Lots Of Algae, And No Ideas

[Chtheo]

Hi all,

For a while i have had major BBA issues in my tank, and i thought i had it on the run at one point! however its recently come back and taken a hold. At the same time i have noticed a lot of similar, but different algae that i really cant ID.

Can someone help me ID this stuff? and help with sorting it out? Obviously its showing me something is up with my water, but i dont really know what.

Above is the BBA, If i am right, aggressive scrubbing and CO2 should help keep this off?

Above is some new stuff, its too green to be bba, and carpetted not tufty and too short to be Hair. no idea what this is! Can anyone help?

This stuff looks like Staghorn to me, but i havent ever seen it so thick or densly planted.

This is my tank as a whole, as you can see its kind of starting to take over.

I have 2 T8s in this tank, 1 Daylight one Flora-Sun. I Daily fertilise with Aqua Nourish, Nourish + and CO2 (From Spray Can).

This tank had a FLuval 405 Filter, and an inline 5w UV Sterlizer.

any help would be greatly recieved!

I let it grow a little to get pictures for this post, but what i will be doing tomorrow is scrubbing as much as i can off of the ornaments etc.

Thanks.

 

[Spurry]

I'm no expert mate but photo number one is bba
This is a good place to start http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

Others will have more idea if you list tank size and how long your lights are on for
And your water stats

I would cut back a lot on the lights right away and if I'm right your tank is fairly big
Having 405 on it so I would say the co2 spray can is a waste of time

Good luck...

 

[Chtheo]

sorry, i forgot they might be slightly useful facts!

The tank is 110l (so about 100 accounting for displacement) and the lights were on for about 12 hours. which i accept is a long time, and have cut back to 8.

EDIT - Also, i am using Conditioned Tap!

as for other parameters, i havent done any tests as of yet (would have been a helpful start, so, sorry again!)

I will do this tomorrow evening and post the results!

 

[Spurry]

12hrs is a long time and could be the problem cutting back to 8 is still along time
For your tanks the way it is I would be going 4hrs 6 max

Hopefully some one will help you more as that's about all I know
You could remove the bit with the bba and clean it of soak it in a mix of
Easycarbo and water
Easycarbo helped my bba but I have proper co2 now

 

[tribalbrit]

BBA is fluctuating co2 levels and poor circulation, the others are probably to much light.

Swap co2 to pressurised or stop all together. increase circulation by using a power head or circulation pump. lower lighting to 6 hours a day until you get top side of it.

 

[SO19Firearms]

BBA is fluctuating co2 levels and poor circulation, the others are probably to much light.

This.

The too much light part can be expanded as - too much light meaning a lack of CO2. You might find you'll do better by cutting out the CO2 and running your lights for 6-8hrs (although T8s 8 might be the go to number)
If you can afford the extra start using the Aqua Carbon while you save up for pressurised CO2

 

[Chtheo]

BBA is fluctuating co2 levels and poor circulation, the others are probably to much light.

Swap co2 to pressurised or stop all together. increase circulation by using a power head or circulation pump. lower lighting to 6 hours a day until you get top side of it.

Brilliant, I will do what i can for the BBA, the circulation might be tircky however. my filter is rated at 1300lph in reality with the fact i have a uv sterilizer in line, i probably get less. However it all comes out of a nozzle which has a pretty wide dispersal. Woudl it be better if i can find a spray bar?

Also, i will do what i can to get things away from the inlet as well.

I will stop Co2 all together, as i admit i do forget to do it every now and then and this obviously hasnt helped the situation.

BBA is fluctuating co2 levels and poor circulation, the others are probably to much light.

This.

The too much light part can be expanded as - too much light meaning a lack of CO2. You might find you'll do better by cutting out the CO2 and running your lights for 6-8hrs (although T8s 8 might be the go to number)
If you can afford the extra start using the Aqua Carbon while you save up for pressurised CO2

I have a bottle of Aqua Carbon, but i wasnt sure if it was to supplement co2 or to replace it, and as it says in big letter (ok very small letters) "Do not overdose" I figured i would leave it alone. I had worked out that my tank would be about 2-3ml daily, which is doable as i am already doing the other ferts daily.

Over all is a pressurised co2 set better than the liquid stuff?

and a question to the room: By addressing the BBA issue, do you think i will also resolve the other algae problems?

Thanks a million!

 

[Lufbramatt]

Using a circulation pump (eg koralia etc) greatly helped the BBA in my tank, along with letting the tap water gas out for 24 hours with a air stone in it before water changes to let any dissolved CO2 escape. I have slightly more plants than you in my tank and don't use any sort of additional CO2 (liquid or gas) and the plants grow fine.

 

[Chtheo]

hey, thanks for the post

I have just started a remodel on the tank, i have figured it will give me the chance to properly scrub the bba, and the other algae off. and now i know how to deal with it, hopefully i will be able to prevent its return.

that said, limiting the lighting has helped greatly! i was thinking about taking another hour (or maybe 2) off for a bi, as the algae loss seems to have slowed.

thanks, yet again, for the amazing advice.

i like this place

 

[Chtheo]

woo necro post!

sorry, but seen as i had help here before, it seemed like a logical place to post the continuing saga, rather than add another post about BBA.

Basically, I got fed up with it, i added a spray bar to my fluval 405. I used liquid carbon until my D-D pressurised kit arrived. I pulled the tank apart, put the fish in a seperate tank for safe keeping, scrubbed the hell out of anything with BBA on it, i ended up only putting back a few plants (mostly leafless) and the big bit of bog wood (pictured above) i have been ferting daily (as the instructions say) with Nourish and Nourish +

My tank was fine for about a week, and this week i have noticed the BBA is back with a vengeance! there arent huge clumps of it like before, but it is growing over the surface, so far i have only noticed it on the bog wood, so it is possible i had missed a bit, but, with improved circulation and constant co2, why is it growing back!?

The tank has 2 T8s, so it is possible i dont have the lighting for high tech. so i have stopped ferts, stopped co2 and done a 50% waterchange.

My current plan is to keep the tank lights on for 7 hours, stop ferts, stop co2, and keep up regular water changes, probbaly around 25% a week. Is this goign to help the issue? is there anything else i can do? i would idealy like to avoid overdosing things, as i dont want to risk hurting my fish.

Just throwing this out there, im due for a cleaning of my filter, (i have active carbon in it) would this be causing the issue?

 

[SO19Firearms]

My current plan is to keep the tank lights on for 7 hours, stop ferts, stop co2, and keep up regular water changes, probbaly around 25% a week. Is this goign to help the issue? is there anything else i can do? i would idealy like to avoid overdosing things, as i dont want to risk hurting my fish.

Just throwing this out there, im due for a cleaning of my filter, (i have active carbon in it) would this be causing the issue?

Stopping ferts, yeah, don't do that.
Stopping CO2 may help, but if you're filter is due cleaning I still wonder if flow isn't your problem....

 

[Chtheo]

it might be, it is something i havent considered before.

That said, i have the 405 on a 100l tank, i think its rated at 1300lph, which i believe is over kill for a 100l tank. I have no way of judging it, but, there seems to be a fair amount of flow coming out of the spray bar, all the "jets" seem pretty consitant and there is no noticeable pressure drop at the end of the bar.

I will clean out my filter tonight (i wonder how many shrimp i will find this time!!) will i notice an improvment, or will the algae just stop growing?

as for the ferts, are you saying im right to stop ferts, or i shouldnt stop ferts?

 

[SO19Firearms]

as for the ferts, are you saying im right to stop ferts, or i shouldnt stop ferts?

Don't stop them. No ferts > no food > sick plants > algae.

There's also a difference between high flow and good flow. a Spray bar probably isn't ideal....you can probably imagine if all the water is evenly distributed across it - yet is being collected by the return in one corner there will be a number of corners not receiving any "flow"
When you bare in mind people have "flow" problems in tanks that are swirling - it could just be a stray rock or large plant upsetting it...
If that makes sense

 

[Chtheo]

Ok, i will add ferts when i get home.

i thought a spray bar would give an even flow accross the tank, and create movement, however, like you say there is a difference between high and good.

Would it be an idea to post a pic of my tank? i dont think i have obstructed the flow, but then again, there are obviously issues!

i have put a large peice of bogwood to hide the inlet of the filter. its not right up against it, and its not a particularly dense peice.

I may get a circulation pump from my LFS (im there tomorrow) would this help?

 

[SO19Firearms]

I may get a circulation pump from my LFS (im there tomorrow) would this help?

This is quite often what fixes a problem