Hair/Beard Algae control.....

[ikon]

Any ideas or tips on how to control/get rid of staghorn and/or beard/thread algae ?

I have a 20 gal high , java ferns , 1 camboda , cpl sword plants , ludwiga repens ..

I have a red sea co2 kit ......

I change the filter pad every month ...

Levels are nitrite 0 , ammon 0 , nitrate 0 , I bought a phosphate test kit the other day and it was reading .25ppm OR 1.0ppm kinda hard to tell cuz the colors looks pretty much the same ..

I leave the light on for about 10 hours a day .. its a 65 watt ( 6,700 k ) dble strip light

I also have a seachem phosguard in the filter canister .. I do water changes every week about 25-50% ... but I still cant get rid of the stag and beard algae ... The beard algae is " glued " onto the sword plant leaves so if I try to remove it ,,, part of the leaf comes off ..

Are there any stickes or home remadies I can use..

 

[Purrbox]

It appears that you need to start dosing ferts. If you've got a true result on your Nitrates, they've bottomed out. If Nitrates have bottomed out, then it is likely that some other nutrients have bottomed out as well or will bottom out when you start dosing Nitrate. There is a link to fertilization in the Read This First Sticky.

Phosphate is one of the nutrients that your plants need, so unless you have unreasonable high Phosphate levels out of the tap there's no need for the Phosguard. Even then it's arguable that you really don't need the Phosguard in a planted tank.

The other thing that could be causing issues is your CO2 level. What is your pH and KH? These will allow you to calculate your CO2 levels.

 

[Michael]

Yes, Purrbox is spot on, you are starving your plants. Nitrates should read 10 - 20 ppm and Phosphates 1 - 2 ppm. BBA will accure if your CO2 levels are to low.

 

[ikon]

It appears that you need to start dosing ferts. If you've got a true result on your Nitrates, they've bottomed out. If Nitrates have bottomed out, then it is likely that some other nutrients have bottomed out as well or will bottom out when you start dosing Nitrate. There is a link to fertilization in the Read This First Sticky.

Phosphate is one of the nutrients that your plants need, so unless you have unreasonable high Phosphate levels out of the tap there's no need for the Phosguard. Even then it's arguable that you really don't need the Phosguard in a planted tank.

The other thing that could be causing issues is your CO2 level. What is your pH and KH? These will allow you to calculate your CO2 levels.

i dose with flourish regular liq fert 2 a week ... sometimes 1 a week .. usually i use a half cap full ..

i did buy a KH test kit the toher day .. API brand ... according to chucks calculator im at ..

ph 7.2
kh 5
co2ppm 9.464 but thats only after the co2 being off all night .. now yesterday i did it after it being on all day and it was 11.xxx i dont get it .. unless i have a bad co2 kit .. i took the bio wheel out of the filter .. i use filter media fluval rings .. where the water comes out of the filter i have the water level touching it to minimize water surface .. i turned off all airstones .. i have the ventrali injector ( the co2 kit ) on the bottom of the tank on the opposite side of the tank from the filter .. it shoots out A LOT of bubbles every several secons and i notice they shoot straight to the top ..

should i get a bubble counter to slow down the bubbles ?? im thinkin if i can keep the bubbles from rising so fast ill be ok .. or maybe should i get some kinda bell ?? or should i try a different co2 system ??

ammon 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 10 phos is around 1

 

[Purrbox]

The problem with the Packaged DIY CO2 Kits is that they often don't do as good a job as we expect. The reason is that they are rating them based on a much lower CO2 level than most of us actually try to reach in the size tank they list. Switching to a couple of 2 Liter bottles would probably help greatly.

With the new numbers that you've posted you may be okay without dosing macros IF you're test kit is reporting accurately. The only way to know for sure is to calibrate your test kit. Personally I'd still start dosing a little bit of macros just to give yourself some cushion.

 

[ikon]

The problem with the Packaged DIY CO2 Kits is that they often don't do as good a job as we expect. The reason is that they are rating them based on a much lower CO2 level than most of us actually try to reach in the size tank they list. Switching to a couple of 2 Liter bottles would probably help greatly.

With the new numbers that you've posted you may be okay without dosing macros IF you're test kit is reporting accurately. The only way to know for sure is to calibrate your test kit. Personally I'd still start dosing a little bit of macros just to give yourself some cushion.

i was told by a lfs i should stop using ferts until i get the algae under control ..

as for the co2 kit goes .. ive been using the red sea mixture .. im gonna try making my own mixture from yeast n sugar and see if that helps any .. agaiun the lfs said i should probably buy another red sea co2 kit ..

if i was to switch to 2 liter bottles .. could i stuff use the ventrai diffuser ?? its like a powerhead ...

what do you mean by macros ??

i also started using flourish excel .. 1 capfull every other day .. 20 gal high ..

but with the red sea co2 pumping oiut so little co2 (although the bubbles comes out every few seconds ) do u think it would be ok to leave it on when i turn the light off ??

 

[Purrbox]

If you stop using ferts, there's a good chance you won't be able to get your algae problems under control. Algae control is all about balance. You need to get your aquarium in balance (light, carbon/CO2, and fertilizers) so that you plants can grow well and the algae doesn't.

Sounds like the LFS is out to make money off of you. Sure you could buy another Red Sea Kit to improve your CO2 levels but all this would do is get you another 1 Liter CO2 generator and an extra CO2 reactor that you don't need. By switching to a pair of 2 Liter bottles you can increase the amount of CO2 production (by 4 instead of just 2) and still use the CO2 reactor that you already have.

Macros are the Macro Nutrients (fertilizers). This includes Nitrates, Phosphates, and Potassium.

No need to turn of the reactor at night, especially if you're having troubles getting your numbers up. I leave my CO2 on 24/7 even though I'm using pressurized CO2. Sure it's a bit wasteful, but it won't harm the tank at all.

 

[ikon]

If you stop using ferts, there's a good chance you won't be able to get your algae problems under control. Algae control is all about balance. You need to get your aquarium in balance (light, carbon/CO2, and fertilizers) so that you plants can grow well and the algae doesn't.

Sounds like the LFS is out to make money off of you. Sure you could buy another Red Sea Kit to improve your CO2 levels but all this would do is get you another 1 Liter CO2 generator and an extra CO2 reactor that you don't need. By switching to a pair of 2 Liter bottles you can increase the amount of CO2 production (by 4 instead of just 2) and still use the CO2 reactor that you already have.

Macros are the Macro Nutrients (fertilizers). This includes Nitrates, Phosphates, and Potassium.

No need to turn of the reactor at night, especially if you're having troubles getting your numbers up. I leave my CO2 on 24/7 even though I'm using pressurized CO2. Sure it's a bit wasteful, but it won't harm the tank at all.

ok ....... so your saying i should switch to 2 2 liter bottles .. could i still use the ventrai injector ?? ( it has a diffuser inside and it shoots out the bubbles ) ..

the only ferts i have is flourish liq .. its the regular kind .. nothing special about it..

should i use tap water or tank water when adding water to the 2 liter bottle ??

should i use a bell or something ???? the bubbles slowly rise to the top and the bubbles just sits on top of the surface..

 

[Purrbox]

Yep. Just connect the two 2 Liter bottles using an airline T and then run the tubing to your current diffuser.

The regular Flourish is a very good Trace fert. You probably need to pick up some Macro Ferts to go along with it.

Mix your CO2 mixture exactly the same as if you were mixing it in the smaller container, just double the amount of water and sugar. So tepid tap water is just fine.

If your reactor is working well there shouldn't be any CO2 bubbles escaping it.

 

[ikon]

Yep. Just connect the two 2 Liter bottles using an airline T and then run the tubing to your current diffuser.

The regular Flourish is a very good Trace fert. You probably need to pick up some Macro Ferts to go along with it.

Mix your CO2 mixture exactly the same as if you were mixing it in the smaller container, just double the amount of water and sugar. So tepid tap water is just fine.

If your reactor is working well there shouldn't be any CO2 bubbles escaping it.

what do u think about using some kinda ph drops to lower the ph ??

ive been told if i can lower the ph to about 6.5 to 7.0 that can increase the c02 in the water .. but that i shouldnt use any thats phosphate based..

which is better the flourish tabs or the flourish liq ??

 

[rich311k]

Dropping the PH has no effect on CO2 levels. The PH drops because of the CO2 in the water. The CO2 in the water column forms a mild acid which causes the drop in PH. Simply changing your PH will have no effect on the CO2.

Flourish tabs and liquid are for two different things. The tabs are good for heavy root feeders like swords and crypts, The flourish is a trace fert that all the plants need.

 

[ikon]

Dropping the PH has no effect on CO2 levels. The PH drops because of the CO2 in the water. The CO2 in the water column forms a mild acid which causes the drop in PH. Simply changing your PH will have no effect on the CO2.

Flourish tabs and liquid are for two different things. The tabs are good for heavy root feeders like swords and crypts, The flourish is a trace fert that all the plants need.

ya thats what the ppl said to do at Red Sea .. i have their co2 turbo bio .. just lower the ph and my co2 will increase .. other than that they couldnt figure out why its not putting out much co2 .. im at my wits end on this co2 crap ..

 

[Hoovercat]

Get a drop checker and quit worrying about pH. The one from red sea is only like 8 bucks.

 

[gu2high]

I had same problem, but it is controled now.

Use 2wpg light - your is 3wpg I think it is too much. I had 4wpg before and the algae grew terrible.

Also, add an American Flag fish, it helps a lot.

 

[ikon]

I had same problem, but it is controled now.

Use 2wpg light - your is 3wpg I think it is too much. I had 4wpg before and the algae grew terrible.

Also, add an American Flag fish, it helps a lot.

what size of bulb ( wattage ) should i get then ??



oh i do have a drop checker but its showing negative..

 

[Purrbox]

By negative you mean blue? What KH solution are you using in it or are you using tank water?

 

[ikon]

By negative you mean blue? What KH solution are you using in it or are you using tank water?

ya it shows blue .... SOMETIMES but not all the time it will show a slight greenish ... kinda in between blue and green ..

im using APIs kh ... its drops .. it takes 5 drops for the color to turn to yellow or blue ( forgot which one it is ) ..

im watching the news here and they are showing a fish tank but its in the shape of a toilet .. kinda funny .. for about 300 buxs .. its called fish n flush ..

im using tank water for the kh solution .. im using tank water for the co2 indicator .. ive also used tap water ... i have it placed about half way in themiddle of the tank on the other side from where the diffuser is .. oh btw : all the bubbles that comes out floats to the top instead of " popping " in the water .. is that normal ?

and now every single plant has the algae on the edges of the leaves ...

 

[Purrbox]

Okay. The first problem is that you are using your tank water instead of a KH reference solution for your drop checker. I'm not familiar with the API KH test kit, what dKH does 5 drops equate to? To make your life easier pick up a KH reference solution. Use 4 dKH if your target CO2 is 30ppm and 5 dKH if you'd like to shoot for closer to 38ppm.

 

[ikon]

Okay. The first problem is that you are using your tank water instead of a KH reference solution for your drop checker. I'm not familiar with the API KH test kit, what dKH does 5 drops equate to? To make your life easier pick up a KH reference solution. Use 4 dKH if your target CO2 is 30ppm and 5 dKH if you'd like to shoot for closer to 38ppm.

on the co2 indicator it says to use tank water ..

as for the kh test .. 5 is about 89.5 ppm ..... i have no idea what a kh reference solution is ..

how do i raise or lower the kh ?? im kinda new to all this stuff sorry for the wacky questions.. i was told to get a kh test kit ... noone mentioned about a reference solution doohickey..

 

[Purrbox]

All of the commercial CO2 Drop Checkers state to use your tank water. The problem is that you run into exactly the same issues for checking your CO2 levels with test kits this way. By using a KH reference solution you bypass these and the color result is actually meaningful. There's a sticky at the top of the forum that explains this in more detail.

That means that your tank water is approximately 5 dKH. So green would indicate about 38ppm of CO2 IF you don't have any other buffers in the water that throw off the pH/KH relationship.

You want to leave your tank KH alone, which part of the reason for using a drop checker which can have its own dKH which is completely independant of the tank parameters.

A reference solution is simply a solution with a known value. There are pH reference solutions, Nitrate reference solutions, etc.