please help

[jmazz11]

I love the advice that this forum provides. I don't post much because I like to read and try to get my results from everyone else's experiences. But I'm a little discouraged with my tank and its now time to ask for help. I have a 90 gallon tank fluval 405 pressurized co2, 2 t5 Ho 6500k and and a 4 bulb cfl fixture with 2 6500 and 2 8800 bulbs. My lighting sched is t5 on for 8 hrs and cfl on for 3 hours at midday. Co2 comes on 40 minutes before lights come on and goes off an hour before lights go off. I'm trying to grow Xmas moss and dwarf hairgrass. It's been over a month and nothing is growing. Moss has beard algae and grass looks ok but no runners. Please help. Sorry post is so long

 

[rkilling1]

What are you dosing for ferts?

CO2 bps?

Substrate?

GH/KH of your water?

 

[jmazz11]

I just use Ada green brighty daily. Bout 3 bps for co2. My drop checker is green. Substrate is fluorite. And have never tested for gh/kh. I also do about 40% pwc weekly

 

[jmazz11]

Did I ask an unanswerable question or not provide enough info

 

[blert]

ADA Green Brightly.. Step 1, 2 or 3?

Considering the price of that stuff you would be better off with Flourish Comp or Brightwell FlorinMulti or something else comparable. Or better yet, and the least expensive, dry ferts.

 

[aqua_chem]

3 bps probably is not sufficient for a 90g. Are you using a drop checker or anything of the type?

 

[jmazz11]

Using green brighty special lights. It's for nitrogen and phosphorus. I also use the florin multi with iron once a week. My co2 drop checker is dark green. My fish start to complain when I go any higher. Nitrates are between 10-20 nitrites and ammonia are 0. Ph looks like its 6.8 ish

 

[jmazz11]

Bps is more like 5 now

 

[blert]

Where is your drop checker located in relation to the CO2 input? What fluid are you using in the drop checker?

FlorinMulti is best dosed DAILY at 6 drops per 50 gallons and increased or decreased as needed.

 

[jmazz11]

The dc has been moved to numerous spots in the tank is currently on the opposite side of the tank out of the main water column. The florin I have been dosing 8 ml weekly. It's about what the directions say. Any suggestions?

 

[jmazz11]

The fluid is dkh4

 

[aqua_chem]

Dark green DC is not nearly enough to kill fish. Yellow and above is where you start seeing issues with fish.

 

[jmazz11]

Yeah I've read that. But it seems when I increase the co2 my fish start breathing much faster and swim straight up and down. Any thoughts on controlling thus algae. Are there any products out there that wont hurt what the plants I have in there

 

[blert]

Increase it very slowly, something like one bubble every day or so? You might also try adding a power head or circulation pump to get some more circulation going on. You could always try manually removing the algae or maybe Excel (in a tank that large Excel treatment is going to get expensive). Maybe bring the photoperiod down a couple of hours?

 

[jmazz11]

Right on. Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try