spotted algae

[CT]

Anyway what brand of test pen is good? mi currently using the tetratest ph kit. only can read at 0.5 interval.

[subxero]

Hmm.. so what is the recommended "configuration"? Currently I'm having such problems too with my 4ft tank.

[nbk3]

0.5 ? wow . how much did u buy it at ? [:0]

[CT]

My pH kit is the normal "Tetratest pH for freshwater". It can be found in most lfs. I bought it at ard $9 if I remember correctly.

[nbk3]

[] oh . i was under the impression that you were using a test pen [] haha

mah bad

[qwe123r]

im using the test kit by sera.. issit good?

[nbk3]

yup its quite good , but u need a even better colour judgement to gather results from it []

[nbk3]

Would blackout methods work for this Algae ?

[naturetan]

I guess so, since most algae will die within the 5 days period the most. But blackout is usually quite stressful to the plants. Stem plants can turn leggy and some might rot during this period. Do it only if it's necessary.

From my experience, spot algae is the easiest to remove manually. If you take care of your nutrients well, in particular - PO4, it would be hard for spot algae to make another come back.

[nbk3]

i'll try blackout for about a day or two

btw , taking care of PO4 means ..... to dose less ? or more ??
and also from the above posts , NO3 seems to also have a part to play , but its not possible to control it would it ?

cos one thing is that its spreading slowly along my gravel and it is easily seen as there is a sharp contrast in the gravel n algae colour

[naturetan]

Ensure your PO4 don't run low, it must be >0.5ppm all the time, else spot algae can take over. Good range is between 0.5-1ppm. Same for all other nutrients.

Blackout should preferably be 3-5 days for it to work. Less than that, won't be effective. It's better for you to work on your nutrients until less visible sight of algae are spreading before doing a blackout.

[nbk3]

PO4 ? care to explain more ?

[naturetan]

PO4 or phosphate, is a macro nutrients needed by plants to be healthy. Fish food give some PO4 but usually is not enough for high lighting and low bioload. So you must dose it 1-3X a week, depending on your tank lighting and bioload, together with NO3 and traces. You can get a Sera test kit for PO4 to know your tank consumption rate and dose accordingly, or dose using estimative method - just to ensure it doesn't run low.

[nbk3]

hmm.... this PO4 , from what you're saying , its avaliable as a Fertilizer ? if so , where would it be obtainable from ?

[naturetan]

You can get it from Dr. Mallick. The product is KH2PO4. They have other range of nutrients product too. Refer to the LFS list for more details of address.

[geoffrey]

I think you should lower your light to 36W first before you use PO4. For a 2ft at 36W, you still get >2WPG.

[nbk3]

hmm.... dr malick eh ? Thanks man

So in short would be that Phosphate additives , in small and right amounts, would benefit the Plants AND also prevent algae growth ?

but if Phosphate is in the water , would i need to remove my coral chips ? as they contribute to the Water hardness too

[naturetan]

Geoffrey, agree with you. However, whether PO4 and NO3 uptake by plants are too fast for sufficient bioload to sustain in a tank even with low lighting, I've no idea. It would be interesting to know how many does not dose PO4/NO3 and yet plants grows healthily without algae problem.

Tom Barr have claimed that uptake are still faster than what the fishes can provide for CO2 tank. For non-CO2, I understand there's no problem with that.

[naturetan]

Why PO4 contribute to water hardness? You can still use your coral chips.

You're right. If your tank has insufficient PO4, dosing it will benefit plants and prevent algae. However, you need to understand that PO4 is not a all cure bullet for fertilization. You need to take care of all other macro and micro nutrients. When it's well taken care of, plants will become too healthy for algae to grow.

Refer to this for some idea of other water column fertiliser: Introduction to Fertilizers for a Planted Tank

[nbk3]

wouldnt phosphates also buffer the water like carbonates do ?

the other nutrients i have it just seems that i'm missing out on phosphates , so i did a lil research. at the moment i'm only having about 10 or so inhabitants in my tank , but i'll be increasing it by about 20 more tetras soon . Since fish foods normally have phosphates included in em , can i assume that it would provide a sizeable amount of phosphates ?

And also i'm going to cut down on my lighting i keep it on for more then 12 hours sometimes but i hope to change it