Fertilizer and algae bloom

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Fin35

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
167
I added a liquid fertilizer for my plants a couple months ago and it caused an algae bloom. I had aI’ve stopped fertilizing, will this eventually resolve? I have nerite snails but it’s way more than they can eat. Before fertilizing they were able to eat the majority of the algae . I clean it out at my weekly cleaning but it’s hard to get it all off the plants. Should I add some ghost shrimp? I have a Betta fish so not sure how that might work but my 10 gallon is stocked with plants and has floating Christmas moss and guppy grass. I have one Ramshorns snail that somehow got in there. Can one Ramshorns reproduce?
 
Reduce light intensity if possible.
Reduce photoperiod to 5 hours per day max (until algae has subsided, then slowly increase back up to 8 hours per day over a few weeks).
Ensure you are providing adequate nutrients for the plants (unhealthy plants promote algae).
Dose Flourish Excel or equivalent Met14 at the “after water change” rate on the Excel bottle once per day.
Manually remove all algae you can.
Manually remove excess organics in the tank by gravel vacuuming and cleaning filter media in old tank water every water change.
Manually remove any decaying or dead plant matter.
Increase water change frequency, and the amount of water changed.
Consider spot treating badly affected areas or dipping plants / hardscape in a Flourish Excel, Met14 or H2O2 + water solution. Google search which method you think would work well, and for general ratios to mix a safe solution. Certain plants can’t tolerate these chemicals, so ensure you do a little research prior to dipping / spot treating plants.
If using CO2, ensure CO2 is dropping the pH of the tank water a full 1.0 – 1.2. To do this, measure the pH of tank water with no CO2 dissolved in it, and then measure again 2-3 hours after CO2 has been running. Ensure the drop in pH is a full 1.0-1.2. If the drop is not there yet, slowly up CO2 over a few weeks until at least a 1.0 drop is achieved, and watch fish / livestock carefully. Adjust CO2 down if you notice fish gasping at the surface and consider running an airstone at night when pushing a 1.2 or greater drop. For example, a tank water pH of 7.5 with no CO2 dissolved in it, should reach a pH of 6.5 – 6.3 for CO2 to really shine, and for maximum plant health.
Consistency in CO2 levels is key to plant health. Keep CO2 levels as stable as possible once a desirable level has been reached.
 
The BEST shrimp for algae are Amanos, they are algae eating machines. Not sure if your betta would tolerate them of not, 2 of mine did, 1 didn't.
 
One ramshorn if introduced on its own when young may not have been fertilized. I’ve successfully kept a single ramshorn in a tank all on its lonesome.

There isn’t enough info on tank age, plants, light etc to make recommendations on algae control and ferts.
 
Back
Top Bottom