Plants are dying.. Do I need c02?

[__b_3_n__]

My dwarf hairgrass is browning but then I rubbed the brown off and it was pretty green under... My plants aren't doing great and I have some weird algae/fungus growth.. Will C02 really help? Because they are a little on the expensive side... Can I make my own?

 

[venymae]

you have brown algae. diatom. oto cats, shrimp, and other critters can help you with that. I've also heard dosing with Excel, but I've never tried it myself. CO2 probably is not your problem.

 

[Sk3lly]

Diatoms. How old is the tank?

 

[__b_3_n__]

Diatoms. How old is the tank?

It is about 4 years old but I recently re did the whole thing and cleaned it out

 

[Sk3lly]

New sand or gravel??

 

[__b_3_n__]

New sand or gravel??

New sand

 

[Sk3lly]

Its a diatom bloom then. Diatoms are a form of algae that use the silicates from sand as a food source. Once the silicates are used up, the algae dies back. Just be patient. I guess if your worried about yours plants you can try rub the diatoms from the leaves. May be too difficult on delicate plants though

 

[__b_3_n__]

Its a diatom bloom then. Diatoms are a form of algae that use the silicates from sand as a food source. Once the silicates are used up, the algae dies back. Just be patient. I guess if your worried about yours plants you can try rub the diatoms from the leaves. May be too difficult on delicate plants though

Thanks so much!!! I am so glad I downloaded this app you guys are so much help!! And so if I wait eventually it will go away? And some is on the glass too... Would Pygmy Cory cats help? Or amano shrimp?

 

[Sk3lly]

Yea it should go away on its own. You can scrape it off the glass using a cleaning pad then suck it out the water when doing a water change. Im not so sure about the corys but i think the amanos will go for it

 

[__b_3_n__]

Yea it should go away on its own. You can scrape it off the glass using a cleaning pad then suck it out the water when doing a water change. Im not so sure about the corys but i think the amanos will go for it

Thanks so much! I have scraped it out but it popped up the next day even though I tried to suck it out! And what about mystery snails or ramshorn? Will they help?

 

[Mebbid]

What's your lighting / fertilization like? Do you use excel? How long do you run the lights? Optimally diatoms should not be growing on healthy plants.

 

[__b_3_n__]

What's your lighting / fertilization like? Do you use excel? How long do you run the lights? Optimally diatoms should not be growing on healthy plants.

I don't know what excel is but I have sand and I run the lights from about 7:15 in the morning to about 9:30 at night. Is that too long? Should I set a timer?

 

[Mebbid]

I don't know what excel is but I have sand and I run the lights from about 7:15 in the morning to about 9:30 at night. Is that too long? Should I set a timer?

Excel is a liquid carbon supplement for plants.

Also, yes that is far too long and is just causing the algae issues to be worse. It's standard to run lights in a planted aquarium for 6 - 8 hours to keep algae under control. More than 10 hours will generally end poorly.

 

[__b_3_n__]

Excel is a liquid carbon supplement for plants.



Also, yes that is far too long and is just causing the algae issues to be worse. It's standard to run lights in a planted aquarium for 6 - 8 hours to keep algae under control. More than 10 hours will generally end poorly.

And my fish won't mind that amount of light? And I'm afraid they won't see the food when it's dark... Will that be a problem?

 

[Mebbid]

And my fish won't mind that amount of light? And I'm afraid they won't see the food when it's dark... Will that be a problem?

Just feed when the light is on

If it helps maximize your viewing time you can easily do two separate light cycles. I used to do 6 hour on / off cycles and that seemed okay for algae control. A lot of people do 4 hours in the am and then 4 hours after work so they can get some time before work as well.

The fish don't really need the light aside from eating.

 

[__b_3_n__]

Just feed when the light is on



If it helps maximize your viewing time you can easily do two separate light cycles. I used to do 6 hour on / off cycles and that seemed okay for algae control. A lot of people do 4 hours in the am and then 4 hours after work so they can get some time before work as well.



The fish don't really need the light aside from eating.

Ok thanks!