Planted tank problems

[Hannibal the Bichir]

I have a lightly planted 28 gal tank. I have bad algae problems with just the yellow and bba. I dose the pps-pro ferns, have 6 hrs of light, and moderate filtration. I think my problem is that the tank is lightly planted.

 

[armymp327]

do you use any type of Co2?

 

[Catfish Lover]

I have a lightly planted 28 gal tank. I have bad algae problems with just the yellow and bba. I dose the pps-pro ferns, have 6 hrs of light, and moderate filtration. I think my problem is that the tank is lightly planted.

Are you dosing fertilizer and if so how much? What is your lighting system? It may be too intense even if its on only 6 hrs. BBA is usually a lighting issue.

 

[armymp327]

Are you dosing fertilizer and if so how much? What is your lighting system? It may be too intense even if its on only 6 hrs. BBA is usually a lighting issue.

he said he is dosing PPS-Pro

and BBA is caused because of an imbalance, not just light

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Sorry bout that, now I have time for a full response. Okay, so the key is balance. I achieved this with my nano planted tank, so I was like "how bout turning the 28 bow into a planted" so I did. I'm using DIY co2, two 2l bottles. The pps-pro is from green leaf aquariums. I can tell you exact ingredients if necessary. Lighting is on a timer for six hours. I just am thinking that its the small plant load. My 2.5 has no algae and the plants are rockin. This tank, is slow growth and tons of algae. I'll post pics, but I'm sorry the quality is terrible. It has Eco complete and fluorite. I feel like I've done everything right. Using the finned ray 2. I'm just confused, on how to balance. Again, I think I need more plants. Ignore the Anubis and ferns that are free floating. My driftwood needs to sink, two more weeks to go on it.

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Another pic

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Black beard algae. I don't want to waste treating the algae with my excel, because I want to stop the problem first. Then I won't have continuous outbreaks of this stuff.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Hi there.... Yes I think you need more plants.. especially fast growing type that can out-compete the algae. You also need to keep up with weekly partial water changes to keep the water chemistry in balance. What's your PWC schedule like and are you keeping to it?

DIY co2 is ideal for tanks smaller than 20 gallons. But in a larger tank such as yours, it's certainly better than no co2 at all. You would really need to supplement the DIY CO2 with the liquid carbon from Excel (or Glut alternative) to compensate for the inadequacy. Upgrading to a pressurized system when you can would be something to strive for -- when budget allows.

Do you have a drop checker that's letting you know if your DIY co2 is getting enough co2 in the water?

You can spot treat the BBA with H202 (hydrogen peroxide 3%) with a syringe. This is best done before you do your partial water change. Turn off the filter so there's no current moving around the H202. Spot treat the problems areas and let the H202 settle on the algae for like 10 to 15 minutes. Conduct PWC after.

During the PWC, make sure to rinse out the sponges in the bucket... Adding some Purigen to the filter is also a good idea.

Lastly, you can introduce some Nerite snails and Otos to help with the algae.

If you need some fast growing stem plants, check out the classifieds here or other forums like TPT. I'm going to be doing a trim soon in my larger tank so I'll have some Rotalas and other stems available. I know DantheGuppyMan sells some nice plants as well if you're interested. I think JetaJockey sells some as well. You can PM them.

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Partial water change is done every Sunday. I will spot treat with the hydrogen peroxide. I can also supplement it with excel. Funny thing is, your looking at dans plants. I can get the pressurized systemin August. Nice birthday present right. I had a bn Pleco. Randomly died the other day. Yah will get more plants soon.

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Okay, sorry my post was cut off. I don't have a drop checker. I need to pick up two otos. I'll manually scrub everything and do the bba treatment. Thank you Brian for that informative response and everyone else.

 

[armymp327]

Okay, sorry my post was cut off. I don't have a drop checker. I need to pick up two otos. I'll manually scrub everything and do the bba treatment. Thank you Brian for that informative response and everyone else.

go to ebay and look for a glass drop checker, they are about $10 and are necessary for a tank using DIY or pressurized co2 IMO as they are the most accurate way to see if you have enough or too much co2 or not enough

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah the glass drop checkers on Ebay are nice. Good quality suction cup. My other drop checker, up aqua, from Amazon fails to stay suctioned.

As for the drop checker solutions... You'll need 4dkh and low range pH indicator. If you have an API test kit, this solution is there.