aqua_chem
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your light is reasonable, especially considering the fact that your also dose excel. Does this tank EVER get direct sunlight? Do you dose any liquid ferts beyond the excel?
Fed up of algae
- Thread starter maestromad
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Cichlid Kid
Aquarium Advice Addict
You mentioned the tank being beside a patio? Even if it only recieves 1 or 2 hours of direct daylight along with your current photoperiod, this could be the major cause of most of the algae showing up. When you stopped dosing Excel your plants stopped using the nutrients and the algae started...
I'm still a newbie at this to so maybe my take on it isn't correct. If so, I'm sure someone will intervene.
I'd cut the photoperiod a few hrs. and start dosing the excel again @ 1ml. per 10gal.
You can spot treat the ugly areas. It really helped me using that method.
I'm still a newbie at this to so maybe my take on it isn't correct. If so, I'm sure someone will intervene.
I'd cut the photoperiod a few hrs. and start dosing the excel again @ 1ml. per 10gal.
You can spot treat the ugly areas. It really helped me using that method.
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks guys. Yes the tank does get some sunlight from the windows but not much a with shift work the curtains stay closed a lot! Ill get back into a routine with the excel (I don't dose any other ferts) and hopefully things will get back on track. Will this help to eliminate the brown gunk in the filter too? I don't have enough fish to cause that much waste
How often do you clean your filters excluding the bio-media? The brown is more than just fish waste. It's also uneaten food, plant material, anything that gets sucked up the filter. But it shouldn't be getting back into the water if I remember you saying that? So what type of filter/s are you using and when is the stuff going back into the tank?
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's a fluval U3, the gunk goes back in the water when the filter is disturbed to remove it to allow me to rinse it in the bucket of tank water. I normally clean once a week or a fortnight if work is busy
So it's an in-tank filter. Yeah there isn't much you can do about that which is a pain. Is the filter out of the water when you do a WC? Reason I'm asking is if it is you might be able to remove it and clean it without getting all that detris back in the water... just a thought. Otherwise do a WC immediately after removing the filter to get as much stuff out of the water as possible. You don't have alot of options.
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
As soon as you move the filter it all comes out, and when I try and get it all up during the water change I can only get about 70% out.
Oh well hopefully with less light and more regular dosing I can get it back under control
Oh well hopefully with less light and more regular dosing I can get it back under control
Andrewz00
Aquarium Advice FINatic
yeah it sounds like you have two issues.. the algae and the "gunk"...
hopefully a shorter photo period and dosing will help with the algae... is it possible to upgrade your filter? i was never a fan of intank filters....
hopefully a shorter photo period and dosing will help with the algae... is it possible to upgrade your filter? i was never a fan of intank filters....
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm not really in a position to upgrade with space or funds, going to order some root tabs to give the plants a bit of a boost too
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
I was just wondering if it was worth purchasing products to assist with this problem. Like api prevent algae or seachem phosguard? Just ordering a phosphate testing kit too
You really shouldn't use those algae products in the tank. Chemicals aren't a good thing. I also wouldn't suggest using phosphate remover in a planted tank as phosphate is a macro nutrient needed by plants. Your phosphate should be .5-1.0ppms in a planted tank. I run a low nitrate-high phosphate tank due to the amount of non-green plants I have and I keep levels at 1.5-2.0ppms. There are alot of different reasons tanks get algae and there are many types of algaes. Just so you know often times a tank with little or no phosphate will develop green spot algae.
Andrewz00
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I personally try and stay far away from chems as possible. I like the all natural approach, but thats just me... that being said, i have used filter media to remove phosphates like phoszorb... Seemed to help.
Be sure to check you tap for phosphates also...
Be sure to check you tap for phosphates also...
I had to read this thread a couple of times because I was reading 110L as being a 110 gallons, so thought you were crazy for using a total of 36 watts of light for that big of a tank. Then I saw you were in the UK and decided you must be talking liters. My bad!!
So I've been in your boat as I'm about 16 or 18 months into my first planted tank. I have had algae problems in the past but think I'm heading in the right direction. Here are some of the tips I picked up with my questions on AA over the last several months:
1. Do 50% water changes weekly, and while fighting algae, maybe twice a week.
2. Keep surface agitation to a minimum. I see bubbles in your pic, and my impression is that aeration can release C02 from your tank.
3. Check the Excel bottle for dosing recommendations and follow it closely.
4. Windows = a problem. Stay away from them as drafts or sunlight can really alter your tank.
5. When you can afford it, look at a new filter and different lighting (T5's).
6. Routine routine routine. Stick with a routine of dosing, water changes, etc. so that when something changes for the better or worse in your tank, you can associate it with what change you made in your routine.
6. Rivercats (on this site) introduced me to PPS-Pro for a fertilizing and tank care methodology. I'm about 6 weeks into it and seeing my plants REALLY showing life I hadn't seen ever before. Check into that.
Anyhow, those are some quick tips. I'm by NO MEANS a pro like some of the folks on here, so take my advice carefully
So I've been in your boat as I'm about 16 or 18 months into my first planted tank. I have had algae problems in the past but think I'm heading in the right direction. Here are some of the tips I picked up with my questions on AA over the last several months:
1. Do 50% water changes weekly, and while fighting algae, maybe twice a week.
2. Keep surface agitation to a minimum. I see bubbles in your pic, and my impression is that aeration can release C02 from your tank.
3. Check the Excel bottle for dosing recommendations and follow it closely.
4. Windows = a problem. Stay away from them as drafts or sunlight can really alter your tank.
5. When you can afford it, look at a new filter and different lighting (T5's).
6. Routine routine routine. Stick with a routine of dosing, water changes, etc. so that when something changes for the better or worse in your tank, you can associate it with what change you made in your routine.
6. Rivercats (on this site) introduced me to PPS-Pro for a fertilizing and tank care methodology. I'm about 6 weeks into it and seeing my plants REALLY showing life I hadn't seen ever before. Check into that.
Anyhow, those are some quick tips. I'm by NO MEANS a pro like some of the folks on here, so take my advice carefully
OP
OP
maestromad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks for the tips, I don't think I'll change my filter as I like in tank ones I just don't have the space for outside one.
As for the window there is nowhere else I can have the tank sadly.
I've just tested my phosphate and its reading at 1 so not as horrific as I thought it would be.
I'm keeping up with the dosing and luckily it hasn't really caused my plants to die off I just need them to munch up more nutrients!!
As for the window there is nowhere else I can have the tank sadly.
I've just tested my phosphate and its reading at 1 so not as horrific as I thought it would be.
I'm keeping up with the dosing and luckily it hasn't really caused my plants to die off I just need them to munch up more nutrients!!
