Lighting and plant question.

[Dxbeast8508]

Hello everyone! I have a 36 gallon bow front and I have two T5 HO 6700k lights on it. I also have two amazon swords in it and two anubias. They are doing okay but could be better. I think I am also battling a algae bloom. None on the glass, just in the water. Slightly cloudy greenish tinted water. I do my weekly water changes so that helps keep it in check, but I want my water clearer and my plants to thrive. I just have regular gravel that the swords are in and the anubias are tied down on decor. I am not adding any fertilizers or root tabs. I have been trying to read about it in the forums but I can't find exactly what I need to read about. I having been reading about root tabs and fertilizers. However I am completely new to that stuff. I am so confused about the light issues with green water, I have seen stuff about co2, I didn't think I would need it with that considering my bulbs are only 18 watt each. Can anyone give me some tips about making my plants thrive and battle this bloom. I keep my lights on around 8-10 hours a day.

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Anyone? Lol.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Green water generally indicates excess light. How long are the lights kept on? Does the tank also get light from a window? Does it ever run hot? Do you feed your fish heavily?
A sure fire solution to knocking out green water is by adding a UV sterilizer. Not the first solution I would try to use though.

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Green water generally indicates excess light. How long are the lights kept on? Does the tank also get light from a window? Does it ever run hot? Do you feed your fish heavily?
A sure fire solution to knocking out green water is by adding a UV sterilizer. Not the first solution I would try to use though.

My lights are on usually 8-10 hours, no direct sunlight. I only feed my fish what they will eat in 2-3 mins and my tank is heated but never gets over 77. The light is very warm yes, they are HO t5 bulbs. At 6700k 2 bulbs at 18 watts each. I read a scale that someone else posted on here about light watts and how far from the surface of the water they are and mine were in the medium light category. I would rather fix the root of the problem before buying a uv sterilizer. Any thoughts?

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Green water generally indicates excess light. How long are the lights kept on? Does the tank also get light from a window? Does it ever run hot? Do you feed your fish heavily?
A sure fire solution to knocking out green water is by adding a UV sterilizer. Not the first solution I would try to use though.

Also do you have any thoughts about if I should have root tabs for the swords? And if so what kind? I have them in my gravel now. No fertilizers.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Any kind of root tabs are very good to use. I use Seachem but you can make your own with osmacote plus. I just use that in my garden. lol
Everything seems fine from what you're saying, but you actually may be overfeeding a little. I only feed the amount my fish can eat in about 20 seconds and I'm still guilty of overfeeding my tank! I feed three times a day. ;( I don't know how to stop myself.
How long have you had the green water?

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Any kind of root tabs are very good to use. I use Seachem but you can make your own with osmacote plus. I just use that in my garden. lol
Everything seems fine from what you're saying, but you actually may be overfeeding a little. I only feed the amount my fish can eat in about 20 seconds and I'm still guilty of overfeeding my tank! I feed three times a day. ;( I don't know how to stop myself.
How long have you had the green water?

I will cut back the food for a while and see if that might be my issue. Do you think those lights are too strong? I will try root tabs for my plants that are in gravel. Do you also use any kind of fertilizer or just root tabs alone. I want my plants to thrive. Thanks for the info!

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Any kind of root tabs are very good to use. I use Seachem but you can make your own with osmacote plus. I just use that in my garden. lol
Everything seems fine from what you're saying, but you actually may be overfeeding a little. I only feed the amount my fish can eat in about 20 seconds and I'm still guilty of overfeeding my tank! I feed three times a day. ;( I don't know how to stop myself.
How long have you had the green water?

Oh I have had the green water about 2 months now... I upgraded my lights around the time that this happened but I wouldn't think that it would have caused it to do that, I'm only getting 1 watt per gallon, I think.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Oh I have had the green water about 2 months now... I upgraded my lights around the time that this happened but I wouldn't think that it would have caused it to do that, I'm only getting 1 watt per gallon, I think.

Very likely to be your lights. If you still have your old lights it may not be a bad idea to switch back to the old ones until the algae dies and you can get the water back in balance. When the algae dies it can foul up the water as it decays. You'll need to do a few water changes and clean out your filter a couple times after it dies. Then, in about two weeks, you should be able to put your T5s back and hopefully, with a fresh start and light feeding, things will go better. I'll need to check your original post to see exactly what lights you are using. They didn't seem to bright on my first read.

Your other option is a 2-3 day blackout.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I will cut back the food for a while and see if that might be my issue. Do you think those lights are too strong? I will try root tabs for my plants that are in gravel. Do you also use any kind of fertilizer or just root tabs alone. I want my plants to thrive. Thanks for the info!

Your lights should be fine (after you get the green water fixed). Something else, in conjunction with the new lights started this. If your nutrients were high from feeding heavily and the water wasn't changed very regularly, the new lights could certainly trigger a green water bloom. Dies this sound possible?

I fertilize every morning with liquid ferts that I mix myself plus Excell. I also use root tabs and pressurized co2. I did use Seachem liquid ferts for years before mixing my own. The amount of plants that you have would only require you to fertilize very little. Like once a week. You probably need to do either weekly or biweekly water changes. How many fish do you have btw?

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Your lights should be fine (after you get the green water fixed). Something else, in conjunction with the new lights started this. If your nutrients were high from feeding heavily and the water wasn't changed very regularly, the new lights could certainly trigger a green water bloom. Dies this sound possible?

I fertilize every morning with liquid ferts that I mix myself plus Excell. I also use root tabs and pressurized co2. I did use Seachem liquid ferts for years before mixing my own. The amount of plants that you have would only require you to fertilize very little. Like once a week. You probably need to do either weekly or biweekly water changes. How many fish do you have btw?

I have 6 mollies in my 36 gallon. I have a 20 gallon that does fantastic!!! All plants thriving and green, water is crystal clear had fish for three years. I don't want to get into co2, but would my lights plus root tabs be fine for my plants alone? I treat both my tanks the same. Water changes every 7-10 days. I will try the old light and keep up my water changes. I will do extra water changes and when my water clears::crossing fingers:: I will try the old light again, maybe raise it up a few inches from the surface.

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Very likely to be your lights. If you still have your old lights it may not be a bad idea to switch back to the old ones until the algae dies and you can get the water back in balance. When the algae dies it can foul up the water as it decays. You'll need to do a few water changes and clean out your filter a couple times after it dies. Then, in about two weeks, you should be able to put your T5s back and hopefully, with a fresh start and light feeding, things will go better. I'll need to check your original post to see exactly what lights you are using. They didn't seem to bright on my first read.

Your other option is a 2-3 day blackout.

Oh and I forgot to mention, I have about 15-20 fry that are about a month and half old. In a breeder net in the big tank with problems.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

You obviously take very good care of your tanks and you know what you're doing. T5HO lights are much much brighter than anything most people used in the past. Even if they don't look much brighter to our eyes the light energy they push out can be hard to manage. I have a 2x22" T5HO fixture above my 20 gallon planted tank. Even with them as high as they can go inside my hood, high pressurized co2 injection and finely controlled fertilizing + Excell I still have to fight algae occasionally. This is in a tank that never had algae before using T5s. I'd say, raising your lights after you get your water cleared is a great idea. T5s really don't follow the watts per gallon rule at all. I have about 15 watts LESS than before I switched but a lot more light energy. They really are amazing!

 

[Coursair]

With Med-High Light you almost always have to use CO2 or you'll just grow Algae as you've seen.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

With Med-High Light you almost always have to use CO2 or you'll just grow Algae as you've seen.

Do you think she [edit] could get away with switching out one of her bulbs for something like an blue 03 lamp, in addition to raising his light fixture? I've never tried it personally but some people recommend it.

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Do you think he could get away with switching out one of his bulbs for something like an blue 03 lamp, in addition to raising his light fixture? I've never tried it personally but some people recommend it.

** she

How would I go about possibly starting co2? Is it expensive to keep up? I have zero experience with any of lighting and co2, and I'm new to plants that require extra care as well. I have done well with the plants in my 20 gallon, but of course the bulb in my standard hood does fine. Enough to grow my plants but not algae. What is blue 03 bulb?

 

[Dxbeast8508]

** she

How would I go about possibly starting co2? Is it expensive to keep up? I have zero experience with any of lighting and co2, and I'm new to plants that require extra care as well. I have done well with the plants in my 20 gallon, but of course the bulb in my standard hood does fine. Enough to grow my plants but not algae. What is blue 03 bulb?

Thanks everyone for your input too!!!

 

[Dxbeast8508]

Also, can I do root tabs by itself?

 

[Coursair]

Also, can I do root tabs by itself?

Root Tabs are good, but they are not a replacement for CO2. They are basically ferts for the root feeding plants (swords and crypts for example).

CO2 can be either done as DIY (there are lots of threads and sites about this)
or pressurized ( you can buy a paintball CO2 set up off of The Planted Tank or possibly on here )

Excel is a Carbon source which can work for small tanks, and be used with CO2 in larger tanks ( 20g and above).

You can try the DIY route first if you like, it's very cheap. Just read about one way check valves and overflows to make sure it's safe. It's not hard.

Or yes, for now, you can raise your light or swap out one bulb for Actinic (which won't help with plants or Algae).

Immediately, I'd only use the lights for 6 hours a day till you figure out a longer term solution. Also PWCs to help reduce the green water. Feed small amounts also to help reduce the Nitrates that help fuel the Algae.

There is a ton of info on this site, just search the Planted Tank area for lots of good info. There are Stickies at the top of the Planted section also.

Tina

 

[Zevyn]

C02, raise the lights up higher off the surface, or try removing a bulb: Those are your choices in that order by most difficult to least, in my opinion.