As simple as more plants?

[fish_4_all]

I have everything where it should be and still have an algae problem. The only thing I can think of is that I don't have enough plants. The tanks are sparsely plants so the question is should adding more plants make that much of a difference?

If so, what stem plants are fast growers? I have Hygro Rosenervig, Rotala Rotundifolia, Crypt Becketti, and HC in one tank and 1 Red Melon sword (which I am thinking about getting rid of), 5 Red Wendtii and 5ish java fern which is getting pretty big, growing better than my sword but not faster. My HC is about to become my ground cover once I get my Rockwool and get it to start growing.

Thanks ahead of time for your generous suggesitons.

 

[ringfinger]

The tank may just need some more time to balance, but not having enough plants is a strong possibility. How confident are you in your test kit accuracy? That is all I can think of.

 

[DarylF2]

You can never have enough plants...

Is Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) a stem plant? Its a VERY fast grower in my tanks.

I'm pretty sure that Aponogeton aren't stem plants, but they are VERY fast growers from "dry" bulbs (bought at PetCo) in my tanks, too.

 

[czcz]

High plant mass makes everything in this hobby easier, and every modern doasing method assumes high plant mass. I think your adding more plants is crtical in solving problems.

H. polysperma and R. rotundifolia are fast growers.

How about EI?

add:
A lot of plants
10ppm NO3 from KNO3 3*wk
1.5ppm PO4 from KH2PO4 3*wk
.2ppm Fe from CSM+B 3*wk (opposite days from above)
50% water change weekly
Crank CO2

Try it for a couple weeks and see how it gets easier. Then maximizing plant health is just a matter of adjusting these levels for your specific tank and plants.

HTH

 

[fish_4_all]

I have been thinking about EI more and more. The only thing is what do I do to reset my tanks? 50% water change once, a couple times or more?

I have tested my test kits and they all come out accurate within 5% or so. Nitrates tested at 10ppm and the actual test showed just over, color was a little darker. Then again I am measuring with teaspoons and not scales. PO4 right on, don't know how to test pH, GH or KH kit.

CO2 is as high as I can get it without adding a bunch of junk to my 10 gallon tanks and take up room for plants. Is usually 50+ppm. That and I need the money to buy more plants!. lol

 

[czcz]

I've been following your posts and threads for a while, so please excuse the length of this post, but I have a few pennies of thought.

The only thing is what do I do to reset my tanks? 50% water change once, a couple times or more?

50% water change before starting EI. 50% water change at the end of every week. Later it's easy to adapt the water change schedule, but it's so easy to change water in a 10gallon there's no reason not to.

don't know how to test pH, GH or KH kit.

You could calibrate the pH test with a solution of known acidity (like how those with pH controllers calibrate), and you could do the same with KH and GH by reconstituting RO/DI with the calcs in the fertilization sticky. However, better to save your time since the KH/pH chart often breaks anyway.

And this is the basic concept, in my mind, of EI: its easy enough to eliminate light by using a lot of watts. Its easy to cover nutrients with the dosing above. All thats left is CO2, and our indicator can be as simple as, "There's algae: I must need more CO2." It makes everything simpler.

FWIW, here's what I've learned from keeping small tanks. I think of hobbies and most things in terms of learning curves and saftey nets, and the best way to make this hobby easier while learning high-light, in my opinion, are:

1) Water changes (since they're so easy in small tanks)
2) CO2
3) Lots of plants
4) Run nutrients relatively rich to start: crash N and do advanced/intermediate stuff after you've already beaten algae.

In other words, essentially EI.

Just try it for two weeks. Suggest you read the Estimative Index articles a few times during those couple of weeks. Nothing to lose, and I'll bet you plants it makes the hobby easier long term

Good luck.

 

[fish_4_all]

I will try it. Can't hurt anything. I need some more plants first but that shouldn't be hard. My LFS at least has some that will get me started toward a heavy planted tank. That and after I get my tabs it should be a breeze to get growth ready for the EI change.

I have read the report a couple times and again after each time some explains a little more of it. A lot of assumptions but if it works so well then I can deal with that. Sooner or later I hope to understand most of it.

If it works, I will send trimming of whatever I can get to outgrow my tank. Want to start with a Red Melon Sword.

All I know is I hate algae and it makes a planted tank look really bad. I will try EI because I hate it so much and it all sounds like it works so well, that and your tanks look so good. That and I am no chemist nor botanist so I have to go with those that know.

 

[Zezmo]

What Cz is saying is right on the money. That is pretty much a recipe for growing an awsome algae free tank at that size.