Need help with my planted tank

[bezz]

Hi guys,

My first post here so be gentle

I started a 2ft planted tank about 2 months ago and have been struggling with some issues. Hope to get some advice here. The issues I have are :

1) Stem plants growing rapidly and rotting at the bottom.
I have remove the rotten parts and replanted them less densely. Any advice here ?

2) Hair algae on some plants
I know everyone has at one time or another struggled against algae, so need some advice here. I have hair algae problem, but most frustrating are those on my mini and taiwan mosses as they are just growing some new green shoots when some parts of the moss became covered in black and hair like algae making the moss black in colour


My tank specs are:

2ft x 1.5ft x 1ft
2 x 18w PL
Minimum dosing of Seachem Flourish
External canister filter with foam and ceramic rings only
CO2 running 24hrs
about 12 small fishes, mostly tetras
Lots of stem plants like hornworth, water sprite, MM, singapore/mini/taiwan mosses, blyxa japonica and some other plants.

I do not know the water parameters as I don't have any test kits.

My Blyxa Japonica and Hornworth are light green in colour so I guess I'm lacking some nutrients. Can anyone recommend which Macro nutrients to get for regualr dosing.

Thanks.

Henry

[FC]

Hi Henry,

Welcome here!

I am not expert but I hope to help if I can. Questions:
1) What base fert you use?
2) What gravel you use to top above the base fert and how thick?

Run-In
There are a few ways to run-in a tank. My preference is:
1) Setup the tank with base fert and gravel with filter running. No fish, no plant, no light. Change 100% water after 1 week. Refill the tank and add hardy fishes. Normal feeding and change water twice a week at 25% each. Tank & filter will run-in after a month. Then, start planting with cheap stem plants. Light feeding. Start with 6 hrs light and increase 0.5 hr a week till you get 8~10 hrs. Tank would mature/stable after 3~6 months. During this maturing period, change water weekly at 25%.
2) Setup the tank with base fert and gravel with filter running. No fish, no plant, no light. Change 100% water after 1 week. Refill the tank and start planting with cheap stem plants. 6 hrs light and increase 0.5 hr a week till you get 8~10 hrs. Introduce fishes after 2 weeks. Light feedings. Tank would mature/stable after 3~6 months. During this maturing period, change water weekly at 25%.

After 2~3 months of setup when the tank is more stable, you should then invest in fishes and plants of desire.

Must Haves
1) At least 2 test kits: 1) KH tester 2) PH tester. This is for checking the CO2 concentration in the tank, so that you can adjust the CO2 inject rate properly.
2) Fan to maintain water temp below 29 degrees celcius. Turn on together with light.

Solving your present problem
1) Remove all the plants from the tank. Get rid of algae from them, cut the melted bottoms, etc.
2) Remove any algae attached to gravel/tank surfaces
3) Change the water 100 %
4) Gravel should be at least 1.5 inch thick. Add if needed
5) Refill the tank, re-plant and run filter. Discard all algae infested plants. Add new/heathy stem plants if needed, emersed form is prefered.
6) Ensure you get 25~35 ppm of CO2
7) Start with 6 hrs light and increase 0.5 hr a week till you get 8~10 hrs.
Feed the fish lightly.
9) Filter flow should not be too strong. Channel the outlet to the tank's wall, away from plants.

I hope the above helps.

[spdskr]

Henry,

I am sorry to hear of your frustrations. Aside from Freddy's excellent post, I might add the the algae you describe sounds like black beard algae (actually a type of red algae, I believe). This type of algae prefers strong water current, so as Freddy suggested try to lower the flow rate. You might also try dosing with Seachem Excel. It is advertised as a CO2 alternative, but is also know to be toxic to black beard algae. I have used it and believe this to be true also. Lastly, many stem plants will drop lower leaves as they reach the water's surface regardless of other conditions. However, the rotting you describe is probably indicative of an imbalance in your fertilizers. Once again, please follow Freddy's advice, but you might want to experiment with the Excel if you are able to find the product nearby. Best wishes.

Duane

[FC]

Hi Duane,

Thank you for the added points. Your suggestion of using Seachem Excel certainly helps as it provide another carbon source, the single most needed nutrient for healthy plant growth, for the plants. This cocoon of carbon source being toxic to algae is new to me. In my encounters, when plants are given the right conditions to grow, they will form immune capability to ward off algae infestation on the plant's surfaces.

Black beard algae is a stubborn dweller which I have yet to learn what support their growth. I fighted them with nipping off them from plants and remove them from gravel, then, change 50% water and refertilise the water. Like you said, I also observed that strong water current encourage their growth.

Stem plants tend to loose lower leaves as they grow taller. In my tank, I experience a handful stem plant types loose their leaves but often than not, the leaves shrink in size. However, I knew of a very successful tank that able to sustain lower leaves very well. And once the top stems are cut, they, receive enough light again, springed to life and sprouting new shoots with vigour. I do not know what nutrients had provided such support but I knew the tank uses Dennerle scheme of fertilsation faithfully and that the tank has very high light.

[PeterGwee]

Black beard algae is a stubborn dweller which I have yet to learn what support their growth. I fighted them with nipping off them from plants and remove them from gravel, then, change 50% water and refertilise the water. Like you said, I also observed that strong water current encourage their growth.

Stem plants tend to loose lower leaves as they grow taller. In my tank, I experience a handful stem plant types loose their leaves but often than not, the leaves shrink in size. However, I knew of a very successful tank that able to sustain lower leaves very well. And once the top stems are cut, they, receive enough light again, springed to life and sprouting new shoots with vigour. I do not know what nutrients had provided such support but I knew the tank uses Dennerle scheme of fertilsation faithfully and that the tank has very high light.

If the BBA keeps growing, you need more CO2. The test kits might say you have enough CO2 but the algae doesn't lie. Just make sure you have some moderate surface movement and shut the CO2 off at night. Add more CO2 slowly till the BBA stops growing. When that happens, you had it beaten. Watch your critters closely also when you do this and back off if they start to gasp/breathe harder.

New smaller growth is always a CO2 issue. Leaves that do not get enough light down to a light compensation point are often shedded since its of no use to the plant anymore and it will not waste its resources to support it. (pretty intelligent..)

Regards
Peter Gwee

[spdskr]

Freddy,

Your suggestion of using Seachem Excel certainly helps as it provide another carbon source, the single most needed nutrient for healthy plant growth, for the plants. This cocoon of carbon source being toxic to algae is new to me.

From what I understand, the active ingredient polycycloglutaracetal in Fourish Excel is toxic to some types of algae. Seachem's website also makes mention of this effect:http://seachem.com/support/FAQs/FlourishExcel_faq.html

Duane

[|squee|]

It could be staghorn algae too, since his plants are rotting (=ammonia). If it is, dump your moss and get new ones.

Why not get the rest of the Seachem range? Seachem Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium will be good additions to your fertilisation regime. Do a 50% water change weekly and dose accordingly to the instructions. As the others have stressed, if you're injecting CO2, inject it well (target 35ppm to minimise errors) and you should have no problems.

Of course, regular maintainence like removal of dead and rotting material is very important, as ammonia is the main "food" of algae.