i have found out its a lack of co2 in the tank, take a look at this webpage it is very useful http
/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
2 18w white tubes.
Dosing with flora 24.
It's my first planted tank so hardly surprising it's gone 'TU'
Tank has now been 'blacked out'....
Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
I'm not using any co2. Looking at the link now, cheers.
It does look like BBA doesn't it!!
and what size tank is this?
a black out may not be the cure since if you dont cure the problem it will be back soon.is that eco-complete substrate in the front area?
i would try cleaning off all algae,buy alot more stem plants,get a systematic dosing routine and stick to it.maybe go for a DIY co2 system.are you using just plain white flourescent bulbs or are they for growing plants?
most new plant set ups will see algae however i think your first issue may be not enough plants.
there are many more qualified growers who may be offering tips soon also..
oh yah dont forget to use excel by seachem it should help if your not using co2
a black out may not be the cure since if you dont cure the problem it will be back soon.is that eco-complete substrate in the front area?
i would try cleaning off all algae,buy alot more stem plants,get a systematic dosing routine and stick to it.maybe go for a DIY co2 system.are you using just plain white flourescent bulbs or are they for growing plants?
most new plant set ups will see algae however i think your first issue may be not enough plants.
there are many more qualified growers who may be offering tips soon also..
oh yah dont forget to use excel by seachem it should help if your not using co2
Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
The tank is a cayman scenic 80. 150 litres
http
/www.petcentreonline.co.uk/ecommerce...product~813.htmAll the substrate is just bog standard coloured gravel.
The bulbs were for a planted aquarium and for bringing out the fishes colours iirc.
I'll get some seachem
Thanks.
JamesC
Fishaholic
That's a bad case of BBA you have there. Normally it is down to a lack of CO2, but as your tank has around 1 wpg (watt per gallon) of lighting this is not the case. It is still CO2 related though but it is most likely due to fluctuating levels of CO2, mainly caused by water changes. Are you running an airstone - if you are it should be turned off. One thing you do need is more plant mass as stated previously and preferably fast growing stem plants.
Flourish excel does work very well against BBA. Scrub, cut off as much of the algae as you can first. Do you let the water stand for a day or two before you do a water change? This may help as it will allow the CO2 in the tap water to gas off and be closer to the levels in your tank. Adding CO2 will also help but remember that stability is the key here.
HTH
James
Flourish excel does work very well against BBA. Scrub, cut off as much of the algae as you can first. Do you let the water stand for a day or two before you do a water change? This may help as it will allow the CO2 in the tap water to gas off and be closer to the levels in your tank. Adding CO2 will also help but remember that stability is the key here.
HTH
James
Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
No airstone. I don't let the water stand for a day, I've not got enough buckets
I take it the blackout won't effect BBA?
Thanks all for replying!
voo
Fish Herder
I had some BBA on my java fern last week. Bought some Seachem flourish excel and did an overdose of it - double the stated dose and did spot dosing - Stopped the filter and squirted the excel over the BBA. By the next day it had started to turn red. Today, one week later, it's gone white, shrunk, and almost gone
I didnt have anywhere near as much as you've got though. Maybe a blackout would be best.
I didnt have anywhere near as much as you've got though. Maybe a blackout would be best.
I will agree that Seachem Flourish Excel, as well as being a great carbon source for those without CO2, does have a remarkable affect on algae. Whilst I have more plants than you but a similar lighting level, I did get a reasonable algae build up after 2-3 months of the tank being set up. I use CO2 but it probably isn't stable (useless Tetra Optimat system!), I started adding Flourish Excel maybe 4-5 weeks ago and the BBA has all but gone and new plant leaves don't get any noticeable algae covering at all.
Glass still gets a coat but this is easy to deal with, plus I have some snails coming soon, these should hopefully reduce the build up on the glass: it never gets too bad anyhow now, much better than when the tank had first been set up.
I think planted tanks take maybe 4-5 months to mature enough that plants and nutrient levels etc are sorted out. The first 3-4 months really seem to be a settling in period, don't lose heart, it will improve! Adding more fast growing plants for now (something like hornwort is good) may also help you out.
Glass still gets a coat but this is easy to deal with, plus I have some snails coming soon, these should hopefully reduce the build up on the glass: it never gets too bad anyhow now, much better than when the tank had first been set up.
I think planted tanks take maybe 4-5 months to mature enough that plants and nutrient levels etc are sorted out. The first 3-4 months really seem to be a settling in period, don't lose heart, it will improve! Adding more fast growing plants for now (something like hornwort is good) may also help you out.
JamesC
Fishaholic
Dr Bob
Fish Fanatic
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