kwawhw's problem

[kwawhw]

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Beginners Info Sheet
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Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 3ft x 1.5 x 2
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 2x 36w
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : pl
No. of Hours your light is on: 6
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 3
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : tank
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): flipper
Substrate Used : not sure ( red round mini ball like )
How Thick is your base fert : one small box (about a cup full)
How thick is your gravel : 4cm
Liquid Fertilizers Used : none
Frequency of fertilization : none
Tank Temperature : 26-28c
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : canister
Filter media used : bio/mech
How long has your tank been set up : 3 week


Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
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Carbonate Hardness (kh): not sure
Total Hardness (gH): dont know
PH : dont know
NH4 (ppm): dont know
NO2 (ppm): dont know
NO3 (ppm): dont know
PO4 (ppm): dont know
Fe (ppm): dont know

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
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30 cardial, 10 rummy nose, 1 puffer, 20 shrimp, 10 oto

Describe your problem :

Q. could i increase hardness by adding baking power to combat algae?
Q. Does those plants liquid fertilisers that inhibits algae growth works?

I have clean the tank a week ago and it now growing again on the glass.
I have change the water alternate day 15%. (is it enough) I am not willing to get sae as they get very big so i decide the oto instead. I also have those i think bba on my slow growing plants leaf edges. (hair like dark green) Please help. and advise on my course of action.
Thank you so much......

MediAditor

[LiquidFX]

Split from the sticky.

Thanks theodore

[geoffrey]

Hi Kwawkw,

Firstly, you may want to increase your lights. 72W for a 3ft is abit low.

Increasing hardness by adding baking soda only acts as a buffer for your CO2. It does not help in algae. Algae can be controlled by keeping plants healthy.

Liquid plant fertilisers work only if you use them correctly. Bear in mind also fertilisers by itself will not solve your algae problems. There are also other factors important to plant growth such as CO2, lights, water change etc to consider.

[kwawhw]

Thanks Geoffrey,
ok question... i grow glosso (thougth glosso need high light) and they are growing very well not up but spreading well. Could you enlighten me.. there is this red plant that i got for the back ground is growing well also... it is just the water and the irritating algae.

i will check out my lights again if they are 72w in total.

Theodore, what do u mean by split the sticky???

Kenneth

[geoffrey]

Kenneth,

If your tank does well with the existing light, don't fix it. Increasing it now will only aggravate the situation.

Now, about your plants growing well yet you get algae. Although a plant maybe growing but is it growing at optimum rate or is it slower? Is it healthy in appearance or just acceptable? There must be a frame of reference for you to compare.

Besides, your tank is already 3 weeks old and those plants may be growing from their reserve by now without you dosing any fertilisers during that period. At this point of time, deficiency may be setting in. Do note that our tap water lacks Potassium and some trace elements that are essential to plant growth. Unless you are feeding generously, there is a possibility that Nitrogen and/or Phosphorous may also be lacking by now. So, what I'm trying to say is although your plants are growing, they may not be doing it well because one of these elemental nutrients may be below optimal level.

Besides, we do not know how much CO2 you are delivering into your tank. 3bps does not tell much unless pH and kH readings are given. It may not be sufficient too.

Plants do not deteriorate immediately when you stop feeding them or when something goes wrong. Before they show signs of poor growth or health, algae appear first.