Help Please, Before I Bin All My Plants :(

[Shelster]

Ugh, tank looks rotten, so big overhaul planned again next week when my folks are here on holiday so I can sink my teeth into it without child disturbances!


http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/418488-my-vision-180-rescape/

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere, but I've only got 10mins to myself so haven't had a chance to have a read up but has anyone any experience with using a product called exel? -( to rid bba) any success?

I would rather not have to fork out on a load more plants, but tank look awful atm so will do anything!

I dose daily ferts of chelated trace. I have also noticed high nitrates, and did a 35% water change last night to not much change?? I use RO water too so no nitrates in water. Could bba inhibit a plants ability to use the nitrates in the water?

Sorry if I've missed anything have to go now, just thought I'd get this thread going if anyone has any suggestions before I get back - thanks in anticipation

 

[techen]

Hokay dokey.
 
Let's start with how much light you have over the tank? And for how many hours.
 
Seconendly, What is your CO2 input? No CO2 Input and more plants means more oxygen and no CO2.
 
Remember you must balance ferts and CO2 when using plants and I highly suggest that if you aren't injecting or dosing CO2 this may be the issue with the algae. 
 
Nitrates are good for plants, They feed off them. When you say you had high nitrates, What number was it at?

 

[greenmumma141]

I would start dosing with excel. If you're dosing ferts daily and you have enough light for that stemmy red plant, then I would assume you need more co2. This is very basic-thinking mind you, lol, but it certainly won't hurt anything, and excel will help kill off the algae. If a lack of co2 is NOT the problem, then you'll still keep getting it, but again, the excel should help to combat it.  If you're not dosing co2, I would start off slowing with the amount. I did 1/3 the dosage for the first 5 days, then 2/3, and so forth, and had no reactions from my fish. GL Shel!!!!!


ps. I feel your pain. sometimes I want to yell "Mommy just wants to youtube aquascapes all morning!!"  lol

 

[SO19Firearms]

It's a bit difficult to tell from the pic - See if you can identify your algae here.
 
But for a sweeping statement and you saying you only dose Trace elements I'll go with poor flow, low CO2 and not enough Nitrate/Phosphate etc.
 
IMO

 

[SLIM]

Oh Shelster what happened?

Well let me start by saying that i dont think this is a flow problem as i happen to know Shelster added a powerhead awhile back to achieve 10x turn over. Im going to have to agree with everyone tho and say this is a result of low or fluctuating co2.
This can be a pain and hard to solve in a low tech.

I think your best bet is liquid carbon as you need a source of co2. Liquid carbon is also an algicide, I have successfully combated algae in the past this way before i went pressurized
However this wont happen over night (can take afew weeks) and you will need to remove as much algae manually as possible.
Like Greenmumma said, the trick with carbons is to add it very slowly and slowly increase dosage. If done correctly you should not experience any melting. You can also drop the water level to expose the algae and make a 20:1 carbon and water solution and it spray directly on the algae and this will also kill it. But be warned some plants dont like direct contact with carbon this way.

Also if you do dose liquid carbon you will need to start dosing macro ferts or you will just swap one kind of algae for another. Technically using carbon will make you "High Tech"
Macros being NPK. N being Nitrates which are good for a planted tank like Techen said so thiers really no need to use RO water or even to worry about nitrate levels.
P being Phosphates and K being Potassium.

Also if you do go this route can i suggest easycarbo over seachem excel. Easycarbo is cheaper to begin with and a little less harsh but just as effective imo

 

[Shelster]

Thanks for the replies guys, I currently have a screaming 15 wk old on my shoulder, but will get back to you ASAP

 

[Shelster]

Ok, I've just checked my nitrates again and it's 80ppm so not as bad as I thought yesterday! I was going o do another water change tonight before I posted this thread as I wondered whether the algae could be due to the high nitrates but ill forget that now.

(Does it matter how long buffered RO water is prepared with PH and tropic Marin before use? - can I save this for next way change?)

My nitrates from our tap water comes up like red wine so 160+ hence I use RO for the fish and our drinking water.

The lights are on for 6hrs with blue LEDs on 1hr before main lights and 1 hr after.

SO19firearms it looks like I may have more than one of those types of algae *sigh*







I think the easiest thing for me to do is start afresh with the plants, bin what I have and do a large water change add some fresh green plants then order in some carbon?

SLIM - I know, what on earth went wrong? It was looking so promising would you be able to post me some links so I get the right things? Ill have a check on that website and see if I can find it in the mean time.

It's so frustrating as the tank was looking nice 6wks ago, now I just can't stand the sight of it! Poor fish! I know I'm over stocked in this tank but perhaps my water maintenance has been too high?

Thanks again for all the input folks - much appreciated

 

[Livewire88]

Nothing worse than algae outbreaks in planted tanks, even more so when it destroys your plants! I feel for you. 
 
Can I ask what your water change regime is? 

 

[Shelster]

Aye, it's a 180litre tank and I prepare 25litres of water and an extra half container so it's about 37ish litres each week.

My water parameters have always been ok though.

Livewire I have been meaning to pm you for a while re my RO unit and preparing water and kh measurements (I don't do the kh ATM) but I can't find the email my husband sent me with the link to the type of RO unit we have

 

[Livewire88]

Aye, it's a 180litre tank and I prepare 25litres of water and an extra half container so it's about 37ish litres each week.

My water parameters have always been ok though.

Livewire I have been meaning to pm you for a while re my RO unit and preparing water and kh measurements (I don't do the kh ATM) but I can't find the email my husband sent me with the link to the type of RO unit we have

 
 
To add to what has already been said I would say you need to up the amount of water you are changing, I would say aim for 50% each week. You want to keep to a regular regime and try not to miss any weeks.
 
My tap water is also very high in nitrates but I use it in my community tank and don't have many algae problems at all, did you have plants in your tank before you started using the RO water? and if so did you get any algae problems then? 
 
It may be to late to save the worst effected plants so if it were me i would remove them and chuck them out. If you can afford it buy some liquid carbon and start dosing that daily along with your ferts. You want to get to the stage where your plants are out competing the algae for nutrients. Fast growing plants like stems will help with this as they grow at great speed. 
 
When you say you are adding chelated trace, how much are you adding per day? 

 

[SLIM]

Easycarbo (carbon)
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EASY-LIFE-EASYCARBO-CO2-CARBON-FERTILIZER-FOR-AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-PLANT-CARBO-/400423885864?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&var=&hash=item5d3b1f9c28

Macro ingredients

Potassium Nitrate
http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/dry-salts/potassium-nitrate-kno3.html

Potassium Phoshate
http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/dry-salts/potassium-phosphate.html

Magnesium Sulphate
http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/dry-salts/magnesium-sulphate.html

This is assuming you want to make your own. Which is the cheapest and most effective method imo.
If you take this route, let me know when you have all of the above and il write you up a mixing and dosing regime

 

[Livewire88]

Or if you don't like the thought to weighing the amounts out yourself you can get pre weighed bags from ebay which are decent for the price. 
 
If you don't want to dose carbon; http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Plant-Fertilizer-Green-Low-/280651111445?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item41581c1c15
 
If you do want to use liquid carbon; http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Plant-Fertilizer-Green-High-/280651041812?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item41581b0c14
 
Or I am sure someone here could weigh you up a bag and post it to you, just mix with RO water and away you go. 

 

[SLIM]

Personally I dont weight out my ferts, I just use tsp measurements

 

[Livewire88]

Personally I dont weight out my ferts, I just use tsp measurements

 
A lot of people do but I am a bit anal about it!! just hope the police never come to my house because all the powders along with a set of scales would not look very good in my cupboard 

 

[SLIM]

Personally I dont weight out my ferts, I just use tsp measurements

 
A lot of people do but I am a bit anal about it!! just hope the police never come to my house because all the powders along with a set of scales would not look very good in my cupboard 

Ahahahahaha yea can you imagine. Honestly officer it belongs to my fish lol