Question about Lighting/Ferts~!

[Shiina107]

Hi everyone, tonight my question is simple but let me explain a few things first:

I know if you have a very intense light, that you need the Ferts and or CO2 to keep up with it or you get algae like no tomorrow! SO, my question is: can i just use ferts and root tabs to provide my plants with what they need and to keep algae away? I am not really a novice/beginner when it comes to plants however i am by no means overly experienced and am still learning new things everyday through my own experiences and research! Therefore, i would rather not go down the rabbit hole of CO2 setups at the moment. I am currently using Flourish Excel but i know there are way better ferts out there so if anyone can recommend one that works great for my tanks that would be incredible! There's just so many to choose from sometimes it's better to go out and ask fellow hobbyists what works best for them.




(Light specs: 15W, 6500K, 850LM, 72PAR)

 

[ZxC]

72 PAR at what depth?
Tank size?

Flourish Excel is not fertilizer, it is a mild algaecide that breaks down protein films on plant leaves allowing them to better utilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations, along with helping to control algae. Use at the "after water change" rate daily, or else it will not be of noticeable benefit.

All in one ferts such as Thrive are good, Flourish line up is not worth the money unless you are using a specific one for a specific reason. The issue with all in one fertilizers is you have no control over each ingredient. If you want to target a certain ppm of Nitrate, you are stuck with whatever dose of Phosphate you get by targeting the Nitrate ppm.

For simple tanks, Flourish comprehensive plus Flourish trace is likely enough, but a shot of macro nutrients (NO3, PO4 and K) will be of benefit.

You can buy EI or PPS pro packages, GLA, aquarium fertilizer . com etc. This will come with what you want:

KNO3
KH2PO4
CSM+B

You can also look into some gH boosters if you need to bump gH up, but stick to ones without the addition of unnecessary levels of K. CaSO4 and MgSO4 are more than sufficient to boost gH.

For root tabs, do not buy overpriced Flourish Tabs. Buy 1000 size 00 edible gel capsules and sill them with Osmocote+ granular fertilizer instead. Way better tabs at a fraction of the price of Flourish / API tabs.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Shii...

The first thing I'd recommend is researching the lighting needs of the plants you want to keep. If you keep plants that require only low to moderate light, you don't need high end lighting and a pricey CO2 system for them to grow, and the ferts the fish produce is generally enough. Do your homework first and then if you find your plants require strong light, then look into a CO2 system or EI dosing.

B

 

[Shiina107]

Hello Shii...

The first thing I'd recommend is researching the lighting needs of the plants you want to keep. If you keep plants that require only low to moderate light, you don't need high end lighting and a pricey CO2 system for them to grow, and the ferts the fish produce is generally enough. Do your homework first and then if you find your plants require strong light, then look into a CO2 system or EI dosing.

B

Hey thanks for the reply!

My plants all are low to medium light plants so the light I have should be about good for them. They all are doing fine it’s just I’m having some minor algae problems so I’m cutting down the light in small increments to see if that could be the issue(which I’m like 95% sure it is).

 

[Shiina107]

72 PAR at what depth?
Tank size?

Flourish Excel is not fertilizer, it is a mild algaecide that breaks down protein films on plant leaves allowing them to better utilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations, along with helping to control algae. Use at the "after water change" rate daily, or else it will not be of noticeable benefit.

All in one ferts such as Thrive are good, Flourish line up is not worth the money unless you are using a specific one for a specific reason. The issue with all in one fertilizers is you have no control over each ingredient. If you want to target a certain ppm of Nitrate, you are stuck with whatever dose of Phosphate you get by targeting the Nitrate ppm.

For simple tanks, Flourish comprehensive plus Flourish trace is likely enough, but a shot of macro nutrients (NO3, PO4 and K) will be of benefit.

You can buy EI or PPS pro packages, GLA, aquarium fertilizer . com etc. This will come with what you want:

KNO3
KH2PO4
CSM+B

You can also look into some gH boosters if you need to bump gH up, but stick to ones without the addition of unnecessary levels of K. CaSO4 and MgSO4 are more than sufficient to boost gH.

For root tabs, do not buy overpriced Flourish Tabs. Buy 1000 size 00 edible gel capsules and sill them with Osmocote+ granular fertilizer instead. Way better tabs at a fraction of the price of Flourish / API tabs.

Hey thanks for the reply!! The light measure 72 PAR at 12 inches, the tank sizes are 10 gallon and 8.8 gallon. My main focus for the issue was my algae problems which I’m pretty sure are related to excess light. Thank you for the advice on the tabs!! I’m def gonna do that instead cus screw $14 for those flourish tabs haha! Anyways I appreciate the advice!!

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again...

Algae problems aren't necessarily too much light. There may be excess nutrients. Any food that isn't eaten by the fish, dissolves in the tank water and this is a perfect environment for algae growth. Flaked fish foods are generally high in phosphate and this is a good algae nutrient. Gradually work up to the point you change out most of the tank water weekly. This will remove added nutrients and slow the growth of algae.

B

 

[ZxC]

Lighting is the single largest proponent of algae growth in my experience.

72 PAR is a lot of light without CO2, so limiting it to 6 hours a day is the biggest step you can make in overcoming algae.

I dose my tank to 6ppm of PO4 and 30ppm of NO3 and yet I don't have algae, nutrients in a planted tank are not a singular cause for algae. Certain nutrients out of balance can promote algae, but in general excess nutrients alone will not cause it.

 

[Shiina107]

Lighting is the single largest proponent of algae growth in my experience.

72 PAR is a lot of light without CO2, so limiting it to 6 hours a day is the biggest step you can make in overcoming algae.

I dose my tank to 6ppm of PO4 and 30ppm of NO3 and yet I don't have algae, nutrients in a planted tank are not a singular cause for algae. Certain nutrients out of balance can promote algae, but in general excess nutrients alone will not cause it.

Thanks for your reply! I have already started limiting light down to 7 hours. To be honest the algae isn’t even like a HUGE problem for me! It’s just starting to pop up here and there and I wanted to make sure I am on top of it before it becomes a big mess!

 

[Shiina107]

Hello again...

Algae problems aren't necessarily too much light. There may be excess nutrients. Any food that isn't eaten by the fish, dissolves in the tank water and this is a perfect environment for algae growth. Flaked fish foods are generally high in phosphate and this is a good algae nutrient. Gradually work up to the point you change out most of the tank water weekly. This will remove added nutrients and slow the growth of algae.

B

I am VERY careful about feeding my tanks: fed once daily 6 days a week with 1 fasting day and 30% water changes every Sunday like clockwork! This is the reason as to why I believed light could be causing the small amounts of algae to bloom, as with my strict feeding and w/c schedule I didn’t believe I could have enough excess nutrients in my tank, however I will switch from flaked food to something else and see if it makes a difference, thank you!

 

[King Fisher]

Maybe try a 40-50% water change. Couldn't hurt.

 

[Shiina107]

Maybe try a 40-50% water change. Couldn't hurt.

Gotcha boss! Haha

 

[Delapool]

You can also mask off led lights with tape if algae gets too bad. I tried that suggestion from here on 5gal and worked quite well.

 

[Shiina107]

UPDATE TO ALL: I have since lowered my light to 6 hours daily and 1 tank, the algae has significantly slowed in growth and I plan to do a major water change tonight and clean all surfaces. My other tank, however, houses my single dwarf puffer and it appears I am having a small Cyanobacteria outbreak... bits of blue-green algae are on the sand only and i remove it all just to have it reappear within a few days. I do not over feed, and I do weekly 30% waterchanges, often more times a week. Is there any way for me to help this? And will buying ferts for his tank(because the tank is NOT stocked heavily) help the plants grow enough to outcompete other algaes?

 

[ZxC]

UPDATE TO ALL: I have since lowered my light to 6 hours daily and 1 tank, the algae has significantly slowed in growth and I plan to do a major water change tonight and clean all surfaces. My other tank, however, houses my single dwarf puffer and it appears I am having a small Cyanobacteria outbreak... bits of blue-green algae are on the sand only and i remove it all just to have it reappear within a few days. I do not over feed, and I do weekly 30% waterchanges, often more times a week. Is there any way for me to help this? And will buying ferts for his tank(because the tank is NOT stocked heavily) help the plants grow enough to outcompete other algaes?

Chemiclean for cyano, only way I have ever gotten rid of it.

 

[Delapool]

Chemiclean for cyano, only way I have ever gotten rid of it.

Wondering what’s in the chemiclean? The tank we treated with furan2 was good for a few months and then came back (they used a whole tub! which was pretty expensive and now looking at other treatments we can locally source over here in Aus).

 

[ZxC]

Wondering what’s in the chemiclean? The tank we treated with furan2 was good for a few months and then came back (they used a whole tub! which was pretty expensive and now looking at other treatments we can locally source over here in Aus).

Well, Chemiclean will kill it but not prevent it / solve the root cause.

Increase tank turnover, correct fertilizer regime, find a balance of light, more water changes and removal of all organics / mulm / detritus is key to keeping it from coming back.