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Thread: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

  1. #1
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    Unhappy Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

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    Hi everyone,


    Thank you so much for taking time out to read this and for helping me out!


    I'm trying to combat what i think is BBA and also diagnose what deficiency my plants are suffering from.


    Whenever I can (about once a week, or once every two weeks), I scrub the black algae of the plants using a sponge and then do a PWC.


    Can you please refer below for more info and advise me on what i should do? If possible, please recommend a timeline for the course of action.


    Thank you!


    Tank size: 60 gallons. 120 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm.


    Lighting: 1 x Arcadia T5 Original Tropical Plant Pro (pink light), 5 hours daily


    Substrate and fert: Seachem Flourite Original, about 3cm deep. Seachem flourish tabs added about 1 month ago near every sword plant and 3 tabs in between the 4 crypts. No liquid fert. No CO2.


    Filter: Eheim pickup 160. Last washed about 2 weeks ago.


    Livestock: 5 discuses, 4 Rummies, 5 Sterbai cories and 1 Panda cory. No signs of disease.


    Feeding regime: Australian black worms, Canadian beef heart, Hikari frozen blood worms. Occasionally Hikari bio-gold.


    Plants: 7 Swords, 3-5 x Java fern (attached to driftwood), 4 Crypts, 2 anubias (attached to driftwood), some floating water sprite


    PWC frequency: I do a 25% PWC weekly.


    Water parameters: The tank is cycled. I condition my area’s tap water dechlorinise with SeaChem Prime and then condition the water with Sera Super Peat for about 1 to 1.5 days.


    The water parameters are maintained at around:
    PH: 6.0 or lower
    KH: 0
    GH: Unknown - No test kit


    Temp: 27C/81F
    Ammonia: 0 ppm
    Nitrite: 0 ppm
    Nitrate: 5.0ppm


    Tank water parameters from my area if you want to know more: http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/waters...gWQReport.aspx


    Pictures of my tank

  2. #2
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    Re: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

    Bba usually start from other contaminant plants, fish, water. And it's just matter of time to get them flourish, whenever there's ignition. Your plants deficiency might be the main reason. I think your may need to ferts your tank, especially potassium and bit micro, even though your is very low tech. And for low tech you may not necessary wc every week or perhaps less water change (10%) compare to high tech energy which is very crucial..

    My 5 years girl have low tech 40L tank, mostly bucep, anubias nana , java fern and few guppies , and we doze it with a bit potassium and micro weekly. Wc 20% every month, just water top up every week, no co2,excel.

    And don't disturb the sand/soil which is sometime may consider the main igniter of bba.

  3. #3
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    Re: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

    Where are the BBA growing on? Some closeup photos of the algae would help alot too.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

    Hi milk_vanilla and Urban aquaria,

    Thank you so much for replying!

    I think my algae may not be BBA as some one told me BBA actually looks like this: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=43106&d=1454767818 , so apologies for the mistake

    Noted on the PWC, thanks

    I have planted seachem tabs (http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...urishTabs.html) near the 'root plants' so idk why they are still in such distress. I guess water column ferts are needed too?
    I have seachem flourish, and seachem potassium. Will those work? How much to dose? I also have API leafzone

    Also, is my lighting ok? And, do you think is should get more plants to fight the algae or jus worry about the ones i have first?

    thank you!

  5. #5
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    Re: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

    For general algae management, just manually remove and clean off as much of it as possible. If possible, you can try dosing anti-algae treatments to help inhibit and slow down the algae growth.

    Adding a team of nerite snails and yamato shrimps will also help to consume the various algae and control their growth too (your discus may snack on the smaller shrimps though, so try to get the larger sized ones).

    In the future, treat and quarantine all new plants before adding them into your tank. It will greatly reduce the hassle of having to solve such algae issue later.

    Most of your plants are slow growing types too (especially so in low tech tank environments), so algae will tend to grow on them if there is too much light shining directly on their leaves.

    There is still alot of empty bare space in the tank that light is just shining on, so fill it up with more plants (preferably fast growing types). Higher plant density helps to outcompete algae.

    The root ferts you added into the substrate will help supply nutrients to the rooted crypt and sword plants, but the java ferns and anubias take in nutrients from the water column, so if you spot stunted growth or weak leaves, you'll need to dose water column ferts too.

    Just follow the fert bottle instructions to dose and observe the plant growth and condition, it will take some time because of the slow growing nature of those plants, but if growth deficiencies still persist, then gradually add more ferts until the plant growth improves.

    From your photos, the plants look like they were recently added and still in emersed form? If so, they will take a while to transition and adapt to submersed form, in the meantime the older leaves will melt (especially the crypts) before new submersed leaves grow out to replace them. So its just a matter of trimming the melting/weak leaves and waiting for them to regrow new leaves.
    Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 8th Feb 2016 at 14:10.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

  6. #6
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    Re: Need advice: Fighting algae and ID-ing nutrient deficiency

    Hi there Ken! You may consider trying out some anti algae treatments such as Algexit or Seachem Excel to combat the algae. You may also want to cut back on ferts and perhaps use less of it. You should also up your water changes and also check to see if your feeding has resulted in residue on the bottom of the aquarium. You can also get a clean-up crew of Yamato shrimp and some Ottos to help manage your algae on a regular basis.
    Does this make sense: ~Imperfect Past equals future tense~


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