Staghorn Algae

[showjyr]

This summer I had a bout with staghorn algae after not being able to beat it I re-scaped the whole tank. It's back again and with force.

The tank is a 30 gal. I'm running pressurized co2 it's right at 30 ppm and very stable, using a glass/ceramic diffuser. The lights are 55watt PC, 6700k, and on 10 hours a day. My surface agitation is minimal and the bioload is small. I keep on top of 25-30% water changes weekly and dose Flourish twice weekly.

Plants:
2 large Aponogenton Ulvaceus
10+ Bacopa Australis
10+ Echinodorus Bleheri
10+ Microsorum Pteropus
10+Sagittaria Subulata
10+Vallisneneria Spiralis
Fist sized clump of Glossostigma elatinoides
Fist sized patch of Hemianthus Callitrichoides
3 Anubias barteri var. nana
1 very large Anubias barteri var. barteri
10+ Pygmy Vallisneneria
15 or so small water letuce
5 Amazon Frogbit
Some floating Riccia

About 80% of the substrate is covered.
All the plants are doing great but Aponogenton Ulvaceus, Bacopa Australis,Vallisneneria Spiralis, and Anubias barteri var. barteri are growing a lot of Staghorn.

What could possibly be causing this?

 

[SuperColey1]

The lights are 55watt PC, 6700k

I have the same tank and had the same light (PC 55) and had the same staghorn problems. I got rid and put in new T5HO and have no staghorn.

Is an assumption but I never really liked the colour of the PC and it also drowns out the colour of the top third of the tank due to its intense brightness which is why I changed.

Staghorn was always in the centre of the tank underneath the PC.

Andy

 

[showjyr]

What did you get for a T5 and from where? Do the plants respond as well to them as PC and do you like the color?

 

[showjyr]

bumpity bump

 

[SuperColey1]

They are better than PC (IMO) and I am in UK so different bulbs to the US.

Plants grow really well under lower light conditions than the PC

Colour is much better.

Andy

 

[showjyr]

Well I've been looking around and I'm not going to spend the money to put T5 over this tank. Nothing else is working and if i can't find a solution soon I'm afraid this may be the end of planted for me.

Anyone have an idea?

 

[radioman]

I USED THIS METHOD AND MY STAGHORN WAS GONE IN A WEEK!
I used the od flourish excel method if you could even call it od. What I did is took it a little at a time and did bot do a big od. On the back of the flourish excel bottle are instructions for the amount you should use after a water change. After following this amount which was 3.5 capfuls per day on a 36 gallon tank and my staghorn turned from black to red and shriveled away. From ths method I had no adverse effects on any living organism in my tank except algae.
Mike

 

[TammyLiz]

I USED THIS METHOD AND MY STAGHORN WAS GONE IN A WEEK!
I used the od flourish excel method if you could even call it od. What I did is took it a little at a time and did bot do a big od. On the back of the flourish excel bottle are instructions for the amount you should use after a water change. After following this amount which was 3.5 capfuls per day on a 36 gallon tank and my staghorn turned from black to red and shriveled away. From ths method I had no adverse effects on any living organism in my tank except algae.
Mike

If I'm not mistaken you're talking about BBA, not staghorn here. Staghorn is not black.

I'm not sure if the same method works for staghorn or not.

 

[radioman]

Staghorn is black or at least looks black to me here's is a picture this is staghorn correct

This is what I had and it killed it while I was trying to cure bba

 

[TammyLiz]

Sorry, it does look like staghorn to me! Well...I had thought of it as green before and read that it was green and seen pictures of it being very green. I have not had it in my tanks although I have had BBA. It could be that there is more than one type that is called staghorn.

Its good to know the excel treatment works for that type as well, though.

 

[showjyr]

I can't recall exactly which ones it would effect but was told that an OD of excel would pretty much wipe out a few of my plants.

 

[TammyLiz]

Yeah, it wouldn't be too great for the vals.

 

[radioman]

it is not really an nod but mght be considered a small one I am only dosing the water change amount and did not have any ill effects. Actually my HC which
was growing slowly took off!!!!

 

[TammyLiz]

it is not really an nod but mght be considered a small one I am only dosing the water change amount and did not have any ill effects. Actually my HC which
was growing slowly took off!!!!

But do you have vallis that was unaffected?

HC would be expected to benefit from the excel so that is not a surprise.

 

[cheesy feet]

Why would it affect vallis so bad?