So I have a 46 gallon bowfront that is probably medium planted with low to moderate light plants. I have a diy co2 system set up and running around 1 bps currently and have a kuval led light that has 129 leds with some blues and reds mixed in. I run my lights for 12 hours and use eco complete substrate. Over the last past couple of weeks I've had issues with algae covering my glass and plants and was wondering what the issue is. I also dose excel but that doesn't seem to be helping and my plants really aren't taking off besides the anarchis. Should I start using fertilizers and what would you recommend?
Cut the photo period back to 5-6 hours. Your tank is new and you have low light plants. They do not need that much light for that long of a period of time.
What kind of algae? If it is brown and is easily removed if you rub a plant leave, this is diatom algae. It is annoying, but does go away. Doing water changes often and rinsing filter sponges will help control the excess organics in the tank. If there is more going on, please post a picture.
If you are using CO2, you should be using ferts. I use Thrive ( not at the recommended dose. My tanks are low light/ low tech with low light plants and no CO2. They get a half dose once a week) although many around use dry and mix their own. I found dry to be a royal in the butt, so I don't bother.
The thing to keep in mind with ferts is this: If you have low light and overdose ferts, you will have algae. If you have high light and low ferts, you will have algae. Finding the sweet spot or balance for you tank will take time. There is no one specific way of doing this that will guarantee success in your tank.
You don't need Excel. Your tank is new and is going to need a few months to balance out. Focus your time on growing plants, adding more plants and keeping the organics in the tank under control.
Cut the photo period back to 5-6 hours. Your tank is new and you have low light plants. They do not need that much light for that long of a period of time.
So your probably wasting you time running 1bps of diy co2 in a tank that is almost 50 gallons. As a very generalized comparison I run 1.5bps on my medium low light 15 gallon tank. Also your algae problems would be vastly improved by setting your photoperiod to 8 hours, maybe 10 max. I would do that first and then start to think about ferts. Your might just consider double dosing Excel or Metricide than using the diy co2 as well.
I don't know how to post a picture but it's mostly green algae that's growing on the glass but it scrapes off easy and then there's also thick green algae on my anubias and on the drift wood
Alternanthera reineckii Are the red ones and then I have dwarf hairgrass java fern another red fern on the back left an anubias and then a couple water fern things that I got in a tube from petsmart. My nitrates hardly read most of the time. Less than 5 ppm
Alternanthera reineckii and dwarf hair grass need nitrates. You can get KNO3, Spectricide stump remover, for it is 100% KNO3, at hardware store in states that it is legal. Increase nitrates slowly or the fish will be affected.
Do not use stump remover in your tank. It is toxic to fish! Buy proper ferts that provides the nutrients that plants need whether they are pre-mixed or in dry form to make your own.
This product is toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates and may adversely affect nontarget
plants. Drift or runoff may be hazardous to aquatic organisms in water
adjacent to treated areas. To protect the environment, do not allow pesticide to
enter or run off into storm drains, drainage ditches, gutters or surface waters.
Applying this product in calm weather when rain is not predicted for the next 24
hours will help ensure that wind or rain does not blow or wash pesticide off
treatment area. Rinsing application equipment over the treated area will help avoid
runoff to water bodies or drainage systems. This chemical has properties and
characteristics associated with chemicals detected in groundwater. The use of this
chemical in areas where soils are permeable, particularly where the water table is
shallow, may result in groundwater contamination. Application around a cistern or
well may result in contamination of drinking water or groundwater.
I have used it when had just swordtail fish. It never bothered them. Threadfin rainbows I have had a problem keeping alive. Perhaps that was why. I thought it was the ammonia from earthworm castings which had come to the surface.
A company that makes the product says that it is toxic to fish and plants on their SDS sheet ( not to mention all the things said sheet says how said product should be handled by humans) and yet, everybody should toss it in their tanks because the word 'nitrate' is used.
Perhaps there is a very good reason that some states do not allow this product to be on their shelves. Just sayin'...
I'll be buying my next batches online for sure. But I didn't want to wait for shipping, so I went and got what was available locally at the moment.
I first tried to get "saltpeter" from a pharmacy, because that is supposed to come in smaller amounts for cheaper, but every time I called them they had no clue what I was talking about. I probably didn't help that much because I barely had a remote clue what I was talking about as well.
But $8, and it will probably last me a year, so I can't complain too much.
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