1st planted tank multiple issues need suggestions

854 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by wharfrat, Apr 20, 2014

wharfrat

Discussion Starter · Apr 19, 2014

This my first planted tank that I have been serious about. I have had some low tech tanks in the past sparsely planted. This is a 25gallon, with pressurized CO2 (atomic inline) with 2 Finnex Ray 2's and eheim 2217 /w inline heater. In the back corner I have Ludwigia Cuba, Ludwigia palustris in mid, and Alternanthera Reineckii beside the L. Cuba in the back. The carpet plant is glossostigma. Everything is growing like a weed. I use the EI index ferts from GLA, total root pellets form aquarium plants.com and use the sticky thread here on the site for 20-40gallon as a guideline. I have 14 ember tetras, a pair of Apistogramma Elizabethae, 3 otos, 2 Nerite, some Amano shrimp, and 6 dwarf Corydora Habrosus. I'm at capacity I know

I have a lot of filter and my NO3 are non existent. I made the mistake of using purigen from the get-go I believe.

My questions are what can I do about the hair algae problem? If you look in the pic you can see it quite well in my glosso. My photoperiod is 7hs. My bubble counter is 4 plus and my drop checker is light green to lime green. I have considered algae fix and moving the shrimp to my fluval spec I bought for the fiancée. I know this is a bandaid fix; however, My tank is a month old (I used 1 liter of matrix from a Tropheus tank + prime/stability + snake oil flora and pretty much inta-cycled...impatient)

Another suggestion any thoughts on plants I should add or substract? Suggestions are welcome.

My disclaimer is I know my tank looks pretty bad aquascaping etc.; however, its my first true venture into planted tanks so I am learning as I go

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Agent69

· #2 · Apr 19, 2014

Problem is you have WAY too much light in the tank. Even one ray2 is high lighting for a tank that size you should probably take one out and save it for another project

The string algae is a pain to get rid off even with the one two punch method. I tried directly injecting excel at it but no success I would reccomend manually removing as much as you can be careful though I ended up uprooting a lot of my baby tears and also remove one ray2 and reduce your photoperiod

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Raymond S.

· #3 · Apr 19, 2014

Not as familiar/w this as most, but noticed that most tanks/w this much light have
much more plants. The ones/w less plants report more algae problems.
You might try putting a 2 hr no light period in the middle of your light cycle. Plants can handle that better than algae can.

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tetra10

· #4 · Apr 20, 2014

you definitely have a lot of lighting...

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wharfrat

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 20, 2014

I was worried about the spread of light in an 18inch wide tank...Do you think I should replace a Ray2 with a planted plus? A little lower par and more of a red spectrum. Any idea of what kind of plants to add?

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jrman83

· #6 · Apr 20, 2014

Why not elevate one of the Ray 2s? This will spread the light better and may only need 3-4 inches. I would be interested in what your PAR at the substrate is. Breaking up your time period will not do anything but with that much light even 7hrs could be a little much.

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wharfrat

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 20, 2014

My bud got the new kessil special blend a150we 6500k and is starting up a nano reef instead. So I am trading him an older a150w kessil ocean blue I had on my old nano reef + a 48inch satellite plus I have barely used in the closet. I might even through in one of my Finnex. The Kessil he has in unopened. It will be a little less light than the 2 ray 2's give decent spread over an 18 x 18 x 18 cube and looks really nice.

Any thoughts what plants to add...and where?

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