What Are These? (name The Algeas)

[SuperColey1]

I read on one forum (god knows which one now there are so many) that it was originally the 4.999 something and then it was upped to 5.99 something after the baking saga, allowing for the moisture within the product.

Now you got me doubting as well Andy. lol

Andy

 

[Underwurlde]

yeah, I know what you mean.

Threads & threads of writing, comnjecture counter-conjecture, adjustments & tinkerings all mixed in with ppl's biases, inaccuracies, assumptions and blasé copy & paste reiterations based on little or no knowledge....

What you wrote sounded the alarm bells of 'God I've got to wade through all those damn threads again' - so instead I took the lazy route & just asked!

Andy

 

[SuperColey1]

Im pretty sure it was the one on this forum that MR G was writing on and Tom Barr joined in and the amount of bicarb changed from page to page as people started talking about moisture then baking then the changing of compound and then a compromise was reached.

Mine seems to go the correct colour (I killed all my fishload in May whilst at work and the mix was urine coloured on arrival home)

One thread here
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...854&hl=4dkh

Found the one on here. it ends with someone saying the baking way doesnt work then doesnt explain a solution. I think this must have led me to looking on the Barr report to find tha answer
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...169942&st=0

Andy

 

[Dave Spencer]

that makes sense, the only thing is the last of the algae is across the substrate and if you try and remove it it tears up the hc and the substrate at the same time regardless of how gentle or what technique you employ.

I recently defeated a bout of rhizoclonium in my 60l and 26l tanks, caused by unstable CO2 from the initial setting up and splitting one pressurised CO2 system between two tanks. I did a three day black out that killed about 95% of it but, given the opportunity, it would have bounced back to its former glory. After the black out, I carried out 50% water changes every other day, removing as much rhizoclonium as I could each time. It took a further week and a half to kill off the remainder, but I haven`t seen any since.

In your case Garuf, the rhizoclonium seems fairly advanced, so I am wondering if a four day black out may be needed to really set it back. As an aside, my plants and fish looked as if nothing had happened. The tank looked exactly the same as it did before the black out, but minus most of the algae. If you find the first black out doesn`t quite kill off the algae, and it is starting to establish itself again, consider another black out for that knock out blow.

my filter is an eden501 and im led to believe the pipes are 10mm could I possibly get t lilly to fit?

I have seen lily pipes for nanos on eBay, but I can`t remember where.

Dave.

 

[Underwurlde]

Here I go again....

...I thought the black-out method only related to controlling BGA?
(This is why I suggested the manual removal of as much of the other types of algae present as well a black-out for the BGA).

Is manual removal unnecessary then if using the black-out method? In other words, does a black-out wipe out all / most types of algae?

Note: mass destruction of algae should be followed up by large water changes - the dead algae will be severely detremental to the water conditions and could therefore harm / kill your fish (I think ammonia will be released as the dead algae rots down).

Andy

Hell, if this hobby was about keeping algae instead of plants, wouldn't it be a sinch!

 

[Underwurlde]

<snip> butter hook!

 

[SuperColey1]

No doubt we are all experts at it. lol

Andy

 

[Dave Spencer]

Andy,

I have been a bit slow in realising the key to algae control is light control. Light is the single greatest germination trigger for algae. Take the light away for a given period of time and you are delivering a serious blow to the algae`s development, but our plants seem to be able to take in their stride in relation.

Removing as much algae as possible before the black out is always a good idea for the reasons you high lighted. I noticed that for a long period of time after my black out, the tank glass and lily pipes remained spotless, before that annoying green dust started to appear again and needed cleaning off every couple of weeks. I had a period where no matter how hard I looked, I couldn`t find any evidence of algae.

Some people on here have had failures with black outs, but I personally believe that to be a combination of:

A. The algae is allowed to become too firmly established for one black out period to work.

B. The follow up steps of continued algae removal and regular 50% water changes are not followed.

Dave.

 

[Underwurlde]

Gotcha, I understand now. Good approach to really try and stamp it out.

 

[Underwurlde]

Going back to the DIY KH reference solution for the in-tank Drop Checker, various threads state various amounts and certainly does not warrant the 0.0001g accuracy, or even a 0.1g accuracy for that matter! For sure now it is not the case now to pre-bake the Bicarb (as it chemically alters), but because of this any moisture is retained, which could be any amount and hence the powder itself could be any weight (based I guess on atmospheric conditions i.e. humidity)!

But yes, now that the idea of pre-baking to expell mositure is now out, mix 6g of baking soda with 5L of water to get an appoximate 40dKH reference solution.

I think you then simply mix some up, test it using a KH test kit and adjust to suit.

But then we all knew that? (Apart from me of course )

Andy

 

[SuperColey1]

In the original thread Tom chimed in with something like:

You are all doing it wrong testing with KH kits etc.

Due to the inaccuracy of most of them I think.

It was actually on APC it seems. This chap does 6g to 1 Litre to get 200dKH and then moves on from that to reduce to 4dKH.

As we know the more DI water we use in the first solution the more accurate it will be when we take the small amount to get to 4dKH so I just did the simple maths <(americans note the s on the word so you can spell it correctly. lol) that 6g into 1 litre = 200dKH means that 6g into 5 litre = 40dKH and then moved on from there to mix 10ml of this with 90ml of DI water

http/www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumap...h-solution.html

It does then go on to talk about the 4.99... again. No idea then what the final agreed amount is but I am pretty sure mine is close with the 6g as the fish gasp at the surface when it is nearly yellow, and algae starts smiling when it is nearly blue. added to tht it does turn a nice blue when I refill.

I did also find that I had to flush/rinse with 4dKH and not tap water as it then started out at turquoise!!!!

With the 4.990litres left of the 40dKH I made up a ´not as accurate´ 100ml to 900ml to use for rinsing/flushing

I guess weve totally gone off topic on this one. lol

Andy

 

[Underwurlde]

Off topic, yes. Sorry Garuf.

KH test kits are rubbish for measuring tap water as it contains unknown buffering agents.
However, with our known buffering agent that consists of only Bicarbonate (?) in our pre-mixed KH reference, the kits are accurate and can therefore be used to measure the accuracy of the reference solution (now needed to be done because it can't be made accurately, because it can't be weighed accurately, because of an unknown water content, because it can't now be baked dry, becasue baking Bicarb changes the chemical composition of the Bicarb! Because, because, because). That's how I read it anyway.

Andy

 

[DevUK]

I've gone cross-eyed...

 

[garuf]

I've gone cross-eyed...

SNAP!
I think I'll just buy some from aqua essentials...
blacked out now will post an update as soon as there's something worth updating people on.
once, the black outs over I'll up my plant load and restart co2 and ferts and clear out whatever algae is left until I'm clear.
clearing out the algae at the front is the worst it unplants all of the hc and tears monosolenium "leaves" off

 

[Underwurlde]

I think I'll just buy some from aqua essentials

LOL. Hell, I think I will too and stop faffing about.

GL Garuf with things.

Andy