How to combat an Algae Bloom in High Tech 90gal

[Philly33]

That is a good question. I've only been doing this a month. After calibrating I was told to measure kh and set my controller based on my findings. My kh was really low because I never buffered my R/O for kh, only gh with ro right. I started buffering last week once this occurred. All I can tell you is that the ph was around 7.2 when I attempted a blackout w/o co2. Upon receiving advice, I've restarted ferts, lighting and co2 with 50% wc to reset things. Looks better today. I believe I had low co2 levels with high light. Drop checker has been ordered. I've been able to match my RO wc with tank kh and gh with last 2 batches. I think I'm on the right track.

 

[aqua_chem]

At this point, I would probably 1) Reduce current BBA with H2O2 or scissors, 2) Increase CO2 slowly to 6.7 or 6.6. Once you get a drop checker, you'll be able to be more confident in CO2 levels (ie, less likely to gas). You can also consider reducing light using a screen or removing bulbs (3xt5ho if you fixture can do it, 2xt5ho if not), depending on what plants you have and how dependent you think think they are on high light levels.


My other question: if you're not adding KH, why is your KH 5?

 

[Philly33]

I just started adding kh a little over a week ago. I think the change threw my tank into a bloom. I've cut and spot treated yesterday w/wc. Doing my scheduled wc tomorrow then re-introducing/resetting my ferts via EI. I'll give it a week then possibly reduce to 3 t5hos. I have glosso, HC, riccia, dwarf hg and micro sword. Thought I'd need 4 bulbs to reach 20+" in depth.