Weird Algae/dust/crap On Leaves

[moochy13]

not wanting to hi-jack somebody elses thread, i was reading about ZoddyZod's problems, and it seemed familiar to me. however we all have different things in our tank so figured it best to get my own help.

heres some pics

the water is extra murky due to rescaping today, but it is always a little bit murky, and i suspect its because these bits of crap on the leaves get pushed round the tank constantly. i have a single 35W bulb (the thin style), and dont use co2 or ferts or anything like that. i just cut dead leaves off. i dont know what the flow of the tank is as i was given the juwel filter, but i do know it came out of a tank larger than mine. my water has perfect levels. the light is on between 9:30am-6pm, and moonlight from 6pm - 9:30pm.

so do i need to start doing something different ? theres no room for a second bulb in the hood, and if possible i'd like to avoid buying a bigger bulb, just due to cost.

 

[RadaR]

theres no room for a second bulb in the hood, and if possible i'd like to avoid buying a bigger bulb, just due to cost.

Adding more light when you are already experiencing problems is one of the worst things you could do. So, no need for another bulb
35W t5 over 135litres. I guess you're bordering on low light/medium light. Are you experiencing any other algae?
How often you do perform water changes? And how large are they?
I think the problem may lie with too much detritus floating about in the water column because the filter isnt sucking it up efficiently. This in turn can cause algae to bloom which the detritus can stick to. It might be worth buying another internal filter and fitting it with filter floss. Also, if the substrate is disturbed, then always do a water change after.
With better circulation and filter efficiency, this problem may go.

 

[moochy13]

i change about 25L out once a week. i used to do it more, but my water results have always been perfect and as the tank is in a bedroom upstairs its a bit of hassle to be doing very often.

i think the flow may be a problem, the tank is quite slim but 4ft long and going by floating flake, theres not much flow by the time the water has gone round the tank and come back to the filter. im not sure fitting another filter is an option due to the dimensions of the tank. it will take up quite a bit of room i suspect. also as its in a bedroom, it needs to be as quiet as possible. the juwel internal is super quiet. i'll do another change later. i'll ruffle the leaves to loosen the bits off (its not very well stuck to the leaves), then change out at least 25, hopefully 50L. i might even lightly rinse my filter sponges, and replace the filter floss.

i recently removed the carbon sponge to treat whitespot, will putting some back in have any effect ?

i might be able to get a video showing th flow of the tank and how the water moves, ive also got a few bits of filter pipe bits so i might be able to change the angle of the outlet.

can anything like plant food help ?

 

[ZoddyZod]

with regards to adding another filter, it's worth considering an external. My Fluval 305 is uber-quiet and I'm sure others will tell you their externals are as well. I'd happily have it in my bedroom. I've slept in the lounge before and I could barely notice it.....my timer plug for the lights creates more noise!

 

[GrayScale]

If the water stats have been fine idk that another filter is needed. How often do you rinse the filter media in syphonwd tank water? I would recommend getting a powerhead or 2 to increase the flow around the tank.

 

[moochy13]

once a month maybe. it is due, especially considering the recent mini re-scape. however it has always been a problem.

ive heard a lot about powerheads, but not exactly sure what or how they work. are they just seperate pumps that have their own power source and do nothing but push water about, independant of the filter ?

 

[GrayScale]

You got it. They have there own built in pumps and impellers to move water around. Just place plug and play. Koralias are silent and a good choice in my experience.

 

[RadaR]

You got it. They have there own built in pumps and impellers to move water around. Just place plug and play. Koralias are silent and a good choice in my experience.

Koralias are also very good because they move "bodies" of water rather than creating a single jet of current. Water behind the Koralia is also incorporated into the flow.

 

[moochy13]

wow they look pretty swish. would i get away with using the smallest 'nano 900' version ? cost is important but i also want as little intrusion into the aesthetics of the tank as possible.

 

[GrayScale]

I think that would be a tad bit too small for your tank. Maybe look into a koralia 1. The question is, would you rather see a pretty small peice of equipment stuck to a side of your tank or would you rather look at the algae. I think 2 x koralia nano 460gph would work well for you to increase flow in more than 1 specific spot. They are relatively small as well.

 

[moochy13]

New features of the Koralia Evolution:

Five new models, 900lph, 1600lph, 2800lph, 4000lph, 5200lph

those are the new names for the updated powerheads they do, which one would you suggest ? considering the slimness of the tank, im concerned about just pumping to columns of water straight into eachother and creating some sort of bermuda triangle vortex in the middle

 

[RadaR]

I'd go for 1xKoralia 1600lph.
I'd then put in on the back glass panel (in the left corner), facing diagonally across the tank to the front right corner. It's then a case of observing and doing as you see fit.

 

[moochy13]

i checked some of these out in the shop today, and is 1600 really going to be necessary ? they seemed quite powerful, and my tank is only 150L. my tank is not very deep so it wont take much to push water from the back to the front i dont think, where i guess it will then run down the face of the tank towards the filter end. also, onc its been in my tank i cant take it back and exchange it. and being non adjustable, i dont want to end up with far too much current for my fish. i already envisage problems feeding them with increased flow.

i want the koralia because its small, quiet and on a swivel head. but its not sdjustable and the most expensive option. the price of the koralia isnt a problem, but i dont know whether id be better off with adjustable flow, or compromising on that to get the koralia. im leaning towards the koralia, just concerned about too much flow. at least if i get the 900 it will be less intense for the fish.

also, some of the tips of my swords are starting to get black fuzz on them. can this be stopped by dosing something in the tank, it currently has nothing put in for the plants. i took that photo in my sig about 2 weeks ago. the swords are now breaking the surface.

edit - well just looking on amazon, the 1600 is indeed suggested for freshwater tanks 100-180L. but only for 64-100L marine. nice and cheap aswell. the 1600 is 27 quid at amazon, 44 in at my lfs.