Upgrading Tank - Moving Filter Across - Algae Concerns?

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kaivalagi

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I am soon to move all my fish up to a bigger tank and the external filter will follow them to the new tank also.

My current tank has a bit of a hair/staghorn algae problem and I was wondering whether in moving the filter across I would be at higher risk of seeing algae issues again in the new tank?

I am not so concerned of the cause as I have taken measures for the new setup such as putting some good blinds in the windows to block the sun and will be starting with lighting of only 5 hours to begin with. I am not going to bother trying a remedy the old tank with a black out as it will be cleaned out later on and will go through a new fish-less cycle before introducing new fish.


It's maybe a silly question...I am guessing that algae only persists in the tank itself due to light requirements and there would be no risk of carrying the algae over with the filter, but I have to ask as I want to get this new tank setup right

Thanks
 
Some algae spores have probably been sucked into the filter which could be released into the new tank however if you've taken action with regards to the lighting then you shouldn't have any problems.
Algae spores need jsut two things, light and ammonia.
 
Its unlikely your algae will be carried across, at least not in amounts that you should worry about. But the underlying problem will still be there if you continue with the same water, lighting, fertilisation and cleaning regime so it will likely be just a matter of time before it returns, but a fresh start is a good way of correcting this. I'm interested to know, what defficiencies did your plants show as the algae was forming in your current tank?
 
Its unlikely your algae will be carried across, at least not in amounts that you should worry about. But the underlying problem will still be there if you continue with the same water, lighting, fertilisation and cleaning regime so it will likely be just a matter of time before it returns, but a fresh start is a good way of correcting this. I'm interested to know, what defficiencies did your plants show as the algae was forming in your current tank?

Firstly I'm new to the hobby, only started November last year, so be gentle :)

I understand the algae issue will come back if I do nothing, hence the new blinds to block out the sunlight at midday and the proposed lower number of hours of lighting (5 to be begin with I think)

My java ferns, which have some hair algae around some of the edges of the leaves, have a few dark spots to their leaves which came first, but the root system looks very healthy to me and has grown fairly quickly. One of the plants, the bigger one, is mounted onto driftwood, the other planted in gravel with a lot of the root system exposed. Some of my Vallis is growing extremely fast and has been trimmed quite often, and those that are growing fast have very little to no algae on them. The remaining Vallis which seem to grow slower have hair algae slowly working it's way up the leaves. I also have a moneywort (I think that's the name) planted at the back, which was doing okay, but within the last month the leaves have started turning brown on the edges and algae looks like it might be on it's way.

Now, I only recently started using liquid fert, within the last month, which hasn't seemed to do much good so far. I use one cap of Flourish (non excel version) just after a weekly water change of about 20% (125L tank).

My new tank I will be setting up will only use the same filter, I will replant all over again with new plants and will fill the tank with fresh dechlorinated water before running the old filter with the new tank. It is a 60x18x24 (5ft - 100+ USG) tank and will have sand rather than gravel. The lighting which I haven't purchased yet will most likely be 2 x t5 54W which I figure is a good amount of light for a low tech planted (should this tank become as planted as my current one)

Should I plant less in my tanks, so CO2 levels are high enough to provide adequate growth? Previous tests have shown my CO2 levels to be between 5-10, but I don't trust the test as it's based on cross referencing KH and pH in a table. I do have quite a few plants in there as I need them to give some of my cichlids a place to hide etc...it won't be such an issue with my new bigger tank though, I'll get away with less plants per area than now.

I don't wish to get into injecting CO2 right now, but am willing to try fert tablets if they come recommended as well and the Flourish I already have.

My pH is between 7.5 and 7.75. I am running a fairly big filter for the tank, a EX1200 on a 125L...

If you have any suggestions on the way forward with the transfer please say so, I am new to this as you know and welcome any criticism/suggestions/help etc. I would sooner not try to fix my current tank but make absolutely sure the new one won't have as severe algae issues.

Although the pics linked in my sig below are older (more than one month old) and the small thin grassy plants have gone, the rest remains pretty much the same in quantity although fuller now obviously.
 
I understand that you are new to this. We all were at one point in time. Some of us have had a doozy of a time! Read through the journals. In most of them, you'll find the "algae saga". We all deal with it at some point.

Flourish (not excel) really just doses trace elements. You also need a source for you macro nutrients, in the form of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, or N, P, and K. Depending on your lighting level and CO2 injection (yes or no), you may either need to dose macros separately or you can fufill your macro nutrient needs with just the fish that you keep, through their waste. If hobbiests adhere to "guidelines" for stocking, however, macros may be deficient, especially if standard waterchanges are carried out.

Plants also compete with one another for nutrients. Some consume more than others and they grow at different rates.

I do not know the history of your tank with algae, but from what you've described, you do not have a balanced system. Is it high light, low-light? I know you change the water quite a bit, weekly. I also do not know how old the tank is.

In this new system, try to establish what you plan on doing with the tank from the beginning. I know, it is difficult with the first system. My first planted tank was very hard to manage because I was misinformed about lighting first of all, and then CO2, and then ferts. Before I got it right, I was growing quite a few algae species and got very good at ID'ing them! :lol: Thank goodness, now, I have forgotten most of the varieties. It is a good thing when you forget what are the algae species. Means you are doing a good job. :good:

For me, CO2 is first, before lighting even, or the base lighting will determine my CO2 method. Do I want to bother with it or not? If I don't, then I stay between .5 and 1.5WPG (depending on the tank size and type of bulb being used) and practice some low-tech style techniques once the tank is stable (less waterchanges, limit the plant types, etc). If I don't want to go pressurized, then I stay with a small aquarium, so I can keep CO2 stable with just fermentation CO2 or liquid dosing, but I still do not go too high with the lighting. It is not necessary, unless you have poorly made bulbs. Entirely possible with small tanks. With pressurized, you can do much more and it is easier to keep CO2 stable in a larger tank. You can still opt for less light, or you can do more, but most here do not go past 2WPG anymore, even for CO2 injected tanks, especially if they are larger.

Does this help any?

llj
 
Thanks for taking the time, any info like this helps :)

The tank I currently have which will be redundant soon (for a while anyway) is a Fluval Roma 125 and has 2 x 20W T8 bulbs (just under 1W/G), and I have them running from approx 10am through to 5pm, so 7 hours. It has great circulation and is almost at full stocking according to the 1"/G rules - hence the upgrade for my growing fish. The tank was setup back in November and has had plants added / changed over time...it's definitely been a constantly changing tank, well in fishkeeping time terms anyway, with rearranging/changing of some plants, changing/additional fish stock and so on. I do wonder whether the regular water changes, about 25L each week, has not helped matters and may be the main culprit for the algae growth?

With the new setup I want to rule out CO2 for a start, I'll not get into that for a while and not for the new tank ever (currently :)). If I do start with CO2 proper it will probably be with my current tank when it is setup again for Apistos, because I will want a well planted tank for them to be happy - but this will be a couple of months off yet. I'll have to go through a fish-less cycle with that anyway.

As I mentioned before somewhere I am planning on 2 x 54W T5 bulbs in the new 5ft'er, so I'll get somewhere in the region of 1W/G but that's t5, so probably more like 1.5?

I don't plan on such heavy planting in the new tank, and will be relying on big pieces of bogwood and stone/rocks for good fish cover...I might use some Vallis and Java fern in it but that will be pretty much it I think.

So what "recipe" would be good with the 5ft'er?

Should I keep light duration down to somewhere like 5hrs or will 7 hrs be okay? Slowly work it up maybe, and I guess slowly means add 1 hour per month sort of touch?

Is there a good "off the shelf" fert which will provide these macros you mentioned? A lot of people talk about Flourish Excel, is it something that would help with these macros? Would the slow release tablets be affective if buried under the Vallis roots, or would that be over kill?

One other thing...people talk about fighting algae with plant growth, but what if you don't have many plants...is it simply the amount of light and ammonia from food waste etc that needs to be controlled for an algae free tank?

So many questions, and I dare say, no straight forward answers :)


edit: I think it is important for me to say that the fish are the priority in my tank, the planting comes a clear second...and in the case of my tank upgrade I am expecting to only take a day at most getting the tank ready to move my fish into...so simple, easy to care for planting and algae control is all I want in my new tank really.
edit: What is this TPN+ I keep seeing mentioned? Is it a product as such or a home made thing? I'm assuming this is a good source of macros?
edit2: Rechecked the algae I currently have and it's mostly fuzz algae and I think hair algae or well established fuzz algae (does hair algae grow on leaf surfaces?) - I have 3 x Oto, 1 x BN which should help but doesn't seem to...I do see them eating it sometimes but not nearly enough obviously. Maybe it's just a case for me to do more algae/plant orientated maintenance that I currently do?
 

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