Hello every one i am having a couple issues with my tank that are not to terrible but that are getting under my skin. So here i go. Im sorry this is a long drawn out post but i tried to get as detailed as possible. And if you need more information that might be helpful ill do my best to provide it.
But my tank my tank my tank..... Kinda having a mental break down right now. Over the past month or so i have made a couple changes to my tank including plants and hardware. First off i upgraded my light from an odysea to a coral life. Both were 4 bulb t5 HO but the odysea one was only 24 inches so even when i suspended it the plants grew at a weird angle and it bugged me! Anyways the corallife is amazing plants seem to like it. I took the hang on the back filter off because i did not want the hardware in the tank. That was yesterday. maybe how much Co2 is geting dumped in because my tank ran out and i had to re fill it and i am terrible at counting bubbles. So i think a drop checker is my next investment. Do you use a drop checker? One last thing that i have done is i do a weekly water change with half tap half RO. Its only like 5 gallons every week. Only reason i do that is because madison water is extremly high. Ph of about 8.2.
Here i go though. Couple things i have noticed in the past couple weeks. I have a whole bunch of algea (Not like where the hair algea is out of control its just on some of the older leafs). At least more than the little spots of hair algea on older leafs. So far i see hair algea in larger amounts. It started growing on the glass even and i never really see that. I have a weird thing happening. I have a type of ludwiga that on the new leaflets forming at the top have blue green algea in the new leaflets like covering the top. Its super weird. But i HATE that stuff and i need to find a cure for that. I also see what is called black beard algea little tuffs of brown fuzz? That is getting a little on the gravel and it has covered some of the older leafs. And on my hygro kompacta i think it is i have like a diatom algea. Its like brown dots and to me looks like diatom. Its only on some leafs though not on all. One last thing the hygro sunset is an awesome plant grows like a weeed you know that. But mine got a little out of hand and im normaly good about trimming it and keeping it bushy. But it got let go so i did a big trim on it and some of the new plantlets leafs are going transparent and pretty much melt. My crypt that was once small and now is very large is starting to melt leafs too.
This is what i think i might need to do to fix these issues. Please correct me if im wrong or your thoughts on the idea. Please add any if some come to mind.
First off i think i need to raise the light. Weird thing is that it sits at about the same length as the odysea did. the coral life has large legs unlike the odysea having metal brackets. This idea i am not so much in favor of because i see in alot of peoples thanks ass the plants get closer to the top they change color like crazy. My plants dont do that. Maybe i just need to let them grow higher?
Second off i need a decent way to figure out how much Co2 im putting into the tank? Like i said drop checker might be my next investment.
Maybe do a larger water change weekly to get extra nutrients out of the tank say 10 gallons instead of 5. I dont think i would want to do a 50% change?
Last off i think i need to get a super duper master test kit so i can test all the required things to give some one like you more insight on the tank. A while ago i had a weird phase where some of my plants melted off so i bought a KH and GH test. Turns out my carbonate hardness was OFF the charts like i mean OFF the chart. i tested it multiple times and tested the tap and the tap was at least readable on the chart. Stil super high.
Other than that i am super happy with how the tank is turning out ill get you a picture here soon. Just from far away so you cant see the algea . One plant i am looking into is Staurogyne repens. Have you had any experince with this plant? I am getting it from Tom Barr if i get it. I plan on getting rid of the crypt because it is getting rather large and does not really fit in.
Happy thanksgiving!
Thanks a million.
Tim
But my tank my tank my tank..... Kinda having a mental break down right now. Over the past month or so i have made a couple changes to my tank including plants and hardware. First off i upgraded my light from an odysea to a coral life. Both were 4 bulb t5 HO but the odysea one was only 24 inches so even when i suspended it the plants grew at a weird angle and it bugged me! Anyways the corallife is amazing plants seem to like it. I took the hang on the back filter off because i did not want the hardware in the tank. That was yesterday. maybe how much Co2 is geting dumped in because my tank ran out and i had to re fill it and i am terrible at counting bubbles. So i think a drop checker is my next investment. Do you use a drop checker? One last thing that i have done is i do a weekly water change with half tap half RO. Its only like 5 gallons every week. Only reason i do that is because madison water is extremly high. Ph of about 8.2.
Here i go though. Couple things i have noticed in the past couple weeks. I have a whole bunch of algea (Not like where the hair algea is out of control its just on some of the older leafs). At least more than the little spots of hair algea on older leafs. So far i see hair algea in larger amounts. It started growing on the glass even and i never really see that. I have a weird thing happening. I have a type of ludwiga that on the new leaflets forming at the top have blue green algea in the new leaflets like covering the top. Its super weird. But i HATE that stuff and i need to find a cure for that. I also see what is called black beard algea little tuffs of brown fuzz? That is getting a little on the gravel and it has covered some of the older leafs. And on my hygro kompacta i think it is i have like a diatom algea. Its like brown dots and to me looks like diatom. Its only on some leafs though not on all. One last thing the hygro sunset is an awesome plant grows like a weeed you know that. But mine got a little out of hand and im normaly good about trimming it and keeping it bushy. But it got let go so i did a big trim on it and some of the new plantlets leafs are going transparent and pretty much melt. My crypt that was once small and now is very large is starting to melt leafs too.
This is what i think i might need to do to fix these issues. Please correct me if im wrong or your thoughts on the idea. Please add any if some come to mind.
First off i think i need to raise the light. Weird thing is that it sits at about the same length as the odysea did. the coral life has large legs unlike the odysea having metal brackets. This idea i am not so much in favor of because i see in alot of peoples thanks ass the plants get closer to the top they change color like crazy. My plants dont do that. Maybe i just need to let them grow higher?
Second off i need a decent way to figure out how much Co2 im putting into the tank? Like i said drop checker might be my next investment.
Maybe do a larger water change weekly to get extra nutrients out of the tank say 10 gallons instead of 5. I dont think i would want to do a 50% change?
Last off i think i need to get a super duper master test kit so i can test all the required things to give some one like you more insight on the tank. A while ago i had a weird phase where some of my plants melted off so i bought a KH and GH test. Turns out my carbonate hardness was OFF the charts like i mean OFF the chart. i tested it multiple times and tested the tap and the tap was at least readable on the chart. Stil super high.
Other than that i am super happy with how the tank is turning out ill get you a picture here soon. Just from far away so you cant see the algea . One plant i am looking into is Staurogyne repens. Have you had any experince with this plant? I am getting it from Tom Barr if i get it. I plan on getting rid of the crypt because it is getting rather large and does not really fit in.
Happy thanksgiving!
Thanks a million.
Tim