[rocketdude1234]

Well, I made a post a few months back about some form of cyano that was actually black in color. I dosed EM to rid the tank of it and maintained nutrients and co2 at a healthy level (relative to our 36g that is not having any issues).

The BGA is now back along with the staghorn and a few spots of BBA.

The tank is 29g. 10g wc weekly. 38w total 6700k ~10hrs (less than the 36). Ph 7.2 kh/gh about 10.

Weekly dose is about 11ppm nitrates, 8ppm K, and 1-2ppm phos. CO2 is diy run of 2 bottles switched intermitently every two weeks (1-2 bps consistenly) run through a powerhead right towards the intake of the Aqueon 55/75 HOB filter.

Unfortunately the bga has returned in blue/green form and I am still battling the staghorn.

I cannot figure out the root cause of my algae issues on this tank.

I would much appreciate help trying to find the root of the algae/bacteria problem.

 

[herns]

CO2 is diy run of 2 bottles switched intermitently every two weeks (1-2 bps consistenly) run through a powerhead right towards the intake of the Aqueon 55/75 HOB filter.

In my tank, I always got algae on DIY CO2 because they are not consistent.

Try upgrading to pressurize and crank up CO2. You may try reducing light period to 8 hours.

 

[rocketdude1234]

What's weird is that I use the same diy co2 set up on the 36 (except for the brand of powerhead - the powerhead on the 36 seems to diffuse it much better than the other) and I have zero algae (beyond the typical gda on glass) in the 36g.

The photoperiod has stayed pretty much the same and it took about 2 months for the bga to return after the first EM treatment and (attempted) correction of parameters.

 

[tetra73]

You need a drop checker to check your CO2 level. Did you get more plants? Maybe you have added plant mass or your plants are growing and consuming more CO2 than before.

 

[sewingalot]

Have you added any plants, fauna, etc to your tank from elsewhere? Is it in your water supply? Do you share nets other equipment with other tanks that have even the slightest amount of algae?

Did you change anything with your setup after getting rid of the bga other than the EM treatment? If you did everything the same, I wouldn't be surprised it returned.

 

[nkambae]

Check this out. It may help you.

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

If it was my tank I would increase my water changes to at least 50% a week and maybe even get aggressive and do 50% a day until the algae disappears. Then go back to 50% a week. I would make sure my aquarium was stuffed with plants as I have fewer issues with algae when my tanks are well planted. I would also dose the tank utilizing the EI recommendations in the Dosing Regimes sticky in the fertilizer and water parameters sub forum.

20~40gal
50% H20 change-weekly
1/4 Tsp-KN03 3x a week
1/16 Tsp-KH2P04 3x aweek
1/2 Tsp-GH booster once a week
5ml or 1/16Tsp-Trace 3x a week
Optional
1-2ml-Fe/Iron 3x a week

I would also make sure my filters were clean and didn't have large amounts of mulm built up in them. It is a good idea to keep the substrate clear of detritus and mulm. Post some pics and give as many details about your set up as possible. How are you filtering? Do you have enough flow and is your CO2 being distributed evenly throughout the tank? What is your bio load? When I did diy CO2 I changed one bottle per week and used wine or champagne yeast (can tolerate a higher alcohol content). I always activated the yeast with hot (109 degrees Fahrenheit) water to have high production within twenty four hours. I hope this helps a bit. Good luck.

stu

 

[rocketdude1234]

Increasing water changes that much would definitely break the break lol. We have to purchase ro/di water from a local store at .50 a gallon.

Filter is Aqueon HOB 55/75 (the newest version) @ 400gph. The mulm could be built up in the filter and I will check this during a wc I will be doing today.

The flow out of this filter is quite strong. The filter is positioned on the left side of the tank and it pushes directly into the front glass providing flow in three directions, left right and down.

The co2 distribution is my primary area of interest right now. If I had to say, the powerhead I am using is doing a terrible job at actually diffusing. The Hagen I use in the 36g creates a steady stream of finer bubbles that (for the most part) are gone before hitting the surface. This diffuser is also positioned below the output of a HOB filter so the flow crashes right on top of the tiny stream of bubbles.

On the tank in question, the powerhead seems to create small bursts of bubbles, most of which go directly to the surface. Some will diffuse but I would say this powerhead is less than half as efficient as the other.

Bioload at this point is only one mongoose loach. I did have 1 other and 1 german blue ram but the mongoose loaches are active predators and will eliminate tank mates very quickly during the night. The body was removed the day I noticed he had been killed.

It is of worth noting that the second mongoose loach died about 2 days ago, the morning following the addition of about 7 small pond snails from our pond (food for assassin snails). Keep in mind that all the algae was present prior to adding that fauna. I am aware that snails bring in disease and this is possibly why I lost the second mongoose since they love snails, but the other loach is healthy (just lonely).

I activate the yeast prior to adding it to the bottle and I also disolve all sugar before adding the yeast. I will leave it open for the first night to allow it to ferment and then put it on in order to have a ready-to-go co2 production.

I will perform a water change today (possibly up to 15gallons) and do a thorough gravel vac and filter cleaning.

BTW I wanted to mention I use Fluval Shrimp stratum mixed with a little Caribsea ActiveFlora. For whatever reason, this substrate is always dirty (not necessarily mulm, just the substrate itself). I never washed prior to adding it to the tank and for all I know this may have lead to the algae issues.

 

[rocketdude1234]

Well I did an ~18 gallon (~60%) water change today. Changed out the powerhead to the Elite Mini and cleaned from top to bottom, including plants, rocks, and substrate.

I made sure to clean the filter and added in some normal filter floss. I put in a new carbon filter after I refilled the tank and removed it from the filter after running it for about 30mins, then rinsed the old filter material already in there before I dosed the tank.

Co2 seems to be diffusing nicely and I dosed ~12ppm N, 9ppm K, and .5ppm P, and 1/8-1/4tsp CSM-B and 2x Excel.

I replanted the plants and split apart a crypt that was fairly bunched.

I did add some more pond snails (I found plenty of empty shells during the clean out) and I will be adding some MTS once I can locate them in the 36g.

Inhabitants are back in and now its waiting to see what will happen. Wanted to share the new layout, so here is a pic : )