hOWDY! please help..Updated tests this morning..

[BOTIA]

Hiya all, great forum here btw.
I am loach nut I have a 70 rainbow&botia tank, 33 hillstream river tank and 15 with platies for my daugthers room.
Anyhow My 70 gal is about a year old I am fighting BBA. I am new to plants so bear with me. I would like to know how I need to change these. What are the optimum balances?
I have 18 botia type( 2-4 inchs) loaches and 16 praecox rainbows plus 2 sae's and a clown plec. My plants are java fern,java moss and a large onion plant that grows well but is getting agleafied(
Thanx in advance botianut

Here are my stats
1.5 inch deep pure silica pool filter sand
2x32watt 6500k
2X40 watt plant and aquarium bulbs
according to chart I have 25ppm co2 today
ph 6.8, Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0
iron .45, Phos 2.5
kh5, gh4
I just set up a 2x2litre diy co2 today btw.
AC500 lighting 12hours a day

[Nordic]

I notice from the pic alot of surface agitation... not good for getting CO2 levels up, just my 2 cents

[Rex Grigg]

I notice not enough plants for the fish load. Also your phosphates are a bit high as are you iron levels. Are you dosing any potassium? You need to keep the nutrients in balance to help control the algae.

[GulfCoastAquarian]

I would do a 50% water change to bring down the phosphate levels and then add KNO3 (Stump Remover) to bring up your Nitrate levels to balance the Phosphate levels. They should be in a 10:1 proportion (NO3 : PO4). I keep NO3 at 7ppm and PO4 at 0.7ppm.
Also, as Rex suggested, make sure you are adding potassium and trace elements to take care of the plants "misc. needs".
Also, as Nordic suggested, turn those spray bars downwards to help eliminate some of that surface agitation. It is causing the CO2 gas you're working so hard to inject to simply evaporate into the atmosphere. Be careful, though, with fairly soft water (3dGH) the pH may drop fairly quickly once that CO2 dissolves into the water so keep an eye on it.

[Nordic]

Be careful, though, with fairly soft water (3dGH) the pH may drop fairly quickly once that CO2 dissolves into the water so keep an eye on it.

I don't think it just may fall, it bl@@dy plummets in my tank... been getting better with the crushed coral, just seems like a slow process.

[BOTIA]

Originally Posted by Nordic

I don't think it just may fall, it bl@@dy plummets in my tank... been getting better with the crushed coral, just seems like a slow process.

I have 3 phosphate remover pillows in my ac 500 for two months now. I can't figure out where it is coming from . I feed mostly blood worms,some shripm pellets and sometimes yam and cucumber. I do weekly 25% water changes, did it last night before the tests.
Botianut

[George Willms]

The phosphate remover pillows are probably spent. They can only absorb so much phosphate. Have you tested your tap water for phosphates? I'm not sure, but I think I remember hearing someone say that some kinds of shrimp pellets are high in phosphorous which could be the source of your problem.

[Nordic]

luckily phosphates hardly register on my testkit.
I seem to be getting the cycle better and better, light and agitation levels....

[BOTIA]

Originally Posted by Rex Grigg

I notice not enough plants for the fish load. Also your phosphates are a bit high as are you iron levels. Are you dosing any potassium? You need to keep the nutrients in balance to help control the algae.

You can't make it out but there is a soccer ball sized java moss in there as well as some floating water sprite..
Botianut:0