Problem with alage on glass

[MdmBudak]

There is some algae growing on my plants but my main problem seems to be my tank glass.

There is this dusty looking green alage growing on my glass, together with some spot alage. I clean my glass thoroughly when I do a weekly water change but this alage will start appearing on my glass 2-3 days later. My bioload is slightly on the high side.

Tank size: 3ft by 1.5ft by 2ft
Lights: 4*36W PL. Turned on for 15hrs per day
CO2: CO2 tank with solenoid
KH: 4(baking soda used)
PH: 6.5-7
Filter: Eheim ProII 2026
Water: Change 30% weekly
Substrate: Dennerle Deponit-Mix

Liquid fert added: PO4(a few grains), calcium nitrate(add a little), MgSO4(1/4 cup for every 200L of water), K2SO4(1/4 cup for every 100L of water) and Iron + trace elements(1 capful for every 200L of water) . I did an overdose with the iron+TE, could that be the cause of the problem?

Can someone pls help me, I'm going .

Thanks

[PeterGwee]

Your photoperiod is tad too long and most likely you have too little CO2. In order to find the amount of CO2 in your tank, you definitely need a narrow range pH test kit or even better a test pen. The current kit simply is not good enough. Until you get the CO2 right, dosing anything would not work well. For your KH, drop the pH down to 6.6-6.7 using only CO2. Once you get that right, you can do the following routine.

Prune and remove as much algae as possible
Clean filter
Do 50% weekly water change
1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 once a week
1/2 teaspoon of K2SO4 once a week
1/16 teaspoon of KH2PO4 once a week
15ml of traces once a week
Make sure you keep the CO2 high and good all day long.
Drop the photoperiod down to 10 hrs

Note: You might need to tweak things a little bit depending on your plant load (type of plants: fast or slow growers) vs critter load. I have no idea what type of plants you have and how heavily it is planted nor do I know how much you mean by high critter load though. But the suggested values should come close.

Repeat the process for 3-4 weeks and tell me the results.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[MdmBudak]

Hello Peter,

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Will decrease my photoperiod to 10hrs daily. Also, must I dose NO3 if I have a slightly high bioload? I have a fully planted setup.

Have already washed my filter and hoses.

1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 once a week -> I only have calcium nitrate, can you use it instead?

What about adding mg? It is not required? Also, should I continue my iron and TE @ 1capful per 200L of water or decrease the amt?

Everytime I scrap algae off my glass, I am able to see the green pores dispersing into the water. Won't this enable the alage to grow everywhere?

[PeterGwee]

MdmBudak, I left out some things in the original post but have added them back in...you might want to read it again.

Yes, the zoopores would try to throw out "babies" in an attempt to survive but that is when the water changes would remove the young spores plus along with the old ones.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[ckll]

I used to have green spot quite badly when my lights were too near to the glass and I didnt dose phosphate then.

Now that I've placed my lights slightly away from the glass, plus dosing phosphate (and getting enough CO2 into the tank), green spot has reduced a lot. I get a little at end of the week. It used to be on 3rd or 4th day after wc, and it was bad then.

What I do now is to siphon out 50% of the water during weekly wc, and then use a cloth to wipe it off. That way most of the spores get trapped on the cloth and dont escape back into the water. But the ones still submerged in water (lower half of glass height) bopian lor. Just wipe as much as possible using fresh cloth (not the one used to wipe the upper half). Wipe, then fold. Then wipe. The idea is to reduce the amount of spores getting escaped back into the water.

Opps, sorry for the rant ..

[MdmBudak]

Will take note and update you guys, thanks again!

BTW peter, will follow your dosage instructions when I do a water change this weekend.

1) Can I replace KNO3 with calcium nitrate?
2) In case you are wondering what type of iron+TE I'm using, it can be found @ http://www.nature-aquarium.com/order.htm

When you say 1 teaspoon, does it refer to the 5ml side of a double sided spoon usually used by clinics?

Is there any tool which I can leave in my tank so that it can tell me its PH 24/7?

Thanks

[PeterGwee]

Singapore's tap water hardness is fine so I would not recommend using CaNO3 to dose for NO3 nor do I have the experience with it. If you insist, you need to do the calculations yourself then or ask Bclee (chemical equation savy guru).

The traces you are currently using are similar to those of Dr Mallick's micros. I believe it is highly concentrated as compared to those commercial traces like TMG or Flourish. Try adding the amount I told you and monitor for response (should be subtle though...) Make sure the CO2 and NO3 is good during the time when you monitor this or else you might start blaming it for algae bloom. (Do look out for the copper concentration...I have no idea how much that is in your traces...drop the dosage if the concentration is high or else you might kill your critters.)

The teaspoons I mention are those use for cooking...they are available in a set. 1/8tsp, 1/4tsp, 1/2tsp, 1tsp, 1/2tbs and 1tbs (tsp: teaspoon, tbs: tablespoon)

If you have money to burn, then go with a pH monitor (constant monitoring of pH with the pH probe dip in the tank all the time..do note the probe needs constant calibration to be accurate.) or else go with a test pen would do. (Calibrate and measure when needed.)

Regards
Peter Gwee

[MdmBudak]

Bought the 1KG CaNO3 from Dr Mallick and followed the instructions for dilluting it. The dosage instructions after dilluting is 1-1.5ml for every 10L of water.

[FC]

Mdm,

Like Peter and CKII shared, I also found the below contribute to algaes glowing on the glass.
1) Too much light
2) Too much Fe
3) Lack of PO4 (or too much NO3?)

[MdmBudak]

I think my is a classic problem of insufficient CO2. Increased my C2 today and the plants started to bubble.

Have decreased my photoperiod to 10hrs. Will do a 50% water change and follow peter's instructions.

Will see how things go from here.

[PeterGwee]

Make sure you remove as much algae in there as possible for a start though. It might hang in there for the first to second week but should be gone by the third to fourth week if you keep up with things. The main key is to keep the CO2 high and good and dose nutrients regularly. Slack on that and algae would return pretty fast.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[MdmBudak]

Hello Peter, removed most of the alage today and did a 50% water change. Have also increased my CO2.

Followed your dosing instructions but there is something which I need to clarify with you.

You told me to add 15ML of traces. The recommended dosage is 1 capful(5ml)for 200 litres. Will I be risking another round of alage by overdosing the traces?

Tls

[PeterGwee]

No, you should not as long as the CO2 is in good range and macros does not run out for more than a day.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[juggler]

[quote:3663b7b67a="MdmBudak"]Will take note and update you guys, thanks again!

BTW peter, will follow your dosage instructions when I do a water change this weekend.

1) Can I replace KNO3 with calcium nitrate?
2) In case you are wondering what type of iron+TE I'm using, it can be found @ http://www.nature-aquarium.com/order.htm

When you say 1 teaspoon, does it refer to the 5ml side of a double sided spoon usually used by clinics?

Is there any tool which I can leave in my tank so that it can tell me its PH 24/7?

Thanks[/quote:3663b7b67a]

Yes. You can use the clinic teaspoon. It is 5ml. The smaller other end is 2.5ml. Also 3 teaspoon = 1 tablespoon.

[mandz]

[quote:69a865f968="PeterGwee"]Your photoperiod is tad too long and most likely you have too little CO2. In order to find the amount of CO2 in your tank, you definitely need a narrow range pH test kit or even better a test pen. The current kit simply is not good enough. Until you get the CO2 right, dosing anything would not work well. For your KH, drop the pH down to 6.6-6.7 using only CO2. Once you get that right, you can do the following routine.

Prune and remove as much algae as possible
Clean filter
Do 50% weekly water change
1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 once a week
1/2 teaspoon of K2SO4 once a week
1/16 teaspoon of KH2PO4 once a week
15ml of traces once a week
Make sure you keep the CO2 high and good all day long.
Drop the photoperiod down to 10 hrs

Note: You might need to tweak things a little bit depending on your plant load (type of plants: fast or slow growers) vs critter load. I have no idea what type of plants you have and how heavily it is planted nor do I know how much you mean by high critter load though. But the suggested values should come close.

Repeat the process for 3-4 weeks and tell me the results.

Regards
Peter Gwee [/quote:69a865f968]


hi peter, with regards to the traces dosage, are you refering to Dr M's Lushgro Micros? what if i'm using Lushgro Aqua instead of the Micros? do i dose accordingly, meaning more Aqua since the concentration of the trace elements is lesser than those found in Lushgro Micros?

[PeterGwee]

I'm not referring to Dr Mallick's micros nor aqua but commercial traces like TMG or flourish. Do note that Aqua contains quite a bit of K(macros) and NO3(macros) so you do not dose that like you dose traces(micros). Perharps you can pm Geoffrey or Juggler for some tips on using those products.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[MdmBudak]

Hi Peter,

I followed your dosage instructions and increased my CO2, my plants are bubbling now.

No signs of alage on the glass after water change on Sat.

Can the dosage last for a week or must I add a little more during mid week?

Thanks

[MdmBudak]

Hello Peter,

Have another question to clarify with you.

Please refer to this thread, http://www.aquaticquotient.com/phpBB...ic.php?t=15764

Will the rock affect my PH/KH/GH or nutrients balance and cause problems? I do a 50% water change weekly.

Tks

[PeterGwee]

If the rock buffers the water like it seems to in your case, your GH and KH will rise but that is fine as long as you keep a close watch on the pH/KH(CO2 level). The rate of rise would definitely be less significant as you do large weekly water changes and it should fall within a certain range after sometime. GH(Ca/Mg) are plant nutrients so they are fine.

Regards
Peter Gwee