Algae

[SLIM]

20 hours photo period

Thats alot of light lol

 

[Zikofski]

i ment 10 haha not 20 LMFAO sorry haha altho i have just changed my diffuser and WOW what a difference not sure if i have the co2 right yet gona give it a few days before i confirm its stable but i think i maybe seeing some pearling going on  


here is my post on the new diffuser check out the difference it makes with the video
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/417592-review-of-the-new-old-up-inline-diffuser/#entry3518696

 

[SLIM]

Cool. That was a interesting read. I went with the old model altho aint actually used it yet lol.
Sounds like your getting there if you have pearling.
What dosing regime you using now. Are you limiting your phosphates or are you EI?

 

[SLIM]

hmm well if you have a look at this post i have 
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/417342-relation-between-plants-algae-and-phosphatesferts/page-2#entry3517986
 
then that shows how useless the Po4 test was i got, unless something in my tank is producing huge amounts of po4 and i mean huge amounts then ye but i was also get GSA yesterday wich shows a lack of po4 haha strage i followed why snazy said and yes i did get GSA as excepted and yes my bba is confusing haha but today i have noticed since upping the lights from 6 to 20hrs, i stoped dosing ferts arund 2 to 3 days ago and started yesterday again and BOOm my plants are thriving new growth of 3 to 4 leafs and some are fully grown leafs not just the usual ah i see new growth was like WOW that wasnt there yesterday how did you grow that so quicky but ye was wired

Just gave this a read also and im not 100% convinced as theirs is a major flaw in this theory.
Snazy says..
 "hight phosphates in the tank, create demand for more nitrogen(NO3), more nitrogen creates demand for more CO2, more CO2 creates demand for more nitrogen.. more potassium creates demand for more nitrogen.....more nitrogen and CO2 creates demand for more traces...and so on". 
Altho this is true there is one major factor thats been left out..
LIGHT
Plants will only grow as fast and absorb as much nutrients as the light will allow.
So if you dose enough KPN then none of these key elements should become exhausted.
Otherwise that would b like saying K P and N all cancel each other out which totally goes against EI which people have been doing for years successfully. Infact its probably the most commonly used method.
I think all this experiment has proved is that obviously po4 kits are useless (which was an interesting discovery)
How to trigger GSA and how to cure it. Ok sure no other algae was present apparently when levels are near GSA trigger point BUT is this really true, as you conducted this experiment and your BBA didnt go.
I dunno im sure theirs method in the madness, just seems like a lot of hard work when we have EI which has already been proven to be effective by some of the worlds finest aquascapest. Imo

 

[Zikofski]

yes that makes sense, and yes, to answer your previous question i am back to dosing 50ml of Neutro+ the bottle dosing method works out i should dose 33ml but i am over dosing with 50ml at the moment, now no new algae as present but i am still getting good growth from what i can say are the easier growing plants i have posted pics in my journal so i shall not re post them here
 
not to sure i am getting pearling tbh as after my co2 went off, the mist started to disappear, the bubbles kinda started going onto the equipment and onto the algae don't think BBA can pearl kinda wired how 90% of my plants BBA and power heads are covered in tiny bubbles, from the co2 mist, this i hope is not going to be a bad thing? i shall see how it pans out over the next few days maybe get a picture or 2 to show you what i mean
 
but i agree, i think EI is the best method seems to make sense, as like you say, and how i like to think about the light is the catalyst, light is what triggers the demand so even if you have more ferts in the tank than the plants can draw in the plant will only draw an amount that the light will let it. now this goes back to my original reason for posting this those excess ferts what happens to them? just sit there? or get used elsewhere? in my eye's from what i can think the only thing those ferts are now going to do is create algae, and feed the algae? but people keep telling me no that is not correct but hey no idea
 
may try something else out tomo as well, seeming i am getting good good growth rates with the increased 10 hours of light what happens if i increase it to 12? even more growth i shall see how this goes tomo may even up my dosing of ferts to 75ml.
 
am i right in thinking, that if a plant is growing, and say on day one it has 2 leaf's it will take in X amount of fert's on that day it grew a new leaf because of the ferts and all, am i right in saying that on day two, now it has 3 leaf's it will need XX amount of ferts? so the fact i was dosing 25ml to start with when i get more plants i upped it to 50ml and i have been adding 50ml ever since, maybe i need to increase that now to 75ml so i don't run out of ferts when the plants grow like they are.
 
another thing is how can all these companies say to use x amount of ferts per Ltr of water, how is the amount of water relevant? because if i have 10 plants in a 10L tank, and i double the amount of plants in that tank then i will need to increase the ferts to meet the plants demand no?

 

[SLIM]

"but i agree, i think EI is the best method seems to make sense, as like you say, and how i like to think about the light is the catalyst, light is what triggers the demand so even if you have more ferts in the tank than the plants can draw in the plant will only draw an amount that the light will let it. now this goes back to my original reason for posting this those excess ferts what happens to them? just sit there? or get used elsewhere? in my eye's from what i can think the only thing those ferts are now going to do is create algae, and feed the algae? but people keep telling me no that is not correct but hey no idea "

Ok EI states that you should have one day off from dosing, this gives the plants a good opportunity to absorb up any excess nutrients.
EI also states a 50% weekly water change, normally performed day after the day off from ferts. This resets the nutrients in the water that may still be left in the water colume. Then you simply start again. Its so easy, hassel free and worry free.
Remember nutrients dont cause algae, even extreme excess nutrients.
Its when your water column lacks a macro that you get algae.
OR when you have fluctuating conditions such as co2.

"am i right in thinking, that if a plant is growing, and say on day one it has 2 leaf's it will take in X amount of fert's on that day it grew a new leaf because of the ferts and all, am i right in saying that on day two, now it has 3 leaf's it will need XX amount of ferts? so the fact i was dosing 25ml to start with when i get more plants i upped it to 50ml and i have been adding 50ml ever since, maybe i need to increase that now to 75ml so i don't run out of ferts when the plants grow like they are."

Remember EI is all about having more than enough nutrients in the waters column to suit all your plants needs no matter how much they need.
Whether they need x amount, xx amount or xxx amount for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 leafs.
It is basically overdosing ferts.
Dont ask me how much to dose your neutro as iv never EI dosed with store mixed ferts.
I mix all my own with dry salts and recommend you do the same.
Much more effective and cost SOOOOO much less in the long run

http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/starter-kits/ei-starter-kit.html

Edit: A day off from dosing every week. Sorry I didnt state that did I lol

 

[SLIM]

When EI is dosed properly with a good formula, that formula should support all your plants mass and needs no matter how big they get or how fast they grow or how many plants you put in. You shouldnt need to keep upping the dosage. Thats kinda the whole point of EI.
Like I said tho its hard to say you need x amount of neutro to EI as iv never used store bought ferts.

If memory serves me correctly, EI is something like 3 or 4 times the dosage of normal bottled ferts.
This is why we mix our own because dosing at this rate would cost a bomb if using products like Seachem or Neutro.
Plus mixing your own gives you full control of what your adding.

 

[SO19Firearms]

You shouldnt need to keep upping the dosage. .

 
It is still estimative tho, so should you need to, you can. In the same way that the tank sizes in the original paper for any given dose were in a range, you can always choose a tank size bigger than yours for a higher dose.
HTH

 

[SLIM]

You shouldnt need to keep upping the dosage. .

 It is still estimative tho, so should you need to, you can. In the same way that the tank sizes in the original paper for any given dose were in a range, you can always choose a tank size bigger than yours for a higher dose.HTH

Fair point

 

[Zikofski]

yes and i agree and this is why WHEN my neutro runs out i shall be buying dry salts and dosing my self that has always been the plant well, today i am getting imense growth even more i have upped the lights to 11 hours aday now, still dosing the 50ml and yep well, i was able to watch my amazon sword leaf every hour and it grew half a cm to a cm every hour that was amazing now it is fully grown where as yesterday it was only tiny BUT i am getting new algae but this time it is different to before, so from this website the only algae i can think it is, is diatoms website is http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
 
but here are the pics of the algae in question



 
and this is the red leaf that was growing so rapid today, there is another that has pooped up today, and i shall see if it grows quickly tomo as well and get a few pics
 
anyone can ID the new algae i think its algae maybe something else but ye would be great thnx could this algae and BBA be linked, also i pusehd my co2 to its limit and then back down to a safe level above 30ppm today so i know i am putting in the maximum co2 i can and flow is good

 

[This Old Spouse]

It looks like the BBA I have in my tanks now. It seems to start at the edges of the leaves and then grow to eventually cover the leaf.

 

[SLIM]

Try to refrain from turning your co2 up down up down. This is whats known as the yoyo effect and will be feeding your BBA.
Find 30ppm and keep it there or your BBA will never go
I agree, that does look like diatoms. Ammonia is normally the trigger for this (or silica). Im not talking about ammonia levels that will harm your fish or will even be detected by a hobby test kit, the tinest amount can trigger diatoms.
Do you have a pleco? Or any rotting plant matter anywhere?

 

[Zikofski]

i have a lot of rotting plant matter that i try to get out every day, its always in my filter too so ye this is probably the likly cause and no i will not longer be upping my co2 i was doing waht i think you said or someone told me to up my co2 every 30 mins until i see fish distressed and then drop it down to last good setting and that is what i have done it will stay there for good now
 
it is hard to get rid of all the dying leafs and plant matter towards the back of the tank as its so dense i cant get to it all


oh and yes i have two pleco's but they don't seem to do anything about algae even when i don't feed them lol suck on things but never clears it

 

[SLIM]

i have a lot of rotting plant matter that i try to get out every day, its always in my filter too so ye this is probably the likly cause and no i will not longer be upping my co2 i was doing waht i think you said or someone told me to up my co2 every 30 mins until i see fish distressed and then drop it down to last good setting and that is what i have done it will stay there for good now
 
it is hard to get rid of all the dying leafs and plant matter towards the back of the tank as its so dense i cant get to it all
oh and yes i have two pleco's but they don't seem to do anything about algae even when i don't feed them lol suck on things but never clears it

No it wasnt me who said that lol turn it up til fish are distressed? Lol
Well least youve found your co2 level keep it nice n stable
I know its hard to get all the rotting matter out but im willing to bet thats the cause.
Prob would benefit from a good filter clean too by the sounds of it.
The reason I asked if you have a pleco is because they poo alot and could also be contributing to the ammonia, hence diatoms.

Constant battle against algae.... Aaaaggghhhh DIE ALGAE DIE!!!!!!!!

 

[Zikofski]

yes haha lol, i have 2 bn plecos one is fully grown so ye a lot of poo, now the poo all gets to a point in the tank and sits there when i notice it building up i suck it out i usually do this every day clean this on patch where all the poo sits along with most of the sinking plant matter but yes i am doing my best to rid the tank of dying leafs daily thing but ye anoying, i clean my filters out weekly, and yes i do end up with ALOt of plant crap in the bottom so i'm sure that is also the cause unless i clean them out daily then there is nothing i can do about that tbh ma give them another clean on wensday
 
and yes DIE ALGAE DIE hate the stuff