Algae: Gray like bad wig hair

[Newzpix]

Planted 45-gallon tank with CO2 injection and high lighting.

Recently long strands of grayish algae are forming on the plants. It's course and very sticky.

I dose with MasterGrow, potassium and iron every other day.

Hardwater around 12kh. Iron bwt 2 and 5ppm. CO2 around 20ppm (difficult to measure). Nitrates at 0.2 ppm. (all this from memory as I'm at work)

What is causing this algae bloom?

 

[crazycat]

how long has your tank been established? what is your ph? what are your po4 (phosphate) levels?

your nitrates are really low--unless you actually meant 20ppm. if you know your ph and your kh, you should be able to pretty accurately figure out your co2 levels. check out this chart...

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/kh-ph-co2-chart.html

if you don't know your phosphate levels, you should test for them. algae often results from not enough nutrients in the the tank, esp nitrogen.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Link from above

Yes, .2 Nitrate is extremely low, if that is the measured amount (which is more precise then any test I've ever seen) then you should also be dosing with Nitrogen or Nitrate..

note on links, some links contain acronyms (ca , kh, ph...) enclosing them like so.

[ url = http://kh.ph.ca ] Name the link [ / url ]

(I've added a bunch extra spaces that shouldn't be there so it shows properly)

will make the link clickable and stop the acronym police from abusing it.

 

[Newzpix]

Argh.....just checked my log -- I was way off

Ph test from 6.8 - 7.0
Fe 0.2
KH 8
GH 12
Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0

Do not have a phosphate test kit

Tank has been planted since 12/2/05, established in late Oct/early Nov with Eco-complete substrate.

5 Neon Tetras
2 SAE
6 Jopinca Shrimp (twelve put in tank - have no idea where 6 of 'em went)

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Your Nitrate is too low, it should be around 15, other then that I can't see any major problem.

What size is the tank, that seems like a very light bioload, you may have to make Nitrate part of your dosing.

 

[Newzpix]

45-gallon. Basically a 30-gal with 15 gallons added on top.

I am going to double the Tetras this wknd.

From what I've read on other sites, a Nitrate level of 5 ppm is good. Is that info incorrect?

What does raising the Nitrate level do to the water chemistry and plant reaction?

 

[rich311k]

It depends on your phosphate level. A ratio of ten N to 1 P is optimal. I would get a phosphate kit while you are at the LFS. How many watts of lighting do you have?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=55457 is a good read.

Perhaps some oto's would help you out, it sounds like what I've been getting lately (and I have yet to figure out why)

Fuzz algae:
Grows mostly on plant leaves as separate, short (2-3mm) strands. Considered normal. It might be a less "virulent" form of "beard" algae. Easily controlled with algae eaters such as black mollies, Otocinclus, Peckoltia and siamese algae eaters.

taken from Here

 

[Newzpix]

Lighting: Aquarium Hobbist Supply; (1) 96w (1) 55w in one of their wood enclosures. Just had the 96w until last week.

Added the 55w and my tank looks like a glass of champagne in the evening -- all those little bubbles rising off the plants. Also, the green hair algae that covered a piece of driftwood disappeared once I added the extra light.

Algae: Long single strands -- up to 5 inches long. Very sticky.

Nitrate | Phosphate: So if my Nitrate level is 5ppm, my phosphate level should be 0.5?

 

[rich311k]

That is the idea. I think 10 to 1 is better. Sounds like a nice setup. Got any pictures?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Thread algae:
Grows in long, thin strands up to 30 cm or more. Tends toward a dull green color (hard to tell because it is so thin). Usually indicates an excess of iron (> 0.15 ppm). Easily removed with a toothbrush like hair algae.


Staghorn algae:
Looks like individual strands of hair algae but tends to grow in single branching strands like a deer antler and is grey-green. Seems to grow mostly on tank equipment near the surface. Difficult to remove mechanically. Soak affected equipment in a 25% solution of household bleach and water to remove it.

You should check out that second link, lots of information on different types of algae.

 

[crazycat]

Link from above

Yes, .2 Nitrate is extremely low, if that is the measured amount (which is more precise then any test I've ever seen) then you should also be dosing with Nitrogen or Nitrate..

note on links, some links contain acronyms (ca , kh, ph...) enclosing them like so.

[ url = http://kh.ph.ca ] Name the link [ / url ]

(I've added a bunch extra spaces that shouldn't be there so it shows properly)

will make the link clickable and stop the acronym police from abusing it.

thanks wiz! i'll know for next time!

 

[Hoovercat]

My best results have come with adding drops (about 6-8 per 25 gal) of fleet enema every other day for PO4. Dose Nitrate to 15ppm, Potassium to 20ppm, trace for your .2 iron. I don't run as much light as you but I run long photoperiods ~16 hrs. so your results may be similar. There is little chance of getting the algae to clear with 5ppm N and .5ppm PO4. At your levels you'll run out of PO4 so often plants will stop uptake and algae will flourish. If you have pressurised CO2 turn it up some also. Your numbers say you're in good range but with as much light as you have it's better to err to the high side.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

After reading on a nasty algae, I'm going to do a 50% water change 2morrow, and stop adding iron for the plants, apparently Iron contributes to Beard algae, adding it to the substrate or adding it when the plants show deficiency is the best method, test kits are unreliable at best. I think you have the same algae as I do.

The "cure" for beard algae is copper, putting 10Mg/L will kill beard algae in 7-10 days, but can destroy val. (mine is messed up and I couldn't figure out why) and another plant (parrot something, and it's family).. there may be more plants.

I'll let you know if there is any difference after removing Iron from the ferts (I dosed with iron because of yellow leaves, but that may have been a Potassium shortage, the fish should excrete iron in their natural ferts.).. I would pick up an Iron test kit, but I think it's a waste of money (unreliable = useless)

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/red-algae.html <- link to article

 

[Newzpix]

Zero Nitrates

I just tested, and retested, my Nitrate level.

It is near 0.

What can I do to raise the level????
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[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Heavier load in the tank, or dose with nitrogen as needed.

 

[Hoovercat]

KNO3 is available at local hardwares in the U.S. as Green Gight or Grant's stump remover and a dosing calc can be found in the ferts sticky. Highly suggest reading all the stickys to get you up to speed. You WILL have to dose NO3 or shut off lights until it comes back up. Increasing bioload won't cut it in your case.

 

[Newzpix]

I've doubled the number of fish in the tank.

Looked at Stump-Out powder and see it contains Sodium pyrosulphite Na2S205 -- is this what I want for Nitrate?

Also looked at Fleet Enema and don't see Phosphate on the list of ingredients.

 

[Hoovercat]

Stump-Out is not one of the brands suggested. They are KNO3 only. Don't use Na2S2O5 as it will likely poison your tank. Fleet enema lists 19g monobasic and 7g dibasic sodium phosphate as its active ingredients.

 

[crazycat]

wizard--isn't copper really bad for inverts? how did your shrimp fare with the copper treatment?