Caliban's 46G Dirted Bowfront Evolved

[Caliban07]

.....

Still have a bit of BBA hiding amongst the downoi. Tough to get to there. May have to apply easycarbo direct at risk of upsetting the vals. Will monitor it.



Then there's the new swords and my girlfriends Java fern tree.



Also just a couple of snaps to highlight my surface ripple I've got going on.





Still getting the odd patch of BGA on the gravel. It came in other conditions but is not dying. Manual removal is working to reduce its numbers as it is growing more slowly now but once you get a patch this stuff easily spreads.

That's all for now. ?


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[Caliban07]

Goodbye BBA ? hello cyanobacteria, come in, make yourself at home ?


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[Delapool]

Goodbye BBA ? hello cyanobacteria, come in, make yourself at home ?


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Gosh, you get all the er, fun stuff!

How did you manage that? Wondering if any truth to the theory that it strikes where low nitrates.

 

[Caliban07]

Caliban's Dirted 46 Bowfront

Gosh, you get all the er, fun stuff!

How did you manage that? Wondering if any truth to the theory that it strikes where low nitrates.

I don't know. I can't figure it out, it started by the front glass near the substrate and is spreading. Apparently you can put some tape or card along the front glass to block the light at that point, I just haven't got round to it yet. I've switched back to EI to rule out low nitrates.

Flow is good, co2 I assume is good as the plants are growing, Light it lower now, Ferts are high, dissolved organics low (50% water change and running activated carbon and purigen in filter), ph is stable.

What do these little beggars thrive on! ?


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[Delapool]

Caliban's Dirted 46 Bowfront

Fish keepers anguish??

I don't know, only ever had it once and was thought to be low nitrates. Might have been just after a mini-cycle maybe.

I like how one algae type goes and another shows up. Was just wondering the other day if there is anything in that.

 

[Thrills22]

I don't know. I can't figure it out, it started by the front glass near the substrate and is spreading. Apparently you can put some tape or card along the front glass to block the light at that point, I just haven't got round to it yet. I've switched back to EI to rule out low nitrates.

Flow is good, co2 I assume is good as the plants are growing, Light it lower now, Ferts are high, dissolved organics low (50% water change and running activated carbon and purigen in filter), ph is stable.

What do these little beggars thrive on! ��

I had blue-green algae once after I added co2 in my dirted setup. I was using my ehiem 2215 but had to make adjustments to the scape and spray bar to get rid of it. It's can be caused by the following.
Low oxygen
Too much organic waste
Low flow

I noticed that your using a internal filter in this pic and another

View attachment 286107

I'd say that the way these filters distribute water coupled with the type of planted hardscape is the issue here. I'd remove the purigen and carbon and replace it with more media. From the pic it looks like you have more than adequate surface tension so that rules out oxygen being an issue. Perhaps angle the return nozel or attach a diy spray bar for more distribution?

Like yours my blue green algae started at the front. It was directly infront of a piece of bogwood that blocked the water flow. I sawed my spraybar seperating the last three return holes and then reattached it with the ehiem tubing. The latter 3 holes angled towards the surface to oxgenate and the other two thirds of the spray bar angled down for circulation. After about a week to 10 days I came home to find the algae floating as one complete patch and removed it.

I hope at least some of the above helps.

 

[Fresh2o]

BBA or BGA...not sure which is worse.
I've had some limited success spot treating it H2O2. The first time I had it I was not sure what it was. I know that it siphoned up pretty easily. It would form a blanket on plants and substrate. This persisted for months. Finally, I broke down and treated it with API Erythromycin. Treated for 4-5 days; it continued to die off for the next 3 days; then a massive water change.
Good luck!


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[Caliban07]

Caliban's Dirted 46 Bowfront

I had blue-green algae once after I added co2 in my dirted setup. I was using my ehiem 2215 but had to make adjustments to the scape and spray bar to get rid of it. It's can be caused by the following.
Low oxygen
Too much organic waste
Low flow

I noticed that your using a internal filter in this pic and another


I'd say that the way these filters distribute water coupled with the type of planted hardscape is the issue here. I'd remove the purigen and carbon and replace it with more media. From the pic it looks like you have more than adequate surface tension so that rules out oxygen being an issue. Perhaps angle the return nozel or attach a diy spray bar for more distribution?

Like yours my blue green algae started at the front. It was directly infront of a piece of bogwood that blocked the water flow. I sawed my spraybar seperating the last three return holes and then reattached it with the ehiem tubing. The latter 3 holes angled towards the surface to oxgenate and the other two thirds of the spray bar angled down for circulation. After about a week to 10 days I came home to find the algae floating as one complete patch and removed it.

I hope at least some of the above helps.

Incidentally, my blue green came when I added co2 to my set up. This was when flow was much less impeded. I think it's most likely to do with organic waste. I saw it in my firemouth tank that didn't have dirt and I had a 2213 on a spray bar and was also using the the juwel Rio filter so the water was rocking.

The flow is much less where it is growing but the growth is sporadically placed. I can't aim the outlet of the fluval in any other direction unfortunately because of the way I have my canister set up. There's no play in the pipe and if it isn't attached to a suction cup the outlet aims upwards and douses my light fixture. It's as if the 205 pipes are not long enough for the height of the juwel vision.

I'm not sure what removing the carbon and purigen would achieve since the are suppose to remove dissolved organics but I'm willing to give anything a try.


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[Caliban07]

BBA or BGA...not sure which is worse.
I've had some limited success spot treating it H2O2. The first time I had it I was not sure what it was. I know that it siphoned up pretty easily. It would form a blanket on plants and substrate. This persisted for months. Finally, I broke down and treated it with API Erythromycin. Treated for 4-5 days; it continued to die off for the next 3 days; then a massive water change.
Good luck!


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BBA is worse haha. Hate that stuff! It's all gone now. I'll look out for those meds but I'm sure they are not easily acquired here in the UK.


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[jrizza]

I learned a lot from this thread. I wish I read it six months ago! Thanks!


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[Caliban07]

I learned a lot from this thread. I wish I read it six months ago! Thanks!


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Glad you have learned some things ?. I know I certainly have!


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[Caliban07]

Ok so this water change I took the rock out. I figured it might have been impeding flow. The whole left side of the tank sways nicely but there is little sway in the right where my swords are struggling. After the rock removal that flow is still the same. I'm going to have to have a play around with my internal filter to get decent sway all over. The fish are much more active now I have rotated the internal filter round. Before this they would congregate in the right side upper section presumably where flow was minimal. There seems to be some correlation between BGA and low flow as the majority of my BGA grew on the low flow side of the tank but there may be other reasons for this.

A source I trust is adamant BGA is caused by low nitrate. Since (yet again) switching back to using EI I would say that the spread has slowed in its momentum. Hopefully better flow will help deliver all nutrients evenly around the tank.

This is the tank to date.



For once I am starting to enjoy this tank. Fish are so much happier since the modifications, especially with regards to flow which leads me to be mindful not to overlook this important attribute in the future.


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[Delapool]

Still looks good. Can't wait to see it grow in more.

One thing I have noticed and keep meaning to post on is generally I grow mainly one algae type at a time? At the moment it is green algae (which is kind of ok). BBA is pretty much gone. Wondering if you see the same?

I have managed to grow green algae and BBA to over-run the tank but I was swapping lights and the tank was in a fair bit of flux (that's my story anyways).

 

[Thrills22]

Looking really good Caliban. I think removing the stone with help with the algae. May I ask what exactly is your stocking and the numbers of each speicies?

 

[Caliban07]

Still looks good. Can't wait to see it grow in more.

One thing I have noticed and keep meaning to post on is generally I grow mainly one algae type at a time? At the moment it is green algae (which is kind of ok). BBA is pretty much gone. Wondering if you see the same?

I have managed to grow green algae and BBA to over-run the tank but I was swapping lights and the tank was in a fair bit of flux (that's my story anyways).

Thanks bud. I definitely have grown more than one algae at a time but I do see a pattern emerge once getting them under control and that is that one does prevail. Having said that I have indirectly targeted and drove them away. For example, phosphate rid my leaves of GSA while co2 potassium rid the holes forming on older leaves followed by hair algae. Stable co2 and reduced organics seems to have finally rid the tank of BBA and now the BGA is dwindling thanks to improved flow and additional nitrates. Algae is definitely on the decline because I am focusing on plant growth rather than algae decline.


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[Caliban07]

Looking really good Caliban. I think removing the stone with help with the algae. May I ask what exactly is your stocking and the numbers of each speicies?

Thanks thrills. I hope you are right.

Quite sparse at the moment in terms of stocking.

5 ottos
5 cherry barbs
5 cardinals
5 harlequin rasbora
1 female swordtail

Probably could do with a centrepiece.


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[Thrills22]

Thanks thrills. I hope you are right.

Quite sparse at the moment in terms of stocking.

5 ottos
5 cherry barbs
5 cardinals
5 harlequin rasbora
1 female swordtail

Probably could do with a centrepiece.

It doesn't look like you have 21 fish in their at all. What would you go with as a centrepiece if you decide to get one?

 

[Caliban07]

It doesn't look like you have 21 fish in their at all. What would you go with as a centrepiece if you decide to get one?

I'm not too sure at the moment. I want to hold off until I get the tank stable and the plants thriving. These fish have been through a lot and I'm surprised I have all 5 ottos still after nearly a year. They deserve a bit of stability now. My swordtail is completely normal again now too. I think I would go for a pearl gourami or 3 spot.


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[Sk3lly]

Pearl gouramis are cool fish


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[Caliban07]

Pearl gouramis are cool fish


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Thanks, I had one once before but it didn't last long. Mind you, at that particular time not much did. I'm older and wiser now and I'm willing to give them another shot.


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