Algae, Bacteria, or Blue-Green Algae?

[Mordachai]

Trying to figure out what the green spots (cultures) is?

I need badly to get rid of this stuff!

 

[Jkeating8]

Trying to figure out what the green spots (cultures) is? I need badly to get rid of this stuff!

That's Green Spot Algae.

I would advise upping your phosphates. How long is your photo period?

 

[Mordachai]

I've been running 2x 4hr periods, with a 4hr dark between them.

I used to have a fair bit of hair algae (you can see a bit of it on the 2nd image if you look for hairs sticking off the side of some of the leaves - very little right now). That, and downgrading to low lighting, made the hair algae disappear for the most part. But I want to return to my high LUX LED light, which is what I'm on now. Hoping I can get the above under control (this outbreak happened under a double 6700K 48" NO tube light).

 

[Jkeating8]

I've been running 2x 4hr periods, with a 4hr dark between them. I used to have a fair bit of hair algae (you can see a bit of it on the 2nd image if you look for hairs sticking off the side of some of the leaves - very little right now). That, and downgrading to low lighting, made the hair algae disappear for the most part. But I want to return to my high LUX LED light, which is what I'm on now. Hoping I can get the above under control (this outbreak happened under a double 6700K 48" NO tube light).

Upping your phosphates should help rid your tank of it.

 

[Mordachai]

I was kind of freaked out by this stuff - thought it was a continuation of a previous outbreak, and I snipped all of the leaves that were heavily colonized.

I hope that wasn't a horrible idea. I wonder if the plants will be able to rebound

 

[Jkeating8]

I was kind of freaked out by this stuff - thought it was a continuation of a previous outbreak, and I snipped all of the leaves that were heavily colonized. I hope that wasn't a horrible idea. I wonder if the plants will be able to rebound

The plants should be ok. That stuff doesn't really spread too fast so I would worry. Just up your phosphates and it should go away. Works for me.

 

[Rivercats]

Usually if you run phosphates from 2-5ppm you don't have spot algae issues.

When you run your higher lighting are you using CO2 or liquid carbon? Also what are you using for fertilizer? With higher lighting you need to be using either CO2 or liquid carbon and also need to be using dry ferts so your plants get all the micro and macro nutrients they need.

 

[Mordachai]

I've been very haphazard and piecemeal about moving to CO2 injection.

Previously, I was running injected CO2, using 2x 48" T5 NO @ 6700K 2x 4hr light periods, and was dosing weekly with Kent Iron & Maganese, and Kent Pro-Plant.

Now, I'm running injected CO2, using 1x 48" buildmyled "plant" LED 1x 8hr light period, dosing daily [starting yesterday] with Flourish Nitrogen and Flourish excel.

I previously thought that most of the nutrients were in the substrate, and that adding ferts to the water was a very minor concern (a boost, rather than a necessity). [I now see that was incorrect].

I did a 50% WC yesterday, snipped off the leaves with a lot of GSA, added new Flourish ferts, and added some more plants to help compete with the algae. But I have to assume that my potassium is terrible, and even after one night, the new plants already look a bit weathered and less green/healthy compared to last evening (they don't show GSA, but they show tears and dark crevasses on some of the leaves).

So I just ordered the PPS Pro starting kit from GLA, but am wondering if I just rush out and get some potassium in some form to add immediately?

[Note: I only add CO2 during and just before lighted periods, and I'm only adding a fairly small amount - 1 bubble per 5 seconds or so, as more mostly seems to just bubble up out of the tank instead of dissolving in the water]

 

[Rivercats]

Your just wasting the CO2. How are you diffusing it into the water and do you have a drop checker? Turn your CO2 on an hour before lights on and turn off an hour before lights go off.

I'd just wait for the dry ferts to come in.

 

[Mordachai]

Turn your CO2 on an hour before lights on and turn off an hour before lights go off.

That's what I'm currently doing.

My thinking runs along the same lines in terms of bubble rate - i.e. I could put it up at say 1bbl / second, but then most of it would just outgas into the atmosphere. So keeping it at about 1/5 seconds is about where the diffusion system I have can keep up (mostly). So most of the CO2 is dissolved and actually usable by the plants.

I do have a drop checker, and an Milwaukee PH sensor. Drop checker is blue, and PH sensor varies from about 7.9 (at end of rest period) to 7.4 an hour before lights off.

thanks again

 

[Rivercats]

If you turn it up and your drop checker turns green as the day goes on then your keeping enough in the tank. If your drop checker stays blue then your not getting much of any CO2 saturation for the plants. I run my CO2 into my 220 via two powerheads with venture which is where I hook my CO2 tubing into. On my 55g I have an in-line diffuser on my Fluval 406 canister filter. I like the tiny bubble size on the in-line diffuser but the powerheads chop the bubbles up enough to make my drop checker turn almost a yellow green after a bit. I run the 55g CO2 a 1bps but on the 220g it's going about 8 or more bps and honestly that does not use a lot of CO2.

 

[Mordachai]

I do have an inline diffuser, but I haven't switched to using it yet. It has high "cracking pressure", so I have to set the bps quite high to get it to function - or maybe be really patient with it. My regulator won't go above 15psi - and it's only at that maxed out value + the very high bubbles / second that the device works (in my initial tests).

So, I was going with the easier, but easily over-saturated in-tank setup to start with.

Perhaps it's time to try the inline again.

 

[Mordachai]

UPDATE: I switched to using the Aqua Up inline diffuser last night. I had to set my pressure to about 18psi (which is above the marked increments on my regulator's gauge and very nearly at its physical maximum), but I was able to get a much, much better mist blowing out of the fluval return using this, and was clearly able to inject much, much more CO2 without it just becoming bubbles and rising to the top (though it is thousands of micro bubbles, and hopefully they're not just outgassing!)

Anyway, it's set to 1bubble/second for today - and I'll be curious to see how much better that saturates the plants.