My First Planted Tank : 4'x2'x2.5' (LxWxH)

**StanChung** · 23rd Jan 2009, 01:22

Dosing Excel directly works to soften it up but I think just regular slight OD is ok.
FYI my friend bought 20 SAE's, 30 otos and don't know how many yamato to clean up his 3ft hair algae tank. No feeding for a week and clear. Of course mosses also bald...

Gambate! Anyway, I think more plants always work. I just feel the discus are too small to be put in planted tank. oops starting to sound like broken record.

**ethan2008** · 23rd Jan 2009, 13:06

Originally Posted by Loopy

Dang! We cannot let the algae have the upper hand on this beautiful tank! Holy cow dude, 2.5FT in Height, that takes balls man.

Thanks for the encouragement bro, 2.5ft is a little too high. Can still manage once I took the hood away and... my mum give me a long hand too

Originally Posted by Loopy

Here is what I did:

1.) 6 SAE's
2.) 2 GAE's (Golden) (These thing grow big, but wow do they work like crazy)
3.) 11 OTTO's
4.) 1 PLECO (It's White, that's all I know)
5.) SYRINGE BLASTING!
5A.) AZOO ANTI ALGAE
5B.) EXCEL
6.) Brought down the photoperiod, you are doing 5 hours. I would not even know if 3 hours is advisable - What does everyone think?
7.) Oh and I chucked in plants like crazy

Thanks for sharing of the above, will likely to avoid GAE as it may creat problem once the discus grown up.

Think I will just cut down the left hand side MH to 3 hrs and off the right hand MH (directly above the bog wood infested with hair algae) for a week and observed. What do you think?

A bit worry to meddle things around now coz I will be away for a whole week (actually 9 days) starting tomorrow, too many changes and if things go wrong I will not be there to rectify it... Sigh...

**ethan2008** · 23rd Jan 2009, 13:09

Originally Posted by StanChung

FYI my friend bought 20 SAE's, 30 otos and don't know how many yamato to clean up his 3ft hair algae tank. No feeding for a week and clear. Of course mosses also bald...

20 SAEs and 30 Otos.. OMG

Originally Posted by StanChung

Gambate! Anyway, I think more plants always work. I just feel the discus are too small to be put in planted tank. oops starting to sound like broken record.

Thanks bro. Will keep it up. As for the discus, I am not too sure either if I can succeed in raising them in a planted tank set up, just trying out and may be if I made it then some of us may try raising a batch of discus fries in a planted tank next time

**ethan2008** · 23rd Jan 2009, 13:15

Bro torque6 is sharing his success in battling hair algae using endlers, sound interesting and I may just give it a try .. Seaview here I come

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=51992

So far the SAEs, though munching on the hair algae but not to the extend of gaining control over its growth... some more my SAEs fest on Blood Worm too, is this normal??

**bossteck** · 23rd Jan 2009, 19:35

Yes, soon they will just wait for you to feed them and ignore the algae all together. That's the problem with SAEs.

**StanChung** · 24th Jan 2009, 03:00

Yes, it's a love hate relationship with SAE.

Once they're older[~3"] you have to let them go or keep them in a 'retirement tank'.

I have one that doubles up as my fern/anubias/bolbitis holding tank where I feed them sparingly. If I get any hair algae infested plant I put it in there to be 'cleaned'.

**ethan2008** · 2nd Feb 2009, 23:54

Update on Day 37:
Added 10 SAEs (total 16 SAEs in the tank), did a 50% water change, off both MH to reduce light intensity, injected about 40ml of Excel directly onto hair algae and then off I go for my CNY break (away for 9 days), here's how the tank looks upon returning home

No casualties, touch wood.

And amazingly, almost all Hair Algae had disappeared. No idea if it's due to the SAEs or Excel or reduced light intensity since I off both MHs (could be a combination of the three) but I am delighted to have some good outcome in my battle with this stubborn algea (I know I am far from declaring a victory in this battle)... Anyway the moss doesn't looks healthy now and there's some brown out area.. hopefully it will recover slowly.

**vwsj84** · 3rd Feb 2009, 00:59

Don't worry... moss recover fast

**ethan2008** · 4th Feb 2009, 17:39

Originally Posted by vwsj84

Don't worry... moss recover fast

I do hope so... Start seeing some hair algae again on the moss... dosing excel (10ml) on alternate day and hopefully it would work out well.. finger cross

**vonduos** · 18th Feb 2009, 17:09

Hi Ethan,

I am running a 5th with Sump tank.
24 hrs - 6 bps - 7.3 PH

When light is on, additional 3 bps from another CO2 tank.
7.3 PH with lights on.
7.1 PH without lights on with the addition 3 bps.

**noved** · 17th Jan 2010, 06:53

I am thinking about a 150 gallon high my self and was wondering how this one turned out. How was your experience with planting a 2.5 foot tank. What ever happened to this set up. I am very interested to find out.