ALMOST No Algae.

[cdelucia]

I've had my current 29 gal. setup for a little over a year and I'm happily having some success with plants. My only qualm seems to be this blasted tough and furry algae that's clinging to some of the larger leaved plants. Here's a few photos (sorry for the poor quality):









I'm trying my best to keep the CO2 to 25ppm. I'm intentionally keeping phosphates to nothing. Nitrates are at 10~15ppm (would like to see 20). I dose PMDD daily (20 drops seems to be the right amount - I judge this by testing Iron biweekly) and change 4 gal. H2O weekly. Filter is a Fluval 204 that's changed monthly and I've never detected any ammonia in my testing for it. I use two power compact flourescent lights at 65W each. Before you wonder why I don't have eternally green water, I put some auto window tinting on top of my glass canopy - cuts the light by 25%-35% I figure. Lights were on for 10 hours, now down to 8 hours the past month. Still no improvement in the tough/furry algae.

Should be noted the water is very clear and crystal clear after the weekly day of fast (usually fast the fish on Sunday).

Faunawise: approx. 9 algae eating shrimp (that DON'T eat the above algae), 1 bristlenose pleco (NOT dwarf - also DOESN'T eat above algae), 1 clown loach, 5 cardinal tetras, 4 gold barbs, 4 cherry barbs, and 3 bosemoni rainbow fish.

Should be noted that I feed frozen food in the evening (usually a cube of daphnia and a cube of brine shrimp). The method I use is to disolve the cubes in a paper cup, suck it up with a turkey baster, and disperse it into the tank from the baster. I do this so the food isn't in a central area which helps 'bully' fish to dominate the food uptake - the turkey baster method disperses it EVERYWHERE so 'bullies' can't deprive other fish of the food. This method does mean that food particles invariably end up on plants. Normally it all gets eaten off the plants in time but maybe this is helping the algae find a local source of decaying material (Tom Barr said that algae thrives most on ammonia and light). What do you guys feed your fish? Would moving to just flakes help me cut the algae?

Should also be noted that I have java moss on top of a piece of driftwood toward the top of the tank. The moss does will but it's covered in algae (web-like). I know the moss gets more light up there do to proximity of the lights. Not sure I can get rid of the algae there.

Sorry for the rant, but this is a good forum.

[ranmasatome]

Why are you keeping phosphates low??? By that i mean your Po4 values in the water... get it up to 1-2 ppm!.

Also once this algae (BBA) sets in it doesn't magically disappear when the water conditions change to a better one for plant growth.. they will still stay there.. they just wont "multiply" as rapidly. You have to manually remove all or most of what you can see and then make sure the water condition is good enough so that your plants grow well..

Mostly this algae is caused by a problem with co2.. check and recheck that again.. you can try cranking it up a little more and see if the fish start to surface breathe..

[cdelucia]

Keeping the PO4 down (through product called Phos-Zorb) has already cut down on most of my algae.

What kind of foods do you guys use? I'm starting to think the cloud of dissolved food settling on the plants leads to algae. Is there any kind of critter that likes to eat the algae I have?

CO2 is pretty high and tough/hairy algae still growing rather well.

[PeterGwee]

Keeping the PO4 down (through product called Phos-Zorb) has already cut down on most of my algae.

What kind of foods do you guys use? I'm starting to think the cloud of dissolved food settling on the plants leads to algae. Is there any kind of critter that likes to eat the algae I have?

CO2 is pretty high and tough/hairy algae still growing rather well.

You are killing off your plants and providing a great home for algae by adding in the Phos-Zorb. The phosphate is a plant nutrient and by not giving your plants food, its not going to grow and will die.

Read up on the estimative index method. You are going to decide whether its the plants you want to dominate in your tank or algae.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[barmby]

Plant need food in the form of NPK. They are NO3, PO4 and K. There is no denying. Ten years ago people uses less light hence they try to reduce PO4 to minimum, but today people is blasting their tank with 4 to 6 watts per gallon. Hence, CO2 and NPK and TE will need to increase..