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[URGENT] Dying HC

2K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  EDLITE 
#1 ·
I flooded my 10 gallon tank a little over a month ago. They transitioned fine, but in the past few weeks, the HC has gotten pale and is getting overtaken by algae. The photoperiod is 8 hrs using the 24/7 Planted+ on max intensity and an in line CO2 atomizer starts with the light timer. The drop checker is yellow throughout the day. I'm doing a 50% water change once a week. The water parameters are all zero when I checked last, but I think I need to retest the nitrates again.

I really hope someone can help me to turn this aroud, because I don't think they have much longer.



 
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#2 ·
I flooded my tank a little over a month ago. The HC transitioned fine, but it's been looking worse since a couple weeks ago. It started to become pale and its getting covered with algae and doesn't seem to have much time left... I'm using a 24/7 Planted + light on max on a 8 hr timer along with an in line atomizer for CO2 that comes on with the timer. The drop checker is yellow all the time and I'm doing 50% water changes about once a week. My water parameters read all zeroes last I checked, but I need to retest nitrates again because that doesn't seem right.

Hopefully someone can help me to revive my HC before its too late



 
#6 ·
My guess is that there isn't enough Nitrate. Maybe the Nitrate is getting used up because of the good light, CO2 and decent substrate that you have and then the subsequently Nitrogen deficient plants are attracting algae. Algae always picks on compromised plants. I would definitely retest that Nitrate like you say because 0 ppm N is not good.
 
#8 ·
The plants were pearling a lot more when I first flooded and it's been slowing down as the algae has been taking over. I have fertz, but I just started to dose. I shook the nitrate test bottle against the table for a few minutes and still got a zero reading but I'll have to check the expiration when I get back home. Should I be dosing normal fertz every other day macro and micro? Or should I increase it? I also am adding prime with water changes and read somewhere it can slow a cycle. Anything more I can do to bring more life to them? It's looking pretty sad. I also went to the store and added some floating plants to take in any extra nutrients to slow down the algae
 
#9 ·
Check your flow...like watch your co2 bubbles and make sure it's getting to your plants. Algae on HC usually means, lack of CO2 or lack of flow. I would put in a circulation pump on the lower part of the tank so if flows right over the HC. Also, I would try to kill the algae with spot treatment of H2O2 (turn pumps off prior and let it sit for at least 10 minutes). It won't hurt the HC. Maybe increasing the photo period to 12-13 hours as well. Finally, I would suggest dropping your water line to add more surface agitation (after you add your circ pump), O2 is just as important as CO2 in your tank. My biggest problem was circulation w/ HC. Good luck!
 
#10 ·
Thanks everyone for all the input. I'll start dosing nutrients and I'll check my flow when I get home. I grew hc before, but added a lot of media to my canister with this tank so I think flow is a lot more reduced than it used to be. What is the process to spot treat the hc with hydrogen peroxide?
 
#18 ·
I turn off the pumps and use a plastic syringe. You can get one from any drugstore. There is a whole tank method way that I've tried that worked really well, granted you have no shrimp/invertebrate in your tank:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/203684-one-two-punch-whole-tank-algae-treatment.html

There's a lot of opinions on what you should do, increase/decrease light, dose more/less, more water changes etc. I think what you should focus on is what changed since adding your water; specifically waterflow, water quality, and temperature.

Check out this vid by forum member Xiaozhuang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPsirguiGZ4

If worst comes to worst, maybe PM him, he's very active here...
 
#13 ·
dang that looks pretty bad. anything that is yellow now will slowly turn brown, to pale, to die over the next weeks. Its gg for those. Only whats green is left to salvage. I would blast the CO2 on high. youre getting some algae on the side walls too. I would chill out on the amount of light you're giving it. maybe 2-3 hours a day? you're plants are not doing so hot, don't wanna stress them out even more.
 
#16 ·
DSM or Dry Start Method. It eliminates the need for co2 and worrying about algae at start up. People get a really nice looking carpet going very easily before they fill the tank.

The problem is: When you do fill it, the plants have to adjust so there's a slowdown in growth which makes it more difficult to manage light. Many also aren't equipped to deal with the co2 needs once submersed.
 
#17 ·
Ok I think I'll reduce the photo period down to 6, do 2x/week water change, dose macro and micro alternating days, remove some filter media to increase flow. I think that's a good start, but any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'll update if things improve
 
#19 ·
I'd love to have hc like that....haha. My temperature is 78, I have a planted+ 24/7 on max so lighting seems adequate. I think the flow is a little better, after removing some filter floss. The in line diffuser is making really small bubbles coming out of the outflow and being distributed throughout the tank with a yellow drop checker. Could the drop checker be yellow and my co2 still not enough for hc?
 
#20 ·
Ah that is another factor when it comes to CO2. Just because your drop checker is yellow, does not necessarily mean you have the correct PPMs required. Factors such as PH and dKH will affect your CO2 levels. The youtube video I linked earlier has a table, also Hoppy made a nice thread on it as well:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-equipment/1079857-co2-drop-checker.html

Also, make sure you have a bit of surface agitation (or surface skimmer), I've read that biofilm will adversely affect the natural gas exchange as well...
 
#22 ·
Looking pretty doomed. You can't save your carpet (for now), but you might be able to save some money: pull all your HC out and keep it emergently growing in some trays. Some of it might survive. Plastic takeout containers work great. If it bounces back, you might try reintroducing it. Remember, with emergent growth you don't have to worry about algae, so you can keep these trays in natural sunlight, in front of a window, if you don't have spare lights.
 
#23 ·
I bought a cheap powerhead from eBay over the weekend. I think poor flow is definitely present in my tank since some of the old algae I scraped off just settles on top of the hc and doesn't move after I disrupt the tank. I'm thinking now that the atomizer is making a lot of tiny co2 bubbles, but they aren't accessible by the hc and are coming into contact with the drop checker and giving a false yellow reading? I'm interested in buying a rex grigg reactor to get more efficient co2 distribution. Can anyone recommend me a cheap one to purchase? Id rather just buy one than make it. I will take out the hc tonight and grow it out emersed again before I have another go at this.... Do you think the finnex 247 planted + light is adequate to grow hc?
 
#24 ·
I was gone over the weekend, but I was able to dose micro and macros before I left. There was a bloom of green algae when I came back, but I think I see some new really tiny green leaves throughout the patches of hc in the tank. I took out a batch of hc that still looked green to start the dsm again in case this doesn't work out, but hopefully the nutrients were the problem.
 
#25 ·
Update: I think dosing made the biggest difference and after dosing for the past week, I am seeing (even though the picture doesnt show it well...) a lot of healthy new growth throughout the tank. The tank is still covered with algae, but just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for their help in reviving my HC. I think the plants that I used to have used up all the nitrates for growth and since there was no fish or anything in the tank to supply nitrogen, the plants stopped growing. Hopefully this might help someone who runs into an issue like this in the future, but it was a good learning experience.

I'm planning on growing the HC submersed until I get a good carpet and then rescaping the tank without all the algae layer that is currently on the top.

If anyone can recommend or sell a cleanup crew I would really appreciate it. I'm looking for amanos, nerite snails, and red cherry shrimp. Wouldn't need to be very many of each since its only a 10 gallon.

 
#26 ·
There are so many parameters that can impact plants. Its my belief you are doing too much water change%; water changes are great but too much is detrimental. Plants need nutrients, CO2 and light. Your adding so much new water that you could be diluting any byproducts from plant growth. Plants turning yellow is usually lack of N. Its like people who cut their lawn and remove grass clippings which removes nutrients from lawn. So their grass slowly turns yellow from lack of what it needs which is usually N.
I would check your water source and see what is in it and if its deficient you are actually creating a desert over time which means you need to fertilize more. If your water is moving its likely CO2 is not the culprit. Keep light on for at least 8 hours, make sure its reaching depth of your tank and make sure its either daylight spectrum or red and blue spectrum (LED). You will probably have to replant as these plants may not survive. I hope this helps and does not confuse the issue.
 
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