kelseylynn Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I set up my first planted tank (10 gallons) in December and I've had nothing but trouble with it since. It's got flourite for substrate and it's lit for 12 hours a day by a 28 watt CFL. I dose with Excel every other day and add ferts when I do my weekly water change. There's lots of water movement from an HOB filter. I've got some sunset hygro, wisteria, Anubias and Marimo balls in there right now. None of my plants have grown an inch! Algae is flourishing though. I finally starting winning the fight against staghorn algae only to start dealing with thread algae and now the staghorn is back. What am I doing wrong?? I've already sunk more money into this tank than my little student budget can handle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Ram Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 You are running almost 3 watts a gallon with your current lighting. You can cut back on the number of hours the light is on or try DIY C02. Are you doing weekly water changes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelseylynn Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 How much should I cut back the lighting? Would 10 hours be OK? I've been doing 50% water changes every week like clockwork, though it doesn't seem to be impacting the algae at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catshanon Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 It's got flourite for substrate and it's lit for 12 hours a day by a 28 watt CFL. I dose with Excel every other day and add ferts when I do my weekly water change. There's lots of water movement from an HOB filter. I've got some sunset hygro, wisteria, Anubias and Marimo balls in there right now. How much is "some" ??? If you have only one or two stems, then you might want to increase the number of plants. If you have rapidly growing stem plants, they will absorb the nutrients and algae won't be able to get a foothold. Try to put a siesta period during the 12 hours... 6 hrs of light in the morning, 2 hrs dark and then 6 hrs again..I have found that this helps to keep algae at bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) Marimo balls take about 5 years to get to be 2" in diameter. And anubias is a really slow grower. I would stop fertilizing for now and cut back on the lighting. I am not sure about the wisteria or the hygro, I have a type of hygro that has hardly grown at all. Try some plants that grow faster. That will also help with the algae. The plant will take the nutrients before the algae gets it Edited March 18, 2009 by fleshgear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatica Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I would certainly look at a lot of different plants just to start. Also stop all fertilization until plants are actually growing (visibly) The plants that I would recommend are:Hygrophilia all types work Bacopa caroliniana or moneri Ludwigia several types are available Vallisneria and or Sagitteria are great Sword Plants are also ok As others have already mentioned the types of "plants" that you have chosen are basically bullet proof, but they also do not grow fast and that is just whats missing in your aquarium. Once any of these above plants have taken hold then I would add others such as Crypts, Java Fern & Anubias to help with easing of maintenence ie trimming. Good Luck! Rudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelseylynn Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the siesta thing and see how it goes. And I guess I will pick up some more plants, because my tank is still about 50% open space. Any recommendations for fast-growing plants I could try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelseylynn Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Haha looks like Rudy saw my next question coming. Looks like I will be paying a visit to Pisces this week to stock up on plants! I've also heard that too much water agitation will decrease CO2... should I be worried about my HOB filter messing things up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatica Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 If you can find someone to help you get some local grown plants in large quantities maybe even on this forum that is always a great start and then add the extras from your LFS. You may also want to visit the Calgary Aquarium Society Spring Auction coming up in a week or so. As this can also be a great place to stock up in volume many of the plants that you are looking for. Cheers Rudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catshanon Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Haha looks like Rudy saw my next question coming. Looks like I will be paying a visit to Pisces this week to stock up on plants!I've also heard that too much water agitation will decrease CO2... should I be worried about my HOB filter messing things up? If you are not adding CO2, then you don't have to worry, otherwise its beneficial to keep the surface as calm as possible. Vallisneria is a fast growing plant and will reproduce by sending out runners, so thats a good choice. I bet you can get loads of hardy fast growing plants at the Calgary auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 12 hours is a lot- try 8-10 for now. Some people swear by the siesta thing, others say it's worthless- up to you. HOBs will drive off CO2 if you're adding it. However, Excel is another form of carbon source (not CO2 gas) so you don't need to worry about your HOB. Are you dosing it every other day because of the marimo ball? Increasing the Excel could help a lot. I wouldn't suggest stopping all fertilization. Algae can scavenge nutrients (and switch nutrient sources) much more easily than higher plants, so trying to starve it out is usually only hurts the plants. What and how much are you dosing for ferts? And yes, by all means come to the CAS auction. :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelseylynn Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm adding 1 ml of Seachem Flourish every week. Do I need to be a member of CAS to go to the auction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happeboy Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 If you are over run by algae, to get ahead of the algae you could turn off all light and do the black out to kill the algae first. give it 2 days no light most algae will not survive this water change and voila! your plants should be fine during this time. cut the light back to 8 - 10 hours, with 1 CLF you cant really vary the intercity of light, so you may just have to play around to find the balance. On one tank I had it could handle 8.5 to 9 hours. Over or under all hell broke loose. there is a limit to how long plants can photosynthesis efficiently after that algae start to win. If you want a real plant factory you need co2 which allows you to run lights longer & at higher intensities. I never had luck with Excel at the needed dose it killed my fish, if you dont have fish or more hardy types it I hear works. In either case if you don't need the water movement try to cut it down especially at the surface. best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 the flourish excel will melt the Vallisneria. and you dont need to be a member of the calgary aquarium society to buy stuff from the auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 the flourish excel will melt the Vallisneria. and you dont need to be a member of the calgary aquarium society to buy stuff from the auction. If you can i'd suggest getting to the auction and getting there earily so you can get a good look at everything you want. Make a list of plants and other things you may want before you go so it'll be easier to get what you need at the auction. If the calgary one is like the edmonton one then you'll need to bring cash in order to buy. Don't forget loonies and smaller bills are appreciated. Once again only if it's the same. It's lots of fun especially with lots of lots. Good luck. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.