Black Outs

[chr15_8]

im thinking of doing one as i have thread algea all over my hc and also have a browinh algea coming form the stones (between glass and stones) also have alot of greenish algea on the glass (when i clean it it normally comes back within 4 days)

i have 2 ottos (had 7 but the 5 new ones died and ive only 2 left)
5 amano shrimp
4 red cherry shrimp

the question

im dosing EI should i stop on sunday (when i do water changes normally) do a water change (50%) then black it out for the 3 days?

thanks
chris

 

[JamesC]

Blackout's are really only effective against BGA, but if you want to do it then yes stop dosing and turn off CO2. Take a look at http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm for more info.

James

 

[nry]

Better to tackle the cause though, that type of algae will come back if you don't resolve the underlying issues.

What are your lighting periods and wattage/tank volume?

 

[chr15_8]

i would prefer to resolve the issue but havent got a clue how tbh just read the thread that james posted and am going to up my co2 levels slightly

i think the problem was when i started i had a few plants as hc was covering a fair bit so not much plant mass

but the plants have bushed out and grown etc

so i thougt doing a black out might restart the tank algea wise as i said i would prefer not to do a black out and get to the bottam

the tank is 45 uk gallons with 3 wpg (without reflectors being included)

lighting
2wpg 2 hours
3wpg 5hours (middday burst)
2 wpg 3 hours

thanks
chris

 

[nry]

Initially I would consider lowering the total lighting period, dropping to 6-7 hours should stop the algae growth enough to stop it spreading too much, then as your plants grow gradually increase this by 15 minutes each week to find your balance point. In my opinion not all tanks will need 10-12 hours.

Are you adding any fertiliser? At 2/3 wpg you'll need to be adding a decent level to ensure plants can grow enough to keep algae down.

 

[Underwurlde]

Gotta agree with the general concensus here - I think you'll be wasting your time with a black out. IF it does work, within 1 - 2 weeks the algae will be back.

Can you post up a nice hi-res, in focus piccy of your tank, listing the plants you have in there?

My money is on not enough plants.... (or may be unstable CO2).

Andy

 

[chr15_8]

im dosing ei so plenty of ferts

the plants are (the plants have been growing for 3 weeks now. ive had to prue the rotala rotundifolia and polysperma twice

bacopa australis x 1 pot
Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' x4
lilaeopsis brasiliensis x2
rotala rotundifolia x2
Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' x 6
Ludwigia repens x1
visicularia dubyana x1

so co2 is pressurized so i would say its stable with very little/no surface movment

im going to up the co2 abit tommorow (so i can keep an eye out for the fish)

pictures (not very good but sahows planting level)
(thats before first prune as you can see the algea. Now now the plants are alot thicker and it had another prune last week)

before 1st prune

after 1st prune

thanks
chris

 

[Underwurlde]

Yep, not enough plants. Aim for at least 50% coverage MINIMUM with EI, that's at least 3x more than what you've got I reckon. With that in mind, no need to up the CO2, growth of your existing plants is fine. I'd also cut back dosing to suit levels of plantation you currently have (i.e. cut it back by 1/3) until you get more plants in , then once you've done that gradually up the dosing and CO2 to reach equilibrium whilst hopefully maintaining stabiltiy.

Don't stop the EI just mod to suit. If you do, with current lighting & dosing expect more algae!

This is only my stance of course....

Andy

 

[Dave Spencer]

the plants are (the plants have been growing for 3 weeks now. ive had to prue the rotala rotundifolia and polysperma twice

Make sure you are giving the plants a chance to grow to the water`s surface and along it. When you feel that they are starting to shade a bit too much light, then cut them back and plant the cuttings to increase your plant mass. You are definitely short on plant mass at the moment. Giving the stems a protracted growth period before pruning will give them the chance to bounce back more quickly after pruning.

Dave.

 

[chr15_8]

you canrt see it in the pic but at the front theres hc covering about 75% of the white/stone patch at the front but i'll drop the dosing down as you said and ill try and get a better pic from above

thans again

chris

 

[Underwurlde]

Indeed. Sorry I meant more of the right kind of plant - faster growing plants unlike HC. This is more important for a new setup - putting fast growers in allows plants to get a foot hold. Once established, they can be gradually replaced over time.

 

[chr15_8]

alrite

ill pull out the lilaeopsis brasiliensis as its not doing well at all in this tank and get anothger 5? pots of fast growers and squeeze them in somewhere

i was looking at the tank last night and if you look at the plant on the left you can see it growing towards the side! well theres a window there about 2 ft away and when the tank lights are of it grows to the left and when there on for a while (after about 8 hours) it sits correctly (vertical)

you recon this could be a main factor also? (i put a black bin bag on the side and now n ow light gets though)

 

[Underwurlde]

Direct sunlight is a major algae trigger, but again, not necessarily so if the tank is heavily planted. IMO, you're gunna need much much more than just 5 pots...

 

[fish-rookie]

Can I ask a question as I'm suffering from the same problem and I'm convinced I need to up my plant levels drastically.

Should I go to 50-75% substrate cover in one go or is it important to introduce the new plants over a period of days/weeks? I have about a nine month old 180 litre tank thats now down to about a dozen assorted tetras, two sword tails, half a dozen assorted corys and a banjo.

Many Thanks,

FR

P.S. lighting 1.5 WPG and no added CO2 as yet.

 

[Underwurlde]

What substrate do you have in there?

Andy

PS If I were you. I'd start a new thread...