Algae identification and advice

[Potluck]

I know I've posted about algae a few times but for some reason I can't access the forum sections to post on those as an update (I use Tapatalk).

so I'll start out with my parameters, light cycle, light intensity etc etc and go from there, this might be a long post, but I have to do it because I'm at my wits end and about to take up knitting.

Parameters
_________________
55 gallon w/fine gravel substrate
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Ph 7.4
Tds 152
Phosphate 2.3
Kh 5
Gh 6
Temp 76
Dose 6 ml thrive a week
Have equilibrium I haven't tried yet
No co2/no excel

Lighting
_________________
48" Fluval 3.0
On for 6.5 hours (not including 1 hour ramp In and 1 hour ramp down)
Running at I believe around 60 percent but I will post my settings hopefully sometime can give me a more accurate estimate

Filtration
________________
1 aquaclear 110
1 aquaclear 70
1 425 gph hydor WaveMaker (not a filter)

Issues
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When I first started out in plants I had algae issues due to I was new, didn't research, added minimal slow growing plants with heavy fert dosing and to long of a photo period, I was advised by many people to stock heavily with plants, lower my light to 40% and photo period to 4.5 hours, I did that and got bga, to combat the bga I was recommended to increase my light intensity & photo period because what I was running the tank at wasn't allowing the plants to grow but algae was thriving, I also dosed chemiclean and the bga went away.

I'm really ocd about tank maintence, I do 50% weekly, with ritual trimming of older leaves that don't look to healthy, I vac my gravel lightly, clean filters once a month , I cut back my feedings to every other day, I've been trying to combat this algae with smaller more frequent water changes, I have tried excel spot dosing, h202 spot dosing (which my fish instantly started gasping) tried raising my light intensity which made it worse, lowering my light intensity made it worse, lowering and raising my ferts made it worse lowered the blue/pink spectrum which seems to of really made it worse.

From what I see on dennis wong's website this is misc green (staghorn, thread, green fluff etc etc) which states

"
Unhealthy or stressed plants (sub-optimal CO2, nutrient issues, overcrowding, transplant shock, physical damage, over-pruning stress, unstable or extreme tank parameters).

Abundance of old, deteriorating growth.

Build up of organic waste/ammonia ( clogged filters, incomplete cycling/filtration, over feeding, poor maintenance )."

I cannot beat this algae I have tried every remedy that's been recommended, as stated, excel, h202, added a powerhead, did a very thorough waterchange (pulled up all hardscape and vacuumed under it), trimmed leaves (not to many), checked parameters again (I use nutrafin nitrate test) which shows 20, every test was as I posted in the beginning, everything I have tried has made it worse or has done nothing, I'm about to lose it as removing this by hand is an absolute nightmare due to its grown into the plants and removing it by hand damages the plant.

Here's some pictures of the algae, and my light settings, maybe someone can see something I'm not, ty in advance as I don't want to quit the hobby I just want to know what I'm doing wrong.



Algae 2 https://imgur.com/a/toVTtrb

 

[ZxC]

Cladophora Algae
Thread Algae
Brown Diatom Algae

Looks like those three to me.

I would:

Excel - Use at 5ml / 10 gallons DAILY.
Clean filters 2 x per month.
Manual removal any chance you can of algae and organics.
Water changes @ 50% weekly look good.
Bump gH 2-3 degrees with equilibrium. This will also raise K (which you desperately need).

6mL thrive gives you:

NO3 is low, PO4 is way low, K is way low for having medium - medium/high light with your current dosing.


I would dose 25mL weekly Thrive to give you:

I shoot for N-P-K of 20ppm-5ppm-25ppm DOSED per week, not TESTED FOR. So regardless of your test readings, I would dose 25mL Thrive, Excel @ 5ml / 10 gallon (so 20 - 25 mL) per day.

Cut that moonlight to 0. No light at all during the night. Keep the main light at 60-70% for max of 6-7 hours a day.

 

[Potluck]

Cladophora Algae
Thread Algae
Brown Diatom Algae

Looks like those three to me.

I would:

Excel - Use at 5ml / 10 gallons DAILY.
Clean filters 2 x per month.
Manual removal any chance you can of algae and organics.
Water changes @ 50% weekly look good.
Bump gH 2-3 degrees with equilibrium. This will also raise K (which you desperately need).

6mL thrive gives you:

NO3 is low, PO4 is way low, K is way low for having medium - medium/high light with your current dosing.


I would dose 25mL weekly Thrive to give you:

I shoot for N-P-K of 20ppm-5ppm-25ppm DOSED per week, not TESTED FOR. So regardless of your test readings, I would dose 25mL Thrive, Excel @ 5ml / 10 gallon (so 20 - 25 mL) per day.

Cut that moonlight to 0. No light at all during the night. Keep the main light at 60-70% for max of 6-7 hours a day.

If I go full dark at night the boss of the tank (male bosemani) beats up on the other fish, could I just lower it to like 1 which would be almost black but just a little ambient, at 5 its duper dark, I have equilibrium but I was afraid to raise kh to fast and shock the fish and snails, I think you said before to add 1/4 teaspoon every other day but not sure I can't find the post, when I increased the ferts from 6 to 8 this algae really took off fast, I'm starting to get really confused about this, my nitrate in the tank is 20 as the tank is pretty heavily stocked or do you mean I should aim for 20 not including the tank?

 

[Potluck]

Think of I need to add that much I should go to dry ferts so I would have to research how to do those, thrive is expensive lol

 

[ZxC]

If I go full dark at night the boss of the tank (male bosemani) beats up on the other fish, could I just lower it to like 1 which would be almost black but just a little ambient, at 5 its duper dark, I have equilibrium but I was afraid to raise kh to fast and shock the fish and snails, I think you said before to add 1/4 teaspoon every other day but not sure I can't find the post, when I increased the ferts from 6 to 8 this algae really took off fast, I'm starting to get really confused about this, my nitrate in the tank is 20 as the tank is pretty heavily stocked or do you mean I should aim for 20 not including the tank?

Think of I need to add that much I should go to dry ferts so I would have to research how to do those, thrive is expensive lol

Equilibrium will not effect kH at all, only gH and K.

Yes, dose N-P-K @ 20-5-25 or in that ball park. Raise gH 2-3 degrees. Dose those levels regardless of the tank readings. My tank runs 40ppm - 20ppm from fish and I target 20ppm NO3 on my weekly front load Macro dose.

 

[Potluck]

Equilibrium will not effect kH at all, only gH and K.

Yes, dose N-P-K @ 20-5-25 or in that ball park. Raise gH 2-3 degrees. Dose those levels regardless of the tank readings. My tank runs 40ppm - 20ppm from fish and I target 20ppm NO3 on my weekly front load Macro dose.

How do dose equilibrium properly, is there a calculator? My gh is 6 so how would I dose to get it to 8 I found a calculator that says 5.5 tbl spoons, can't post a Pic but that seems a bit much (88 grams) from seachem site, and do I do it over a period of a week to not shock the fish? my rainbows will probably love it, not so sure about the tetras.

 

[ZxC]

1 meq/L = 3 degrees. Sp dose 2 - 2.3 tablespoons to get 45 gals up 3 degrees of gH. I would go half that roughly. 1.5 tablespoons (24 grams). that will yield:

So you'll have your K requirements met. Dry ferts it is Skip the K2SO4

 

[Potluck]

1 meq/L = 3 degrees. Sp dose 2 - 2.3 tablespoons to get 45 gals up 3 degrees of gH. I would go half that roughly. 1.5 tablespoons (24 grams). that will yield:

So you'll have your K requirements met. Dry ferts it is Skip the K2SO4

I have a 55 gallon lol but tech about 42 - 45 gallons of water if that's why you put the 45.

I was told to do 1/4 tablespoons every other day as in afraid I'll shock the fish with a big change in gh,my fish look amazing right now and ate extremely healthy, I do have 1 lemon that's old that did list his color every now and then

 

[ZxC]

I have a 55 gallon lol but tech about 42 - 45 gallons of water if that's why you put the 45.

I was told to do 1/4 tablespoons every other day as in afraid I'll shock the fish with a big change in gh,my fish look amazing right now and ate extremely healthy, I do have 1 lemon that's old that did list his color every now and then

I fart around with my gH all the time. No fish loss or distress, same with shrimp.
2 degrees wont hurt anything during a water change. Do 0.75 tbs into your 50% new water, after a couple of 50% water changes your gH should be up 1.5-2 degrees (constantly adding 50% water with the hardness raised 2 degrees).

yes 45 gallons assuming actual water volume not tank size.

 

[Potluck]

I fart around with my gH all the time. No fish loss or distress, same with shrimp.
2 degrees wont hurt anything during a water change. Do 0.75 tbs into your 50% new water, after a couple of 50% water changes your gH should be up 1.5-2 degrees (constantly adding 50% water with the hardness raised 2 degrees).

yes 45 gallons assuming actual water volume not tank size.

So the gh raises over a few weeks to 8, I'm confused about that, you said 3/4 tablespoon once every 50%, do that's one dose a week, does gh not lower or is there some really complex math equation where 3/4 tablespoon per week per 50% will give me 2 ppm lol
I'm horrible at math

 

[ZxC]

So the gh raises over a few weeks to 8, I'm confused about that, you said 3/4 tablespoon once every 50%, do that's one a week, does gh not lower or is there some really complex math equation where 3/4 tablespoon per week will give me 2 ppm lol
In horrible at math

1.5 tbsp into 45 gal = roughly 2 degrees gH increase.

0.75 tbsp into 50% of 45 gal = roughly 2 degrees gH increase.

gH does get "used up" but your swapping 50% of "used up" water with 50% "increased" water every week.

This will eventually turn into a stable gH of roughly 2 degrees over your current levels, with some much needed K.

 

[Potluck]

1.5 tbsp into 45 gal = roughly 2 degrees gH increase.

0.75 tbsp into 50% of 45 gal = roughly 2 degrees gH increase.

gH does get "used up" but your swapping 50% of "used up" water with 50% "increased" water every week.

This will eventually turn into a stable gH of roughly 2 degrees over your current levels, with some much needed K.

Roger, BRB gonna go bang my head on the wall,.......... Okay ow back that hurt lol, i understand now i think lol, if it was 100% fresh to get +2ppm it would be 1.5 tablespoons, but I'm not replacing 100% so i do half? As I'm doing 50%

 

[ZxC]

Roger, BRB gonna go bang my head on the wall,.......... Okay ow back that hurt lol, i understand now i think lol, if it was 100% fresh to get +2ppm it would be 1.5 tablespoons, but I'm not replacing 100% so i do half? As I'm doing 50%

yes exactly. So in theory you are only "shocking" your fish with a 1 degree increase. So it's safe. After a month the tank should be 2 degrees over where it is now, and be stable at that level.

 

[Potluck]

yes exactly. So in theory you are only "shocking" your fish with a 1 degree increase. So it's safe. After a month the tank should be 2 degrees over where it is now, and be stable at that level.

So every water change add 3/4 tablespoon even after gh stable at 8, and you don't think it'll hurt my purty fishes
Tank update 4 https://imgur.com/gallery/it4RPdI

 

[ZxC]

So every water change add 3/4 tablespoon even after gh stable at 8, and you don't think it'll hurt my purty fishes
Tank update 4 https://imgur.com/gallery/it4RPdI

It won't accumulate. You are adding ~6 degrees now + removing a~6 degrees? So you'll be just adding 8 degrees from now on, and removing 8 degrees.

It will not hurt your fish.

If you don't want all that K from equilibrium us CaSO4 and MgSO4 + rotalabutterfly to figure out how much to dose.

 

[King Fisher]

Z, you're a mad scientist. Lol

 

[ZxC]

Z, you're a mad scientist. Lol

Please explain your bold statements

 

[King Fisher]

Haha. You're like chemistry I never had. I'm definitely going to you if I ever set up a high tech tank.

 

[Potluck]

It won't accumulate. You are adding ~6 degrees now + removing a~6 degrees? So you'll be just adding 8 degrees from now on, and removing 8 degrees.

It will not hurt your fish.

If you don't want all that K from equilibrium us CaSO4 and MgSO4 + rotalabutterfly to figure out how much to dose.

Researching dry ferts, this is complicated as (beep) lol, I wish this was a easy as cooking as I am fabulous cook lol.

Like what do I need to get, I know i need the spoons, how much if this and that do I add ohhh muah gawd.

 

[Delapool]

Are you getting much plant growth ?