New Plants, Stopped E.i., Reduced Lighting

[Angry_Platy]

Recently I have had problems with ?filamentous? algae growing all through my tank like cobwebs despite keeping PO4 at 1ppm and NO3 at 15ppm using the E.I. method. CO2 has been stable since using a pressurised system and kept steady between 32 and 35ppm. The algae was mostly affecting my lilaeopsis and val however it had started to affect all other plants in the tank as well, though to a smaller degree. Plants were still growing and pearling beautifully but the algae was just plain ugly.

So last weekend I took out the lilaeopsis, green sword, blue stricta, Didiplis, Rotala wallichii and Ludwigia sp. At the same time I reduced the lighting to 1.6wpg (from 3.2wpg) and stopped the E.I. dosing method. At last check my NO3 was 8ppm and my P was <0.05ppm. Two days later I added some new plants.....Limnophila aquatica and sessiflora, Micranthemum micranthemoides and Hygrophila rosanervis. I was planning on keeping the E.I. going but read through the week that the Hygrophila won't stay red if nitrate levels go above 10ppm. I have also seen excellent growth from my plants still and, what I was aiming for.....NO ALGAE!!!! Nothing on the glass, no strands on the plants, NOTHING!!! Its the best my tank has looked since i started the planted adventure.

So for now I plan to keep the lighting low. Maybe add a little but of nitrate and phosphate from time to time and definitely keep my CO2 up. So far so good.

 

[pseud]

I just cut back on my EI dosing as I was suffering from bouts of cloudy water. According to my test kits my Nitrate levels were going up sky high..like to unreadable on the chart. Anyway, I've figured out that those test kits suck and I'm just going by sixth sense now. My point is that my nitrate levels were definitely higher than 10ppm and my Hygrophila Polysperma 'Rosanverig' stayed red... in fact, I got the best quality plant at high levels....

 

[simonbrown403]

I,m on the EI method and am getting bad ?filamentous? algae, it was recommended by zig that i raise my co2 and see how it go's over the next week or so.
I have my doubts but for now i,m sticking to his advice and give the benefits of his exsperence a go.

I think i've messed up because i dont have enought plants, il give it a a week or so, them i will probably do something similar, i,m not happy chappy.

But you live and learn.

 

[jimbooo]

i'm with all of you guys. this ei isn't doing the trick for me. the spot algae on the glass has vanished, as has the bba but this damn fine bright green spiderweb algae (new name by the way, just so we all know what were talking about) is thriving. i have been doing EI for a month now and have kept all records and test results. Phosphate has been 1 and NitrAte 15 constantly. co2 30ppm, trace every other day. Iron was a bit high at 9 but apart from that i cant understand whats happening. i'm going to dose 1/2 EI for 2 weeks and see what happens (Macro's and Trace)

 

[houndour]

I guess in the long term it's all about trial and error as to finding out what your tank needs....I guess the amount you dose can be dictated by so many variables...light, CO2, types of plants, how many plants, fish stock...and everyones tank differs, so what works for one tank probably won't work for the next.

Jimbooo, I think you're making the right move. But had I had the patience I would change one variable at a time.

 

[jimbooo]

Jimbooo, I think you're making the right move. But had I had the patience I would change one variable at a time.

in theory i am. the ratio of N:K will stay the same just reduced in quantity. the only other thing that will change is the iron content but to be honest that has come from my trace mix that i have only been using for 2 weeks (i had this algae 6 weeks or more ago). the Iron isn't helping but is definatly not the cause. i only have medium lighting in plant terms so in theory if the plants aren't using all the nutrients i need to either increase the light or reduce the nutrients. the latter sounds like the easier option to me.

i'll keep you all posted.

by the way apart from the above problems the Glosso is going bananas. i'll get some before and after pics up soon. the stuffs spreading like BGA

 

[Walt]

yea....
Ive found that about 1/2 the EI schedule works better for me..
The everyday dosing was just driving me too high as well...
By the 4-5th day, i was too high, and the weekly water change was DEFF needed....
Now i just dose when needed....not everyday...

Been working fine so far!
Plus i find i dont have to do the weekly water change... maybe every 1.5-2 weeks now.. since im not driving everything up too high by dosing everyday....

I still keep my numbers...35ppm co2, 15ish Nitrate, and 2 Phos...

My tank is looking great too.... B)

Walt

 

[zig]

Man what are you guys like!

I agree with hondour if you want to change anything do it one thing at a time, otherwise you will never figure out how your tank works.

jimbooo i did some figures and adding 10ml CSM+B (mixed normally 1 tablespoon to 250ml water or 14 grams to 250ml water) stock solution gives you around 0.20mg/l (or 0.20ppm) of Fe in 200 litres of water with every dose, the recommended dose is 0.2-0.5 ppm, so the Fe isnt coming from the CSM+B. Ive been dosing this stuff for months now and havent had a problem with it.

 

[jimbooo]

hmm, somethings up then. i'll make another csm+b mix and see how it goes. i am going to stop dosing phosphate for now though. this spiderweb algae is awefull and impossible to manually remove. it's like a newborn babies first hair very very fine but everywhere (riccia in particular).

water changing tonight so will do a month with no phosphate, 10ppm nitrate and traces and see what happens. bearing in mind i am technically over stocked. my angel and sailfin produce a lot of crap so i'm sure there will be enough phosphate in there already.

i'll update this after a while to keep you all informed.

 

[simonbrown403]

jimbooo i did some figures and adding 10ml CSM+B (mixed normally 1 tablespoon to 250ml water or 14 grams to 250ml water) stock solution gives you around 0.20mg/l (or 0.20ppm) of Fe in 200 litres of water with every dose, the recommended dose is 0.2-0.5 ppm, so the Fe isnt coming from the CSM+B. Ive been dosing this stuff for months now and havent had a problem with it.

CSM+B whats this.

I,ve got some iron sulfhate has anybody ever used it before?

I,m going to cutt back on something my tanks on one, spider web, brown cotton wool the lot.
It,s just not playing by the rules.

 

[zig]

Simon the CSM+B is a trace element mix or plantex that comes in a powder form and you mix it with water, I imported it from gregwatson.com in America basically it saves me from having to buy flourish or another liquid trace fertiliser. It works out a very economical way to dose trace.

 

[jimbooo]

ahh i owe you an appology zig. i just realised the very obvious source of my iron overload.

just before i planted the glosso (2 weeks ago) in the 180 and 60 i added 3 ferropol tabs to the substrate in little pieces. (very high iron content)

) sorry. the CSM+B is not to blame after all (but still doesn't explain the algae problems as i've had that for about 6/8 weeks.