Still Having Algae Problems - WHY?

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LindaC

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
355
Location
Massachusetts
I thought that once I moved over to pressurized CO2 and started dosing ferts in my 29 gallon tank that I wouldn't have too much of a problem with algae anymore, guess I was wrong. I don't understand why my plants are looking like crap, between the hair algae and the black algae on my sags, the tank looks terrible. I just turned my CO2 up a little higher hoping that this will help. I'm still doing 2 water changes per week and I really don't want to do this anymore.

I tested my PH the night before last and it was 6.6 with KH at 80. I am currently dosing 1/16th tsp of Potassium, 6-8 drops of Phosphate (fleet) and just a pinch of KNO3, every other night and on alternate nights I am dosing traces CSM+B at 1 tsp. I mixed the CSM + B at 1 tablespoon per 500 ml of distilled water. Maybe I'm not adding enough ferts, I know I don't really need much if any KNO3, my nitrates are usually always at 10. I sometimes wonder if the 90% flourite subtrate is contributing to the algae, wish I never put this stuff in my tank.

My lighting is 1 x 55 watt bright kit from AH Supply w/6700K, maybe this isn't enough light? Just trying to figure out why my plants are flourishing. They are growing, but they don't look as good as they should.

My fish load is a pair of Blue Rams, a pair of Apisto red tails, 2 Lemon Tetras and 2 Ottos.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. I'm at the point now where I'm ready to just pack it all in and go with a low tech tank.

Thank you!
Linda
 
Try to keep your Co2 at a steady 30-35ppm.

My first guess is that you might be dosing too much Phosphate. I'm not so sure that you need to be dosing as often as you do with your current lighting levels. What do your test kits say for Phosphate?

Flourite has never caused algae that I know of.
 
I would think you would need more KNO3 Chances are you nitrates are bottoming out, but I would need to know what you NO3 reading is.

Also I would agree with ringfinger, Your Phosphate dosage is a bit high for a 29Gal. Do you know what the reading is for that and how much "8 drops" is?
 
I agree with what ringfinger and wizzard~of~ozz have already said.

We need to know the PO4 reading to go along with your NO3 reading of 10ppm.

Your CO2 looks good, solidly in the 30-35ppm range. As long as it stays steady you should be fine there.

I suspect that your tank is short on Potassium.
1/16tsp KCl would only add ~1.52ppm Potassium to a 29 Gallon Tank
1/16tsp K2SO4 would only add ~1.31ppm Potassium to a 29 Gallon Tank
The pinch of KNO3 that you are adding isn't going to to add much Pottasium so you will need to make sure you are adding enough with you Potassium dosing. I would up the dose to about 11/16tsp if using K2SO4 or 5/8tsp if using KCl.

When you increase the Potassium you'll need to keep an eye on your other nutrients (NO3 & PO4) as the plants will probably start using them faster.
 
Is your KH really 80, or 8.0?? 80 sounds very VERY high, and it might be affecting the growth of the plants. What is your GH? I don't see any dosing of Mg or Ca. I would assume these are in sufficient quantity due to the high KH, but I've heard of tap water that is very high KH with little to no GH and vice versa.

I've heard that very hard water can cause problems, but I agree with the rest that unless you are using phosphates like crazy (unlikely due to your ever present nitrAte level), you shouldn't have a need for so much.

Phosphate will most definately cause algae problems (I'm currently still a bit high in my tank right now, but much lower). I went on vacation for a week when the phosphate were ~5-6ppm (don't ask), and came back to either BBA or brush algae covering my pots, and green spot algae on the glass.

Only other possible thing would be an iron overdose from the traces. This one is apparently very bad to overdose (and impossible to measure levels accurately on a budget). I don't know the exact %'s of what constitutes those other ferts your using so this could be completely wrong.
 
7Enigma - 80ppm KH is about 4.5KH.

I would try to up the potassium as well and see how it effects the algae and your other levels. I added 2ml of fleet enema to my 36 gallon and my phosphate levels stayed near 2.
 
Rich, my mistake. I'm always dealing with degrees of KH/GH, and thought she was possibly at 8.0 degrees of KH. I thought the 80 might have just been a typo, but it should have clicked that it was in ppm.
 
My KH is 80 (4.46 degrees), Rich is correct, but it's 80 because I add baking soda to bring it up, my water is pretty soft, my KH before baking soda is about 50 with GH at 40.

I don't usually dose phosphate every time I dose potasium and KNO3, I'd say I dose about 2-3 times a week (guess that is a lot) and the last time I tested my phosphates, they were 2 to 2.5 or maybe higher, I believe, I find the color chart hard to read with Seachem test kits, the color is so easy to misinterpret. I will test again, it's been a few days, I didn't test my water last night because of the water change. I will definetely back off some but not sure how much. My nitrates usually read 10-15 but if I dose KNO3, they will read 20 or higher.

I dose K2SO4 at 1/16th tsp every other night, but will start to dose more. Actually the smallest measuring spoon I have is 1/8 and I usually dose half of that. I do not dose calcium and magnesium but have been wondering whether or not I should. I thought where I brought my KH up to 80 that I wouldn't need it but I'm thinking wrong here because my GH is 40, maybe I should. Can someone recommend what I should use? Will Epsom Salt work?

My Rotala use to grow so nice and look so pretty but lately it looks terrible. Oh, one more question, what causes the green algae on the glass, not spot algae, I don't seem to have that anymore, but the kind you can just wipe off? Well this is a start anyways, I sure hope I can get my tank under control and balanced, I am spending way too much time on it these days, I want to enjoy it and not be frustrated all the time.

Many thanks!
Linda
 
LindaC: I'm jumping in just to mention the results I got when I had an issue with hair algae recently.

I noticed the hair algae on my jungle vals. It looked unseemly, so I checked in here. It was suggested that I check my NO3 levels. I did and found it was gone. What I had not realized was when I added some large root feeders, I did not increase my natural source of NO3.

I cleaned the plants with the hair with a toothbrush, trimmed the ones that I couldn't and I began dosing N and within a week, all the hair algae was gone. :D

PS - Yep, we want you to enjoy your tank too!
 
Jchillin, not a problem, please feel free to jump in anytime.

Wouldn't you have to test your nitrates everyday in order to see when the levels have disappeared or bottomed out? I have currently been using an Aquarium Pharmaceutical Nitrate test kit, is this considered a reasonable test kit?
 
More frequent testing is necessary upfront while you work to get your levels balanced and determine how much and how often to dose everything. Once you get your tank cleared of algae and aren't seeing any symptoms of nutrient deficiency for awhile, you'll have a pretty good idea what your dosing schedule should be.

AP is one of several liquid reagent kits that works passably well. Like most of the hobbiest grade kits it's not going to be terribly accurate at the lower levels, under 10ppm. This is why most people will run with closer to 20ppm of Nitrates. If you want to try to maintain your Nitrates under 10ppm in order to bring out the reds in certain plants, that's when you need to consider upgrading to a professional grade test like LaMotte.

It's frusterating right now, but I can feel that you're getting really close to that beautiful tank that's just waiting to show itself.
 
It's frusterating right now, but I can feel that you're getting really close to that beautiful tank that's just waiting to show itself.

I sure hope so, it's been a long time coming, that's for sure. I have Hagen test kits for PH and KH and just tested my water and the test kit says my PH is 70 but I really don't think that's correct. I tested the water again with my AP PH test kit and that tells me my PH is 6.6, that's a big difference and by the looks of the rate my CO2 is going through my Hagen Ladder, I'd say the AP test kits are more accurate. My KH according to Hagen is 70 which sounds right where I did a 40% water change yesterday and added 1/2 tsp of baking soda.

Now regarding cal and magnesium, should I dose this according to my tank parameters? GH being 40. Would this help my plants?

Thanks!
Linda
 
I wouldn't worry about it unless you start to see signs of either a calcium or magnesium deficiency.
 
LindaC said:
Wouldn't you have to test your nitrates everyday in order to see when the levels have disappeared or bottomed out? I have currently been using an Aquarium Pharmaceutical Nitrate test kit, is this considered a reasonable test kit?

I had made an assumption that my natural NO3 was going to be enough and I was wrong. The good thing was, I had some flourish nitrogen handy for just such an event. :D
 
See, I was making the same assumption and that's where I could be wrong, although I tested my nitrates last night and they were at 10 ppms and that was the day after I did a 40% water change. Now do nitrates get used up and go down as the week progresses, if so, then I would need to add some KNO3 but not much, this is where I'm having a hard time.

As far as potassium goes, I doubled the amount I usually add. I was adding 1/16th of a teaspoon and last night I added 1/8th of a tsp, big jump huh? *S*
 
FWIW, my most successful tank (29gal w/1x55cf) I don't really test often and add CO2@1 bubble every 3 sec into a hagen ladder.

My dosing schedule is a 50-75% water change followed by 1/4tsp. KNO3, 1/2tsp. K2SO4, either 6-8 drops of Fleet or 1/32tsp of MPP (I use an1/8tsp and fill it 1/4 full). Next day I add 3ml CSM+B (standard mix). I dose the phos. and CSM+B alternate days the rest of the week and add 1/8tsp. KNO3 and 1/4tsp. K2SO4 mid-week. I have a little BBA that is caused by the Hagen's inefficiency and have to scrape my glass from spot algae every week or two.

My water is usually pH 7, KH 5, GH 8 from the tap and the pH is dropped to 6.8 or so by the Hagen ladder.
 
FWIW, my most successful tank (29gal w/1x55cf) I don't really test often and add CO2@1 bubble every 3 sec into a hagen ladder.



If I was to turn down my CO2 so that I only got one bubble every 3 seconds, it wouldn't be enough CO2 for my tank. I couldn't tell you off hand how much it would be but as of now, I must get at least 3 to 4 bubbles per second, maybe even more and that's with the Milwaukee all in one regulator. Where your getting one bubble every 3 seconds, do you know how much CO2 that's giving you?
 
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