algae

[nostalgia]

Hi
need some help
how do i combat algae?
what type of fishes or aquatic life combat wat type of algea
i have algae hair grow on some places...
how do i combat them?

does adding hornwort(Ceratophyllum demersum), malayan shrimps and otos help?

[PeterGwee]

Otos and yamatoes do help to clear algae but you would need to correct your current tank conditions or else even they might not be able to cope. []

Kindly give us more info of your tank...

Beginners Info Sheet
--------------------

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH):
Tank Volume (litres or gallons):
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) :
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) :
No. of Hours your light is on :
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) :
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) :
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor):
Substrate Used :
How Thick is your base fert :
How thick is your gravel :
Liquid Fertilizers Used :
Frequency of fertilization :
Tank Temperature :
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) :
Filter media used :
How long has your tank been set up :
Other equipment :

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------
Carbonate Hardness (KH):
Total Hardness (gH):
pH :
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------

<State what fishes and plants you have to the best of your ability>


Describe your problem :

<problem description. If you have picture which could help then please post them>

[geoffrey]

----------------
On 6/4/2003 11:52:16 PM

Otos and yamatoes do help to clear algae but you would need to correct your current tank conditions or else even they might not be able to cope.
----------------

Gwee is right, the strategy of using Otos, SAE, Ebi, toothbrush, comb and snails by itself will not work effectively. A good strategy requires regular maintenance in the form of trimming and pruning; water change and filter maintenance etc. Very importantly, a proper fertilising regime too.

To quote an advise given to me, "you got to be on top of things."

[nostalgia]

Beginners Info Sheet
--------------------

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 90x45x45cm
Tank Volume (litres or gallons): 4/5 full
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 2x36W PL lights 2x20W FL lights (modified daylight lights from hardware store)
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : as stated above
No. of Hours your light is on : 12 hours
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : Nil ( still look out for a second hand one )
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : Nil ( still look out for a second hand one )
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Nil ( still look out for a second hand one )
Substrate Used : Normal Gravel. Dunno the brand but it's the type that cost around 21~25 dollars per pack! Is brown in color w red words packaging....
How Thick is your base fert : 1 full container of JBL base fert. around $15 one if i m not wrong
How thick is your gravel : front is abt 8cm to 12cm at the back
Liquid Fertilizers Used : JBL liquid fert
Frequency of fertilization : every two weeks after water change
Tank Temperature : 30~32 deg
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : Canister
Filter media used : Sponge, carbon, zeolite and ceremic rings.
How long has your tank been set up : 3~4 months
Other equipment : air pump.... considered?

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------
Carbonate Hardness (KH): dunno
Total Hardness (gH): dunno
pH : dunno
NH4 (ppm): dunno
NO2 (ppm): dunno
NO3 (ppm): dunno
PO4 (ppm): dunno
Fe (ppm): dunno

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------

<State what fishes and plants you have to the best of your ability>

4 discus
4 neon tetra
7 rummy nose
4 3line pencil
6 panda cory
2 leopard cory
4 otto
50+ malayan shrimps
lotsa small snails.....

plants : amazon sword. valissa ( dunno wat name liao... the twirling leaves one...) . dwarf sag. 4 col lotus. duck weeds, frog bit, abit of java moss and hornwort, another type of floating plant of which i dunno....


Describe your problem :

<problem description. If you have picture which could help then please post them>

algae hair.... there is algae hair at some sorts in the tank....
how to get rid of them.... perm.
plants growing alittle slow. is it the lights or no Co3 or both?

any advice from the experts out there? thanks regards

[sherchoo]

I think the first thing you should do is quickly provide your tank with CO2. Plants may seem fine to you but algae will overrun your tank pretty quickly if your plants are slow in uptaking the nutrients in the water column. At least try DIYing CO2 temp while you're looking out for your CO2 set.

[nostalgia]

any other tips?

[bclee]

With your lighting level, you would need CO2. Tackle that first before anything else.

BC

[sherchoo]

----------------
On 6/6/2003 6:13:04 PM

any other tips?
----------------

Do take a step at a time. The key to sucessful tank is balance.

[nostalgia]

----------------
On 6/6/2003 11:30:22 PM

With your lighting level, you would need CO2. Tackle that first before anything else.

BC
----------------

how come? explain abit more please. thanks!
[]

[NaRcOsIs]

suggest u down ur light timing.. esp without CO2

[zackdelatoonz]

Another thing that i notice is that u're using carbon & zeolite. Take them out as they absorb all the nutrients in the liquid fert u dose. If u've injected co2 those media will cuz an imbalance of the nutrients need for the plant. (Other forumers correct me if i'm wrong)

[bclee]

----------------
On 6/9/2003 11:04:18 PM

----------------
On 6/6/2003 11:30:22 PM

With your lighting level, you would need CO2. Tackle that first before anything else.

BC
----------------

how come? explain abit more please. thanks!
[]
----------------

First of all, a tank with lush growing plants tends to have lesser algae problem compared to one with poor growing plants. Healthy plants will fight off algae (the mechanism is yet to be established). To keep plants healthy, we have to provide all the nutrients the plant needs.

C from CO2 (sometimes from HCO3-) is the no.1 nutrient that plants need. Plant is make up of >40% C. So providing sufficient CO2 is critical. Plants will suffer first without enough CO2.

Next are the macro nutrients like N, P & K. These takes a while to learn to get the hang of. N & P usually comes from fish food and waste. But due to higher lights we use nowadays (causing faster growth and higher nutrient demands), those from fish food and waste are usually insufficient and have to be added separately. K is sometimes found in the liquid fertilisers and small quantity in the tap water. Again, due to the higher demand, it has to be added separately.

Next is the traces. We usually do not have problem with these because all the liquid fertilisers will provide these.

Well, it will take some time for you to learn all that. That's why we ask you to start with CO2 first.

BC