[HondaV]

I have my Planted Tank set up since Jan. 2011 with only 1 10k daylight T5 24w on the Oddysea. I have little to no algae. Just recently, I bought a 20lb co2 tank off craiglist.
I set up the co2 and have my tank pressurized on Aug. 31, 2011. Since then, I have been dealing with aglae.
Algae looks like tiny moss ball. Below are some picture of it. I'm not sure of what kind of algae is it and how to get rid of it.
Additional, it seems like they only bloom on the substrate and a few on the wood.

20 Gallon Long ( L30xD12xW12)
Cascade 170 Internal Filter
Edited: 38 watt total, 24w 10k daylight T5 Oddysea and 14w t5 Coralife
20lb co2 tank( with regulator, bubble counter, check valve, Glass co2 diffuser)
1-2 bubble per second
Dose Flourish 1-2 times per week
Substrate = Activ Flora and Flourite Black sand from Seachem

7 white cloud mountain minnows
1 cory cat
1 otocinclus
1 sunset platy

(09/16/2011)
NO3 = 0
NO2 = 0
PH = 6
KH = 180
GH = 60/120

If someone can help me. Thank you very much and for your time.

Edit: (09-17-11) I just added 4 yellow shrimp and 3 crystal shrimp to the tank.
I also added some more plants that i got from a cousin of mine.

Edit: (09-18-11) I just added Hydor power head that rated for 300gph. However, I set it to low since it seems to blow everything away.

Below are some picture:

 

[Steve001]

I don't know either. A good way to get rid of it is to add a lot more plants so they out compete the algae for the available nutrients. Use fast growing ones.

 

[HondaV]

I don't know either. A good way to get rid of it is to add a lot more plants so they out compete the algae for the available nutrients. Use fast growing ones.

Oh, Thank you. I'm currently looking into buying/adding more plants to it. Hope that will at least help a bit.

 

[Sharkfood]

NO3 = 0

That's your problem.

If you're only dosing Flourish, then your nitrate and potassium levels will be extremely low. When you add CO2, suddenly your plants grow much faster driving them even lower.

Now you have a high light, CO2 injected tank, which necessitates higher levels of nutrients. There are several ways to provide this, but by far the easiest, cheapest, and most common way would be with dry fertilizers following the EI dosing method (A better explanation can be found in the "Dosing Regimes" sticky in the "Fertilizers and Water Parameters" section of this forum.).

 

[DishyFishy]

That's your problem.

Now you have a high light

I'm asking this genuinely, not to be a smarty pants. I thought 24watts on a 20gal tank would be low light?


Edit: Oops I see now thats its x2 lights

 

[HondaV]

That's your problem.

If you're only dosing Flourish, then your nitrate and potassium levels will be extremely low. When you add CO2, suddenly your plants grow much faster driving them even lower.

Now you have a high light, CO2 injected tank, which necessitates higher levels of nutrients. There are several ways to provide this, but by far the easiest, cheapest, and most common way would be with dry fertilizers following the EI dosing method (A better explanation can be found in the "Dosing Regimes" sticky in the "Fertilizers and Water Parameters" section of this forum.).

I thought NO3 at 0 is good. I didnt know that was bad.
and for the nitrate and potassium, how and what can i dose to give them those?

I did check out that thread Dosing Regimes, I guess i will try to get into that asap. Thanks for your time.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Well, I know it's not necessarily an answer you will like, but it's as simple as adding more fish. More bio load will give you an increase in NO3 all on it's own.

Tommy

 

[Kathyy]

More fish would provide more nitrogen and phosphorus but a high light tank probably needs even more than fish poop can provide.

The Flourish has potassium, your tank is missing nitrate and phosphate.

Zero ammonia and nitrite good, zero nitrate and phosphate bad.

 

[DarkCobra]

In addition to what's already been stated, the Cascade 170 is only rated at 45 gallons per hour (GPH) of water movement, and is recommended for tanks up to 10G.

But planted tanks need even more water movement than standard tanks. CO2 and other nutrients must flow over the plant leaves, otherwise the water in contact with plant leaves becomes quickly depleted.

See my recent post here for a better description of why that happens.

Most leaves in your tank should be at least gently swaying in the current. As a rule of thumb, aim for 10 GPH of water movement per gallon of tank capacity, through any combination of filters and powerheads.

 

[HondaV]

In addition to what's already been stated, the Cascade 170 is only rated at 45 gallons per hour (GPH) of water movement, and is recommended for tanks up to 10G.

But planted tanks need even more water movement than standard tanks. CO2 and other nutrients must flow over the plant leaves, otherwise the water in contact with plant leaves becomes quickly depleted.

See my recent post here for a better description of why that happens.

Most leaves in your tank should be at least gently swaying in the current. As a rule of thumb, aim for 10 GPH of water movement per gallon of tank capacity, through any combination of filters and powerheads.

I do have a Hydor power head that is rated at 300GPH. should that be good enough with my current internal filter?

By the way thanks for your time.

 

[HondaV]

More fish would provide more nitrogen and phosphorus but a high light tank probably needs even more than fish poop can provide.

The Flourish has potassium, your tank is missing nitrate and phosphate.

Zero ammonia and nitrite good, zero nitrate and phosphate bad.

How do i get the nitrate and phosphate up? I'm really sorry. I'm really a noob at this.

and thanks.

 

[tetra73]

They look like Green Bush Algae. You don't have any of them on the plants themselves? Not all algae are bad. I won't immediately point out which nutrients you are deficient in. How's your plants? Do they show any signs of nutrient deficiencies? If not, your algae problem can be caused by MANY factors. How long you have your lights on? I think you have too much light the way I see it. Maybe reducing your light hours?

 

[HondaV]

They look like Green Bush Algae. You don't have any of them on the plants themselves? Not all algae are bad. I won't immediately point out which nutrients you are deficient in. How's your plants? Do they show any signs of nutrient deficiencies? If not, your algae problem can be caused by MANY factors. How long you have your lights on? I think you have too much light the way I see it. Maybe reducing your light hours?

Now that i look closely. I think my plants are having some algae on it as well. I guess it just started growing on the plants.

I have the lights from 2pm-10pm..so that's about 8 hr a day. and co2 is only on while the light is on.

thanks for your time .

 

[Hoppy]

Algae show up when the plants are less than in great health, growing actively. When they are short of nutrients, as yours are, they are easy targets for algae. And, you do have much more light than you need, making it much harder to avoid algae.

 

[DarkCobra]

I do have a Hydor power head that is rated at 300GPH. should that be good enough with my current internal filter?

Yes! From what I've read, a Hydor has awesome flow.

 

[HondaV]

Algae show up when the plants are less than in great health, growing actively. When they are short of nutrients, as yours are, they are easy targets for algae. And, you do have much more light than you need, making it much harder to avoid algae.

I made a mistake it is 38watt of light instead of 48. Is that still too much?

 

[Hoppy]

What is significant isn't the wattage of lights you use, but the fact that you have one T5HO bulb and one T5NO bulb lighting a tank that is only 12 inches high. The T5HO light alone will be giving you at least 100 micromols of PAR, probably a lot more than that, depending on the reflector it uses. The T5NO light alone will be giving you around 30-40 micromols of PAR. That T5NO light would work by itself, if you use CO2.

 

[HondaV]

What is significant isn't the wattage of lights you use, but the fact that you have one T5HO bulb and one T5NO bulb lighting a tank that is only 12 inches high. The T5HO light alone will be giving you at least 100 micromols of PAR, probably a lot more than that, depending on the reflector it uses. The T5NO light alone will be giving you around 30-40 micromols of PAR. That T5NO light would work by itself, if you use CO2.

Oh. but i thought that if i use co2. i would be okay to use more light since there will be a lot more nutrients.

 

[DarkCobra]

Well there's a lighting level where CO2 becomes necessary (maybe 60 PAR).

And a higher lighting level (120 PAR) that you cannot never exceed, even with CO2, because the plants simply cannot use any more light; and the excess only benefits algae.

What Hoppy's telling you is you've exceeded 120 PAR.

For high light, it's best to not push it to the absolute limit, so 100 PAR is a good goal.

Using Hoppy's chart:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html

A single T5HO with a good individual reflector, at 12 inches from bulb to substrate, provides 180 PAR. Too much!

A single T5NO with a good individual reflector, at the same distance, will provide about half as much light, or 90 PAR. Nearly perfect.

My PAR numbers differ from the ones he posted, and I'm not sure why; might have just been a typo. But the conclusion is the same.

 

[Hoppy]

My PAR numbers differ from the ones he posted, and I'm not sure why; might have just been a typo. But the conclusion is the same.

Time marches on! I don't continually update those charts, so eventually they will become obsolete, just as everything else does. I have always hoped that someone else will produce a better chart or better way to estimate the PAR from various lights.