In need of help :(

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Dominick

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
191
Location
Mesa Arizona
Well we i wright this im trying to get as much as possible out.
I was recently infested with staghorn algae it took over bad when i went
on vacation for a week.
anyways i still have some on the leaves of my amazon sword tails
I also have it on the Glosso my question is if i leave it on the glosso will it over time die off? because as you know staghorn dosent come off easy and i keep ripping up the glosso trying to remove it by hand.

I dont know my water parameters as of yet ill get them to you when everything is back and settled down.

any sugestions as to what i may be able to OD on to kill it all off faster?

also a little hit to what happened i have my canaster filter as the CO2 reactor (pressurized CO2) and it stopped running had clear water the whole time it wasent working no spikes in ammonia or nitrite it was off for about a month dident know it :( feel so bad for the fish and plants

TIA



OMG dident mean to spamm it like that can an admin remove two of thes topics

my browser flipped out
 
I took care of the other threads for you.

I would suggest getting your dosing and CO2 back in order, that will help control the algae. I have never had stag horn, but getting everything back in order is a good place to start for controlling all algaes.
 
Thanks for removing them sorry about that.
like i said after i get it all settled down ill take samples and post them
 
I got staghorn when I removed my CO2 in my BN tank. I simply started dosing more PO4 and alittle higher in NO3 and it has stopped growing and spreading. I will probably get rid of the rest once I get some excel and do a plant dip. I need to help my Anubias and Christmas moss with the dip and dosing should take care of the rest of it in the tank, or at least control it even better.

I had thought about getting some Cherry barbs but my tank is overstocked already so more fish really aren't an option unless I get rid of a few fish. Might be an option if you have room.
 
I've also read that SAE's will eat it.

I had some that went away quick when my CO2 injection balanced out after a week of problems.
 
I had a really bad outbreak and had room in my tank for a couple of fish and bought a pair (m/f) of long finned rosy barbs. Withinin a few days it was hardly noticeable - those two fish really had a feast !
 
I have had a bought with staghorn and still have small amounts in my tank (major outbreak was about 3 months ago). Seems that low CO2 definately allows this #@$# to grab a hold, and it is very insideous, similar to BBA in annoyance. Getting CO2 and ferts back in line and trimming easily removed leaves was a good start.

Back when this happened I created a thread focusing on alternative methods to just removing the infected leaves and had great success with using spot hydrogen peroxide treatment. I have several anubias leaves that can attest to the peroxide treatment. These were recommeneded to be removed, but I wanted to see what all the peroxide fuss was about. I spot treated the staghorn with peroxide, and over a period of about a week the staghorn died (I did miss a couple areas that had to be reapplied), and the plant suffered no damage and healed the wounds where the staghorn had grown. I would imagine this would work well for your glosso since I can't imagine trying to remove individual leaflets.

Again fix the problem which was most likely CO2 and to a lesser extent ferts, but there are several effective methods of getting rid of algae that when done carefully will speed up your tanks recovery.

Note: I would recommend using an Excel/bleach/peroxide dip outside of the tank if possible on the plants. Glosso is a pain to remove and put back in so spot treatment might be a better move. In my case, the java fern and anubias were huge and had attached to ornaments and rooted in the PFS so removal was not an option.

Please post in here for specific directions if you wish to try one of these methods.
 
Ok well iv fixed all the problems got the filter back up and running (keeping close eye on it for now on) CO2 fully running again (making new reactor this weekend).

Now whats this spot treatment you talk about, will I be able to inject hydrogen peroxide right into the tank above my glosso?

Also i have giant hair grass (i think thats what that is) anyways can i dip this into a pan of
hydrogen peroxide/water solution? if so what strength?
Ill post my tests tonight after i get home from work.

TIA


*EDIT* what types of algae does hydrogen peroxide kill?
 
Dominick said:
Now whats this spot treatment you talk about, will I be able to inject hydrogen peroxide right into the tank above my glosso?

Also i have giant hair grass (i think thats what that is) anyways can i dip this into a pan of
hydrogen peroxide/water solution? if so what strength?
Ill post my tests tonight after i get home from work.

TIA


*EDIT* what types of algae does hydrogen peroxide kill?

Spot treatment refers to treating inside the tank using an exact application. A pipette is the preferred method, but something like a turkey baster (as thin as possible) would work as well. This allows you to get highly concentrated liquid at the algae, while not dosing your tank with a lot.

As mentioned in the previous post anything you can take out of the tank easily is ALWAYS the better method since you risk no damage to the fish/inverts/filter. If there is something not easily removed, then spot treatment is good.

Hydrogen peroxide is sold normally at 3% strength in most places. This is used at full strength to kill algae. When I did this with my tank I turned off the filter and PH (anything that agitates the water), did my spot treatment (use LESS than 1oz per 20gallons to be safe, if you need more, you HAVE to wait at least a day), waited 30 seconds (that's right 1/2 minute!) and then turned everything back on. Peroxide like bleach is no joke. You cannot haphazardly apply it. Generally 30seconds from a NEW bottle is enough to kill the algae present.

If doing this in a container outside of the tank (like for your grass), same rules apply. 30seconds, then quickly rinse in tap water well. The nice thing about peroxide is that you cannot harm the fish if you rinse the plant off before going back in the tank (unlike bleach where you really need to dechlor after treatment).

As for what types of algae, ALL types of algae. I have yet to hear of any species that does not get affected by HP and for good reason: its' a reducing agent and thus doesn't care if its a fish, a plant, a snail, or algae, it will damage anything.

Again if attempting to do this reread what I posted and be sure you are clear on the directions. Bottom line, keep away from fish as much as possible, dose no more than 1oz per 20gallons, 30second contact time, and then rinse off or turn on filter/PH to dilute the peroxide.

HTH
 
Well i was finaly able to get able to get some tests

came up with

0ppm ammonia
0ppm nitrite
0ppm nitrate
1ppm phosphate

in a 80 gal with 4 x 96 watt 10,000 PC lighting
 
Ouch! If your test kit is working properly, sounds like you need to start dosing a bit more often!

Might check the test kit first, though. What test are you using for Nitrates? Are you following the directions exactly? It's an easy one to make a mistake with.

How often do you dose macros? Are you on any sort of EI schedule?
 
As for the Staghorn being on the Glosso, it may die off eventually, but what you can do is cut off any strands with a sharp-tipped pair of scissors. Just get the worst ones.

I would also agree, you need to dose more. 0ppm nitrates, if it's really 0ppm, is not good. You shouldn't allow any of the nutrients to drop out.
 
I use AP test kits there new and yes im following the directions to the T
and no im not on EI i dont even know where to get EI

and yes them dropping was my fault i was always doing over time at work and i was out of town for a week so it got bad :(
 
Here's EI, based on high light, heavy plant load, and CO2.

20-40 Gallon Aquariums
+/- 1/4 tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp K2S04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp (5ml) Trace Elements 3x a week
50% weekly water change

60 – 80 Gallon Aquariums
+/- 3/4 tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 3/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/4 tsp K2S04 3x a week
+/- 1/4 tsp (15ml) Trace 3x a week
50% weekly water change

Dominick said:
I use AP test kits there new and yes im following the directions to the T
and no im not on EI i dont even know where to get EI

EI is not a product, but a way of dosing to keep nutrient levels up in excess, but not too high to be dangerous for fish and invert life. Also, it's not exact either, as you will just need to watch your plants, and may need to tweak the dosing according to your individual tank. It's an excellent starting point.
 
i know its not a product tho i thought it was a excel spread sheet that allowed you to put information in and calculate what you need as far as nutrients
 
The spreadsheet isn't EI. It's another way of tracking your dosing, and requires you to test your tank parameters. Basically, EI is dosing excess safely for good plant growth, and uses PWC's to reset the tank weekly. Thus, no testing is required with EI.

For people who like to test all their parameters and keep everything in specs without going in excess, the spreadsheet works great, as it allows you to monitor all your parameters and you know exactly where you stand.
 
ok im spot treating the algae within the tank on the glosso
im following your instructions as u wrote them now the algae on the glosso is bubbling and the stupid mollies will not stay away from it is this ok?
 
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