Newly Planted Tank

[wackyzman]

Hi guys and gals,

I have a few questions about my set up. I have a heavily planted tank about 15 plants or so, a variety of fish, ie mollies, platies, guppies, resaboras and 1 pleco.

I do frequent pwc and keep the levels down. I am having a brown algae issue on my plants. I use API CO2 Booster and Leafzone for my food. How often should I dose my tank with this stuff?

All my plants are beginner level plants.
Thanks

 

[Rivercats]

First off what size tank, what type lighting, and how long do you run it. When you say brown algae do you have a photo? What does it look like? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[wackyzman]

30 gallon tall. 3 weeks. T5 48 total watts. 24w each bulb.

 

[wackyzman]

Sorry, I run the lights for 9-10 hrs a day.

 

[wackyzman]

The algae is fuzzy, around the edges of the leaves.

 

[Rivercats]

The algae is fuzzy, around the edges of the leaves.

Sounds like you have black beard algae starting but without a picture I can't be sure. Your tank is newly set up and am surprized you don't have diatoms. If you wipe the leaves between your fingers does the algae rub off? You can spot treat the BBA if that is indeed what you have with Excel. I don't know the the active ingredient in the API CO2 Booster but you might be able to use it that way also. But you need to find out what is causing the BBA. It's an imbalance between your lights, ferts, and liquid carbon so you might have to try adjusting things from what your doing. I'd try cutting back on the ferts and go down to no more than 8 hours of light. If that doesn't help read and see if you can increase you CO2 Booster. I have a 220g heavily planted high light tank that I use glutaraldehyde, which is a liquid carbon, in and have had to slowly increase the dosage. Excel directions even states you can slowly increase dosage for high light or heavily planted tanks but I don't know if API works that way.

 

[wackyzman]

I do not know how to post a pic. I can post one if you can tell me how.

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah I'm no help there... still trying to learn how to load pic's to my computer, resize, and post them. But if you start a thread asking how most everyone can tell you how to do it.

 

[Oceangirl]

First get the pictures to your computer, via a cable to the camera or sometime you can just plug the card into the computer. Then go to my computer or icon named computer. When you plug in the card or cord, the camera/card will pop up a box. Choose view files, and then there will be folders or the pictures will be displayed. Click and save the pictures into a folder on your computer. Then when you post here on AA scroll down and see the button manage attachments. Pick your pictures. Let me know if you need anymore help?

 

[Rivercats]

First get the pictures to your computer, via a cable to the camera or sometime you can just plug the card into the computer. Then go to my computer or icon named computer. When you plug in the card or cord, the camera/card will pop up a box. Choose view files, and then there will be folders or the pictures will be displayed. Click and save the pictures into a folder on your computer. Then when you post here on AA scroll down and see the button manage attachments. Pick your pictures. Let me know if you need anymore help?

Thanks, this is good to know, know for me, I have to learn how to resize.

 

[Botanica]

Thanks, this is good to know, know for me, I have to learn how to resize.

Doesn't it auto resize when you go to upload it? I think mine does...because I've never thought of resizing them....huh...

 

[Rivercats]

Doesn't it auto resize when you go to upload it? I think mine does...because I've never thought of resizing them....huh...

Hey granny, this granny has no clue . I've got my youngest, who's 28, here and I took some shots so keep your fingers crossed she'll help me out tonight! I still have to see how she loads them on to my computer. Baby steps here

 

[Botanica]

Hey granny, this granny has no clue . I've got my youngest, who's 28, here and I took some shots so keep your fingers crossed she'll help me out tonight! I still have to see how she loads them on to my computer. Baby steps here

My fingers are crossed! I'm sure all of ours are..hehe. . Are you getting buried in snow? The weather back there looks scary...I feel a bit guilty. We had 78 degrees today...perfect fall weather! I'm going to try to get outside and wash some more sand for my 20s...I'll be waiting for pics!

 

[Rivercats]

My fingers are crossed! I'm sure all of ours are..hehe. . Are you getting buried in snow? The weather back there looks scary...I feel a bit guilty. We had 78 degrees today...perfect fall weather! I'm going to try to get outside and wash some more sand for my 20s...I'll be waiting for pics!

We had those temps last week. It's just getting cold here. The koi are now moving in slow mode but haven't gone down into the 3 foot deep water yet like they do when true winter gets here. And I'm STILL waiting for my daughter to finish the darn book she bought and insists on finishing. It's almost 7pm and I'm getting darn impatient... this is what I feel like right now

Oh I made sure to get a shot of the potho's hanging over the tank with the roots growing in the tank. On a bright note, when we were out today we popped into the only really decent LFS in the city and they actually had "tank raised" cardinal tetra's. I won't buy wild caught cardinals or rummy nose. They are just too sensitive and many die. I waited for my rummy's until I found tank bred ones so I actually bought 11 of them! Best news is when I got home to acclimate them it turns out he gave me 16.... so this is my one bright point of the day. Now if I can't just get these pic's on my computer... I'm dying here!

 

[Botanica]

We had those temps last week. It's just getting cold here. The koi are now moving in slow mode but haven't gone down into the 3 foot deep water yet like they do when true winter gets here. And I'm STILL waiting for my daughter to finish the darn book she bought and insists on finishing. It's almost 7pm and I'm getting darn impatient... this is what I feel like right now

Oh I made sure to get a shot of the potho's hanging over the tank with the roots growing in the tank. On a bright note, when we were out today we popped into the only really decent LFS in the city and they actually had "tank raised" cardinal tetra's. I won't buy wild caught cardinals or rummy nose. They are just too sensitive and many die. I waited for my rummy's until I found tank bred ones so I actually bought 11 of them! Best news is when I got home to acclimate them it turns out he gave me 16.... so this is my one bright point of the day. Now if I can't just get these pic's on my computer... I'm dying here!

That's so exciting...I love new fish! I wasn't too excited about cardinals when we first got them...I associated them with weak neons...but boy do I love them now!! Our large school is so fun to watch as they mill around the bottom! I need at least a small school in my 55 but want rummys too. I've read other posts about making sure to get tank raised ones...I'm hunting locally for some. It must be a good book she's reading...lol!

I think I may have some of the same fuzzy algae in our big tank on the leaves. I'll get photos...but it's just on plant leaves I think. I can treat with excel to kill it? Will it kill the leaf on the plant?

 

[Rivercats]

Show me a pic. If it's BBA then you can spot treat it with Excel. If it gets too bad it can kill leaves by smothering them.

It's a hardback to some series she's been reading and is driving me crazy!

 

[Botanica]

Show me a pic. If it's BBA then you can spot treat it with Excel. If it gets too bad it can kill leaves by smothering them.

It's a hardback to some series she's been reading and is driving me crazy!

Here is a pic of a leaf I should have trimmed off the other day when we did water change...

 

[Rivercats]

Yep I'd say the start of black beard algae. You can just spot treat with Excel. Just pull up a full dosage for your tank in a syringe and get as close to the leaves as you can and gently squirt the Excel on them. If you have alot then you'll have to do them over a few days. You'll know when the BBA starts dying as it will turn pink, red, or white.

BTW... posted my first pic's of the 220g. It was like pulling hair to get my daughter to show me how! Here's one for your hubby as promised.

 

[Aqualady40]

Yep I'd say the start of black beard algae. You can just spot treat with Excel. Just pull up a full dosage for your tank in a syringe and get as close to the leaves as you can and gently squirt the Excel on them. If you have alot then you'll have to do them over a few days. You'll know when the BBA starts dying as it will turn pink, red, or white.

BTW... posted my first pic's of the 220g. It was like pulling hair to get my daughter to show me how! Here's one for your hubby as promised.

Oh, so pretty!

 

[Rivercats]

I recently cut the roots short again, they usually are so long they are almost to the substrate. You have to cut them back every few weeks but the tetras love to hang out in them when they are long.