High Tech Planted Questions

[aqua_chem]

They might just be pouting. Give then a few weeks.

[CorallineAlgae]

Originally Posted by skywhitney

I'm just thinking that if i trim all the bad leaves i wouldn't be left with much of a plant and wasn't sure how that would go over.

I know what you mean. Trimming every bad leaf does feel drastic but it truly does help plants grow new healthy leaves. You could experiment by trying it out on one sword and see if it responds.

[skywhitney]

Originally Posted by CorallineAlgae

I know what you mean. Trimming every bad leaf does feel drastic but it truly does help plants grow new healthy leaves. You could experiment by trying it out on one sword and see if it responds.

I did trim it another reason it needed to be trimmed is that the leaves were taller than the tank so they were sticking out of the water and all dried up. The poor plant could be confused on whether it's submerged or emersed. Now that I think back to the very beginning of this thread its the same issue I was having when I first got it.

[skywhitney]

Update: after trimming the sword significantly it is getting a ton of new growth, all of which looks great! All of my other plants in the tank are doing great as well.

I've also thought about looking into moss balls. Any of you have experience with them?

[CorallineAlgae]

That's so good to hear! Once you get your tank the way you want it we're all gonna want a pic.

I've only seen moss balls in pictures. None of the shops nearby carry them and I never had enough room in my tanks to order one.

[skywhitney]

I am resurrecting my old thread since I need some help and this is better than my build thread.

I am seeing the beginnings of BBA in my tank. Here are some current specs on the tank.

40b
Fluval 406 w/ Inline CO2 reactor (running about 5-6 bps)
T5HO, currently running 3 bulbs. I will probably reduce it to 2 bulbs. The bulbs are roughly 17" above substrate
EI Dosing

Current plant list:
Amazon Sword
Anubias Nana
Java Fern
Java Moss
L. Aromatica
Hygrophila Polysperma
Persicaria 'Kawagoeanum'

The only plants that are showing BBA right now are the Java Ferns (which are up near the top of the water) and the upper parts of the Amazon Sword

Currently I am turning the CO2 off at night so the PH jumps almost a full point by the time it turns back on in the morning. I'm not sure if this is really having any effect on it but thought it was worth mentioning.

[aqua_chem]

I would probably drop it down to two bulbs. Also, with that bps you should be seeing more than a 1 pH change. Do you have a lot of surface agitation?

[CorallineAlgae]

How long were you running the lights when the BBA developed? I've seen some success in spot treating the algae with Excell but it may also be worth clipping the tainted leaves away if it isn't on all of them.

[skywhitney]

the BBA just formed over the last few days while i was out of town. The lights were on for about 10hrs each day so now that i'm back it will go down to 8 like it should be (i can't put timers on my lights due to the CGFI plug).

as far as surface agitation there was some tippling but no breaking of the surface or anything crazy like that. I aimed the powerhead down a little to cut that down as well.

Edit: alrighty i am back down to two bulbs. A Geisemann Aquaflora and a Midday

[CorallineAlgae]

I've never had any problems using timers with GFCI outlets. Maybe it was a strange timer.

[skywhitney]

everytime i put this light on a timer it pops the fuse in the plug. I'll probably have to change the power cord that way i can just automate the whole process.

[blert]

Originally Posted by skywhitney

everytime i put this light on a timer it pops the fuse in the plug. I'll probably have to change the power cord that way i can just automate the whole process.

Are you positive the GFCI outlet is installed correctly?
Is the fixture plugged into a power strip? Most power strips are not made to handle what a high powered light fixture can draw and they for sure are not made to have a heater plugged into them. If your heater is plugged into the same strip or outlet as your fixture unplug it and try the fixture again.
Do you have another GFCI outlet you can test the fixture on (bathroom maybe)?

[skywhitney]

Long time no talk blert

yeah it has always been this way. It's a WavePoint light which is notorious for not being able to put on a timer. I have it plugged straight into the wall. the GFCI is not in the outlet but on the power cord for the light.

[aqua_chem]

Are you using a cheapo analog timer? If so, you might try getting a more expensive digital one and see if it works with that.

[blert]

I found a thread out on the net from a guy with the same issue. He contacted WavePoint and they told him that they had an issue with some of the GFCI plugs being too "sensitive". They sent him a new plug, no charge, and it fixed the issue for him.

BTW, GFCI bits do wear out over time. If WavePoint is no help them just cut it off and put on a standard three prong plug and install a GFCI outlet.

[skywhitney]

The algae is starting to get better thankfully.

Would it make more sense for me to run the co2 at a lower bps rate 24 hours a day rather than at a higher rate for 8 hours a day?

[skywhitney]

Originally Posted by blert

I found a thread out on the net from a guy with the same issue. He contacted WavePoint and they told him that they had an issue with some of the GFCI plugs being too "sensitive". They sent him a new plug, no charge, and it fixed the issue for him.

BTW, GFCI bits do wear out over time. If WavePoint is no help them just cut it off and put on a standard three prong plug and install a GFCI outlet.

I think I found the same thing. I talked to wavepoint a while back and they told me they weren't going to send me a new plug. I'll probably just go with installing a new plug on the light option to save myself the hassle

[blert]

Originally Posted by skywhitney

The algae is starting to get better thankfully.

Would it make more sense for me to run the co2 at a lower bps rate 24 hours a day rather than at a higher rate for 8 hours a day?

Are you using a pH controller or a timer?

[CorallineAlgae]

It's better to run a slightly strong bps rate for 8 hours a day with a controller and a stable, slower rate with just a timer. Having it run for 24 hours isn't a good idea. I actually have an air pump that runs on the same timer as my moonlight. They're on for about 5 hours after the lights are out. It gasses off co2 which isn't needed at night. Does that make sense?

[aqua_chem]

I'm wondering if the excess co2 might be causing some problems as well.