heff Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 (edited) I've been running my planted 10 gallon tank for a couple years now and only recently am I running into BBA. It's attached to my melon sword the worst but it's lightly spread to nearly all the leaves of every crypt I have. I realize I do not have fast growers or incredible plant density. A friend has dropped of some hornwort that I'll float at the surface and I do have some hygro that's barely holding onto life. What litlte duckweed I had died off (believe it or not) with the roots turning brown and withering away. A water test yesterday with a new test kit yielded 0.5 PO4 and 10-20 NO3. I'm trying to keep the tank low-maintenance since it sits on my desk at work, but am I taking on the impossible by trying to keep slow growing plants and wanting to have no issues? Kinda hard to see, but my christmas moss is starting to turn brown. The sword to the right of the moss ball has its green leaves turning brown. My java fern has apparently never been happier, rubbing it in with every glance I take. Going by the "Fertilizer Dosing" pinned post, I should be aiming for 1.0 - 2.0 PO4 and 10-30 NO3, correct? I like the concept of the MCI dosing guide but I only run 14W (18k aquaglo) of light so I don't know if it'd work for me. Maybe I should start EI dosing? Also, I just bought a bottle of Flourish Excel; I'll take any dosing suggestions offered... Thanks for any input ahead of time. Hugh Edited August 18, 2011 by heff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 When was the last time you replaced the bulb? T8s only last a year or so. That's my first suspicion. The Excel will help w your algae problem, and your plants will likely rebound when you replace the bulb. If you can measure PO4, you have enough - you'll start getting green spot algae on the glass if you're short. I think your NO3 is ok for now, as well. When you get a new bulb, you may need to increase both a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 (edited) The bulb may be 18-24 month old. Petsmart ditched the GLO line and replaced with some Aqueon or something and I got another aqua-glo extra bulb on clearance. I'll be replacing it shortly. It has been replaced. The tank looks like it has more of a reddish glow now, which I'm assuming is a good thing. Should I just follow the Excel dosing instructions on the side? 1mL per 10gal, once per day? Edited August 18, 2011 by heff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I like the dosing instructions for Excel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Heads up, you may lose your moss with excel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 It has been replaced. What bulb did you go with ? Your ten gallon - it is 12 inches high? Fixture/bulb sit close to the water line? Is there a reflector? - or flat white backing ? I am only asking because I have similiar equip @ home. If you could provide me with the answers to those questions - - - I could sous up how much light you really have there. AND/OR I have found @ times Liebig needs a kick in the pants. Do you ever use a trace mix? Your sig shows DIY C02 - still using it? PS - As I sit here and look @ the photo - I can see the blue-eyes swimm'n 'round in there. :hey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 I tried three bulbs A crusty Eiko, a brand new Eiko and a Marine-GLO. @ twelve inches they were consistantly between 15 and 20 PAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted August 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 I kept with the same bulb I've used before with success - 14W 15" Aqua-GLO T8. I've had discussions with people before about how bright the bulb is at 18,000K, but I don't mind the look and the fish don't appear to either. The graph of colors that the bulb emits is just about perfect, it's just super friggin bright. The tank has the Marina hood which sits right on top of the aquarium, so yes, about 12 inches from the bottom and I keep the water right up high. I have never used a PAR meter before so I can't tell how how much light is actually penetrating the water. The hood has the flat white reflector, which I've taken upon myself to add a tinfoil backing in an attempt to reflect as much light as possible. I need to update my signature as I stopped DIY CO2 about a month ago. I've started using Excel. Hopefully, my moss figures out a way to survive (thx fishclubgirl). I do have trace mix (Flourish Comprehensive 0.07-0.01-0.37), but when do you dose the stuff? I guess what I'm more concerned with is getting my nutrient levels proper. From what I feel I know of this stuff, it's surprising I haven't run into issues sooner. @jvision - MCI dosing, I just add KNO3 in measured doses each day until I reach the GSA bloom level, then 50% water change at the end of the week. When it's all done, I'm dosing (GSA bloom level - 1 dose) / (whole week of dosing), correct? How frequently do I need to be adding trace mix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted August 22, 2011 Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 Trace can either be added daily or weekly, it's really up to you. For a while I was just dosing when I noticed deficiencies in fast growing plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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