Fuzz aglae problem

[rkilling1]

How do you guys deal with fuzz algae? I have it on most of my plants and it is killing my Bacopa caroliniana. The older leaves are witing and falling off. Here is a pic of what I am talking about:

click on it for a much bigger view. any help would be appreciated. again this stuff is on most of my plants.

 

[Zezmo]

Maybe run the lights a little less?

SAE's, Shrimp, Ottos..they may help. IMO, no animal can control any kind of algae when the source of the algae (nutrient balance, tank maintanence, CO2) is not fixed. Animals will help remove existing algae, once you have fixed the problem and the algae is no longer growing.

I tend to get that algae on leaves that I let sit on the surface. (too much light, and no circulation/nutrients?) Trimming the plants away from the surface, and keeping up with my dosing gets rid of it in a week.

 

[rkilling1]

that's the problem, I don't know what the problem is. LOL. This has been a slow increase to a high level light/CO2 tank and 2 weeks ago I started EI dosing. Do you think in time it will go away. I was hoping that it would, but so far it hasn't.

3 WPG for 12 hours
30 PPM CO2
air pump runs when the lights are off(off gases the CO2 and helps clean up the tank)
Full EI dosing

Could a lack of circulation cause algae like this? I have an ehiem 2026, but i extended the spray bar to lessen the outlet flow due to it blow over my plants.

Would more light help?

I am running pretty much the identical setup on my 28 gal tank and it doesn't have this algae issue. This is what is really bugging me.

 

[rkilling1]

I have been researching this and i have come up with nothing.

I have been thinking that I may need to up my lighting, per lumen output I am at about 3 WPG. what do you guys think? Tomorrow I will change my T-10's over to T-8's and add another ballast to one of my strips and that would push me to 4 WPG. Rightnow i have two T-10's at 2 x ODNO and 2 T-8's both 48".

Current setup: T-10 at 2 x ODNO: 40 x 2 x 1.7 (ODNO) = 136 Watts.
T-8: 32 x 2 x 1.5 (efficiency of T-8 vs T-12) = 96 watts
232 watts /75 (my tank) = 3.09 WPG

Calc's 4 T-8's at 2 x ODNO: 32watts x 4 x 1.7 (ODNO) x 1.5 (efficiency of T-8 vs T-12)/75 (my tank) = 4.35 WPG

(and that is by only spending 15 bucks at home depot. )

How does that sound?

I figure if I up the lighting the plants should be able to out compete the algae for nutrients.

Also I plan on getting a regulator and 10# bottle of CO2 tomorrow.

 

[Zezmo]

Try less light instead of more. At 3wpg, You can grown nearly every common plant available.

Just cutting back to 10 hours of light per day should help you put he beat down on your algae. Maintain your EI, and 50% water changes. Maybe crank the CO2 up a bit (try for 40ppm). Also, there should be no dead spots in your tank as far as current goes. The water must be contstantly moving over all leaves to keep fresh nutrients available.

What are the details of your EI dosing routine?

 

[rkilling1]

What are the details of your EI dosing routine?

+/- 3/4 tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 3/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/4 tsp K2S04 3x a week
+/- ¼ tsp (15ml) Trace 3x a week
50% weekly water change

I also add CaCl and MgSO4 after the water change just to insure my GH is fine. My GH kit is useless.

To late for the lighting. lol. I already bumbed it up. we will see how it goes. I also picked up a regulator and a 10# CO2 bottle, just waiting on some valves to go pressurized.

Do you think CO2 could be the problem? yeast generators on a 75 gal? probably is.

 

[Zezmo]

Heh, did not catch that you had DIY. There is no doubt that pressurized will help a lot. Of course it has it's own learning curve, so get ready Maybe add a powerhead, or even read up on Mist method CO2.
Some plants, specifically tonia and some eriocaulons, seem to melt if you over do the MgSO4. Unlikely an issue for you.

The routine you posted is straigth EI . You follow that to the letter?

Which should mean...
Sun, Tue, Thu = 3/4 tsp KNO3, 3/16 tsp KH2PO4 (Do you have a 3/16tsp? or just doing "a little less than 1/4tsp"), and 1/4 tsp K2SO4
and....
Mon, Wed, Fri = Trace = 1/4tsp dry CSM+B or 15ml (3tsp) of Liquid Trace mix (TMG, or Flourish)

I find that things mix a little better if I just do a weeks worth of K2SO4 at water change. I mix 1 tsp of Equilibrium and 1 tsp of K2SO4, grind it with a mortar and pestle, and then dump them in during the water change. The Equilibrium provide calcium and magnesium.

That is pretty much the same routine I use on my 72 gallon. Instead of KH2PO4, I use fleet enema at 10% strength. At that concentration you use it 1:1 to KNO3 (ie 1tsp of KNO3, and 1 tsp of the Fleet solution gets you the desired 10:1 Nitratehosfate ratio)

Once your pressurized CO2 is online. If you keep the lights on 10-12 hours a day, and keep up your fert routine like it was a new religion. Then within a month you will have tank that grows like crazy and id full of heathy algae free plants.

 

[rkilling1]

I mix my KH2PO4 and K2SO4 1 TBSP to 250 mls together and dose 15mls of that S/T/T. so 3/16 of KH2PO4 is more like 1/4 tsp.

I also mix my CSM+B 1 TBSP to 250 mls and does that at 15 mls M/W/F.

I dose KNO3 dry 3/4 tsp S/T/T.

I know i am going a little overboard with the PO4, but I have a heavy fish load and my NO3's without dosing KNO3 is 10. so I should still be maintaining a 10:1 ratio. More of a SWAG if you will.

I figure/hope that once the CO2 is online the tank takes off and i can start suppling AA members and the LFS. I NEED to start giving back.

 

[rkilling1]

this may not make any sense, but here goes..

yesterday was the first day I hooked up the new CO2 tank.

from reading all of your posts(Zezmo), well not all, I redid how my tank will function from now on. my PH will turn on at one hour prior to the lights along with the CO2. Rightnow i have the CO2 at 1 BPS. I have no Idea what the is in PPM, but should be around 30 PPM from the DIY numbers.

Last night was also the first night that I did not run my air pump. remember I have always had DIY CO2 so I off gased my CO2 at night with the air pump for the fish's health.

I have to say when the lights came on this morning i was shocked. this really doesn't make sense. most of my red plants are really RED. No, not from low NO3, But from no Fuzz algae. Most of the algea is GONE. yes GONE. in one dang night. how can that be. there is still some there. but most of it is gone. Wiskey Tango Foxtrot?

 

[Purrbox]

Not sure of the how, but I've seen this reported by others. Basically if everything else in your tank is balanced, then sometimes when you fix the CO2 the algae will go away over night. I think that it is somewhat dependant on the type of algae that you are dealing with. BBA usually refuses to go away on its own even though its spread is completely halted.

 

[Zezmo]

Sounds about right
The algae knew it was beat, it gave up and moved to someone elses tank.