relationship btw gravel thickness and base fert thickness

[SuperRaY]

my tank is having a algae outbreak. I have tried ways to remove the algae but prove no avail. i currently have 2.5cm thick of base fert in the front and 3.8cm at the back the gravel i used is 2mm sized gravel that the teo's used my gravel is like 2 cm thick in the front and 3.5 cm at the back. My guess is that base fert is leeching into my the water colummn and causing algae problem. algae type i dun know but it's a greyish type that branches out. i change water once a week.

Those with established tanks what are your gravel and basefert thickness ? i hope i can do a comparision to aid my fight against the algae attack.

my tank have 30 cardinas, 6 ottos, 10+ yamato shrimps, 5 fake SAE.
tank size is 120cm by 45cm by 45cm.
filter have been washed frequently i onli use filter floss and bio balls
ph is ard 7-7.5. (dun have any other test kit)
plants in the tank
mostly e.tennllus and japonica
and a few type of other stem plants
lighting period 6 hrs 4X 37W FL tubes
co2 5bps

if i have made a mistake in my prediction of my algae cause pls kindly inform me thanks

[budak]

what kind of base fert are you using? Also do you add liquid fert?
Another thing: if your CO2 is 5bps and your pH is above 7, your KH must be pretty high. Can you check if the readings are correct?
And can you test also for nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO), which are the main causes of algae blooms?

[SuperRaY]

i'm using JBL base fert, dosing JBL ferropol on daily doses, i havn't got myself a NO3 and PO tester, i tested again for the ph jsut now the reading shows 6.5-7 ph. btw is the algae i mention BBA ? i will get myself no3 and po4 test kit and post the results here

[hwchoy]

2cm gravel should be enough to keep the base fert down. if the algae is soft fluffy type should be the hair algae, hold it up to the light it should look dark greenish. BBA is more like your chin without shaving.

[hwchoy]

if you wash your filter frequently perhaps that's killing off the bacteria colony. perhaps can try dosing bacteria spores?

[FC]

Superray,

I can see nothing wrong, perhaps, you should dose your tank weekly instead of daily. I think your plant is not doing well due to lack of fert. Try dosing up to double the dosage and monitor for 1-2 weeks. Keep the CO2 at about 25 ppm, light on 10 hrs.

[vinz]

It's probably staghorn algae...

Anyway, why only 6 hours of light? You get algae when there's an imbalance of nutrients... check your NO3 and PO4 levels. Also check pH and KH levels to determine your CO2 levels.

[tawauboy]

try reducing the feeding to once every 3-4 days.
helps to reduce no3 and po4 levels in your tank.
increasing the lighting hours and adding some floating plants, such as frogbits, would also help to reduce the nutrients in water column.

it would be good to have some test kits to help you in your algae battle.