What more should I add?

AUAV8R · 03-03-2012, 06:00 AM

I have been using osmocote plus root tabs along with dosing a DIY liquid fert (fleet enema, stump remover, Epsom salt). Is there anything else I need to add? I have very hard water, and a heavy bio-load. Two t5ho lights over a standard 75gal. with paintball co2. I've been having algae problems and I'm wondering if it may be because I have only been doing 50% water changes every other week. Or maybe I have too many fish...

BBradbury · 03-03-2012, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUAV8R

I have been using osmocote plus root tabs along with dosing a DIY liquid fert (fleet enema, stump remover, Epsom salt). Is there anything else I need to add? I have very hard water, and a heavy bio-load. Two t5ho lights over a standard 75gal. with paintball co2. I've been having algae problems and I'm wondering if it may be because I have only been doing 50% water changes every other week. Or maybe I have too many fish...

Hello A...

Replied to your question earlier, but apparently not according to protocol. Anyway, your algae problem is likely too many nutrients in the water. High levels of phosphates and nitrates allow algae to thrive. You can do your large water changes weekly and that will remove the added nutrients.

Lighting should be in the 150 watt range for your tank. 6500 K bulbs are recommended for planted tanks, because the light blue color comes closest to natural daylight at 5500 K.

The algae you have can be controlled by the small, brown or red varieties of "Ramshorn" snails. These are second to none in eating all kinds of algae and tolerate even "brackish" water. They are however, fast breeders and can pile up in the corners of your tank.

B

**Hoppy** · 03-03-2012, 04:21 PM

You are having algae problems because you very likely have too much light. Two T5HO bulbs mounted close together with good reflectors, and sitting on top of the tank, will give you over 100 micromols of PAR on that tank. To use that much light you need to do everything else perfectly or you get lots of algae. The hardest thing to get right is CO2. You need that to be at the optimum concentration, which isn't much different from the concentration that will start killing the fish, unless you have a lot of oxygen dissolved in the water and good water circulation in the tank. You can raise the light fixture about 8-10 inches above the top of the tank, to reduce the intensity about in half, and make life a whole lot easier for you.

AUAV8R · 03-03-2012, 04:51 PM

Thanks for the reply Hoppy. The water flow is good with two rena filstars and two small pumps. My lights are are sunblaze 6500k single light strips and are about eight inches apart. The distance from the surface is about six inches and the bulbs are close to a year old so I'm not sure that it is too much light. I was under the impression that as long as you have enough co2, you can never have too much light. I run my co2 at 4 to 5 bpm with an DIY inline diffuser and the outflow is run through an impeller on one of the small pumps so I'm pretty sure my diffusion is good. BB, I think you are on to something with having too much nutrients in the water. Should I do one large weekly water change or two smaller ones?

03-03-2012, 06:00 AM	#1
AUAV8R Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Birmingham, Alabama Posts: 100	What more should I add? I have been using osmocote plus root tabs along with dosing a DIY liquid fert (fleet enema, stump remover, Epsom salt). Is there anything else I need to add? I have very hard water, and a heavy bio-load. Two t5ho lights over a standard 75gal. with paintball co2. I've been having algae problems and I'm wondering if it may be because I have only been doing 50% water changes every other week. Or maybe I have too many fish...

03-03-2012, 04:21 PM	#3
Hoppy Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (54/100%) Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 17,218	You are having algae problems because you very likely have too much light. Two T5HO bulbs mounted close together with good reflectors, and sitting on top of the tank, will give you over 100 micromols of PAR on that tank. To use that much light you need to do everything else perfectly or you get lots of algae. The hardest thing to get right is CO2. You need that to be at the optimum concentration, which isn't much different from the concentration that will start killing the fish, unless you have a lot of oxygen dissolved in the water and good water circulation in the tank. You can raise the light fixture about 8-10 inches above the top of the tank, to reduce the intensity about in half, and make life a whole lot easier for you. __________________ Hoppy

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03-03-2012, 04:51 PM	#4
AUAV8R Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Birmingham, Alabama Posts: 100	Thanks for the reply Hoppy. The water flow is good with two rena filstars and two small pumps. My lights are are sunblaze 6500k single light strips and are about eight inches apart. The distance from the surface is about six inches and the bulbs are close to a year old so I'm not sure that it is too much light. I was under the impression that as long as you have enough co2, you can never have too much light. I run my co2 at 4 to 5 bpm with an DIY inline diffuser and the outflow is run through an impeller on one of the small pumps so I'm pretty sure my diffusion is good. BB, I think you are on to something with having too much nutrients in the water. Should I do one large weekly water change or two smaller ones?