[KamonFish]

Hello! I’ve had a bad run in with what I suspect is some form of diatoms and I’m trying to figure out how to combat this disaster.

My setup is:
Age - setup for 1 month
Fluval Stratum substrate
Sand underneath (filler for height in some cases, but not more than 1.5”)
Plants are dwarf hair grass, dwarf sag, crypt wendtii, and crypt balansae
Filter is a 105gph canister
No CO2
Not currently dosing fertz
Lighting is a Finnex stingray (original version)
Lighting duration is 8hrs

Test kit readings:
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Hardness 150-ish
Chlorine 0ppm
Kh 0-40
Ph 6.8-7.0

I’ve been doing water changes every 3 days at nearly 50% to try and combat the algae. I’ve scraped, brushed, combed, and sucked out as much as I can each time. Seems to grow back by the 2nd day.

Any advice on how to tackle this problem?

 

[EmotionalFescue]

I'm not familiar with that light, but maybe its output is too high for no co2

 

[KamonFish]

Form what I’ve read, the Stingray (original) was widely considered to be a great light for low tech setups. I don’t believe the PAR reached above 50 with my depth, which is right around 12”.