creekbottom Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I've been running these tanks for almost a year now, so I'm pretty sure everything should be settled down. Water parameters are always stable and the fish are happy. first tank: 20g tall, planted, eheim 2215 DIY CO2 diffused through a tom aquatics dive clean mini internal filter Odyssea T5HO lights 2 bulbs silver tip tetras (mean little buggers) blood fin tetras microrasboras oto's pH - 7.8 gH - 18 kH - 11 ammonia - 0 nitrite - 0 nitrate - 40 TDS - 476ppm I get alot of hair algae, grows on the glass, in my moss. Is this BBA up at the top? I don't get this as much but it is always present. second tank: 10g, planted, whisper 20 HOB DIY CO2 diffused through a tom aquatics dive clean mini internal filter Odyssea T5HO lights, only one bulb running. ember tetras pH - 8.2 gH - 23 kH - 14 ammonia - 0 nitrite - 0 nitrate - 40 TDS - 578ppm This tank is mostly hair algae, it's not too hard to clean it out cause it all comes out in one big clump. I tested these numbers as I wrote this, it's been about 2 weeks since my last water change, and when I sign off here I will be doing one! I fertilize with the PPS Pro system. I haven't done the EI method because as you've read I'm not exactly weekly with my water changes. After testing the water, maybe I'm fertilizing too much? I've been putting in what is recommended for my tank sizes. I'm also thinking of adding more flow to the 20g, I have the eheim running through the wide jet outlet pipe not the spray bar. I have a hydor pico 800 (200gph) that I can throw in there to help circulation at the bottom of the tank. I'd really like to get this figured out so that I don't have to pull wads of algae out of my tanks all the time, what am I doing wrong!? I use city water treated with prime, and it usually ages before I do a water change. I can't think of anything else right now but ask and I shall do my best to answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 You either have to reduce the light (intensity or time it's on) or increase the CO2. That's my advice for both tanks. You may do well to add a bit of Excel if you don't want to switch to pressurized CO2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Now that looks familiar I see I'm not the only algae farmer on here I agree with the Excel it took about three to four weeks but it cleared up my hair algae & BBA in my 75 g a 500ml bottle will last you awhile with a 20g & 10g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted October 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 In my experience excel has been very bad for moss and crypts, something that I have alot of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I had my worries to when I started using it,I have a lot of Vals and Excel has been know to do bad things to it.I started out using half the dose and worked my way up to almost 1.5 X now,Vals are happy sending out runners all over the place,Java moss seems to have perked up to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 That looks a lot like the blanket weed that found my tank about 2 years ago... I still see it every once in a while in my tank. Nasty stuff. Barley extract actually worked the best when combined with a 48hr complete blackout - it almost eradicated the algae. Co2 helped, but this stuff actually seemed to love excel. I found having lots of stem plants out-competes it. Elodea and hygro worked the best for me. Nothing eats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm not a big fan of chemicals and am a big fan of the kiss principle. My thoughts are get some fast growing stem plants or floating plants like najas to outcompete the algae for nutrients(once you get rid of it). There's also fish like amecas, flagfish, etc that will eat it too and you can always sell them later. To me, a tank is a matter of balance and should be easy to maintain once it's settled. 18 hair algae free tanks and counting..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Barley extract? I've not heard of that. Got any links or long explanations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Barley extract? I've not heard of that. Got any links or long explanations? It is often used in ponds for severe algae or greenwater, it is a liquid that is extracted from Barley (aka. plant juices). It looks like heavily tannin colored water, and kind of affects the tank the same way. Never had problems with adding it to tanks with fish, plants, or shrimp. It may lower your ph a bit if you add too much. Kind of like putting barley straw in your pond/tank to reduce algae, only it is an extract so it acts a lot quicker. They sell it at any fish pond store and many pet stores in the pond section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2006.01951.x/full is a study that was done with Rice Straw Extract which they state has many of the same properties as Barley Straw Extract. Fascinating stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 I've been using excel, more in the 20g than the 10g and things are definitely changing! I don't think I've ever actually seen my moss grow without algae, it's nice to look at! After doing some reading over at TPT I'm also starting to be more watchful of my fertilizer. I tested today before doing water changes and the nitrate levels in the 10g were stupid, I'm not saying what they were, it's embarrasing. 20g) I added a few more stem plants and I'm looking for more, but of something that I actually want in the tank. I've been throwing around the idea of adding floaters or a screen to lessen the light. The plants at the bottom of the tank are doing great, no BBA. The plants at the top of the tank are where the problem is, too much light. So I'm not really sure how to solve this one without causing all the plants at the bottom of the tank to be starved for light. Remember it's a 20 TALL. Have been keeping the CO2 going and the drop checker is a lovely green color. I haven't noticed any new hair algae growing but I haven't seen any dieing either. The moss is growing free of algae but the stuff that was there is still there. 10g) I've been using less excel in this tank cause of the abundance of crypts. However, the cloud of hair algae has stopped reproducing! I put a few new stems in this tank too, and after todays water change I think I'm going to stop fertilizing for a few days lol. So things are going well I think, the algae is finally losing and my patience is starting to come back haha! I think once I get the fertilizer sorted out I'm hoping I can stop using excel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 I think once I get the fertilizer sorted out I'm hoping I can stop using excel. Do you have CO2 running in both tank? If so, then I think you'd be safe dropping the Excel; however, if you aren't running CO2 in the 10g, you may want to keep using it, if only at 1/2 dose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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