[minorhero]

Staghorn is the worst!!! If you have success doing it the way you are describing then you got very lucky. If you are not planning to spot dose then filter on. If you are going to spot dose (and I think you will before this is all over) then filter off. Frankly if you can even get it under control spot dosing just peroxide you lucked out. If/when that fails look into the "one two punch" thread on this forum. Basically heavy dosing excel and peroxide. Might kill plants and livestock as well so beware.

 

[Bent17]

Is there something to eliminate it completely or get it not to come back??

 

[Plinkploop]

Patience, manual removal with filters off, large water changes after manual removal keeping filters off daily and spot treating thereafter has helped me out but it takes months this way. I've yet to find anything that is a quick fix to get rid of it and keep it from coming back. That takes balancing light and nutrients and a heck of a lot of diligence.

 

[Bent17]

Is there something to eliminate it completely or get it not to come back??

Also should I dose it daily (Peroxide) or alternate days

Patience, manual removal with filters off, large water changes after manual removal keeping filters off daily and spot treating thereafter has helped me out but it takes months this way. I've yet to find anything that is a quick fix to get rid of it and keep it from coming back. That takes balancing light and nutrients and a heck of a lot of diligence.

what ferts are you using? I was using the full Seachem ferts but just moved off to Evolution aqua. Could be that that caused the imbalance

 

[Plinkploop]

Nitrogen/ phosphate I believe. I don't use nitrogen anymore and lean dose phos and potassium for low tech set up with root tabs. Flourish 2× a week for trace and excel daily for algae control.

 

[Bent17]

Think ill go back to my dosing as I stopped flurish and excel

 

[Plinkploop]

I haven't done this in tanks that have co2 and active substrate, mind you. I have been incredibly lucky in those settings and have not had a staghorn problem in any of my higher tech set ups. If you've got sensitive plants it may get worse. Staghorn is a pain in the behind!!

*edit- I don't stick solely with seachem products and only use flourish for trace because I have issues with consistency in getting supplies and it is the most available trace additive in my area. I use aquavitro for phos and a no name brand from a local co op for potassium.

 

[ElleDee]

I had a staghorn problem that resolved on its own sort of. I wasn't really trying to deal with it directly, but it resolved when I did a couple of things and I'm not sure what contributed to the algae going away.

First, I was very regular about my 50% weekly water change. Same day, same way for a couple of months. I changed my water regularly before, but I admit I was a little loosey goosey about exactly how long between and how much water. Then, I stopped dosing any nitrogen and phosphate. I have a low tech tank with a pretty high stocking level and my nitrates were building up faster than I liked, so I switched to just Equilibrium, epsom salt, and calcium chloride for fertilizers. (I have no idea what my phosphate level is, so I wasn't targeting it one way or another.) I also dumped in 25+ cherry shrimp culls. These were not meant as a clean up crew, but I think maybe I underestimated them in this regard.

 

[Leeatl]

One thing I have learned about algae in our tanks is that you can't expect nothing about it...lol It will react the way it wants to any situation you present it with . The best thing I have found is to try to keep plants healthy and keep water column natural organics to a minimum . I think the worse thing you can do is NOT to keep to a regular water change schedule . I read that there are folks that don't change water and those that do . It depends on the type of tank you are trying to achieve or your situation . I change water every week with my weekly maintenance , always have always will . It works for me . Your millage may vary . That is the beauty of this hobby . Besides the basics , there is no one set way to do things , but we can share how we do it and go from there .

 

[Stan510]

Less light per day always helps when algae get out of hand. Really,it can come down to just no more than 8 hours max. If you make big water changes and keep the substrate clean,along with always washing the pre filter out regularly that also will speed up the elimination of algae of all types. Just use a timer on the lights if you are too busy. But,for sure,more than 8 hours is just algae growing.

 

[sudhirr]

Not going to spot treat as its everywhere so will be putting the peroxide infront of my powerhead to get dirtributed across the aquarium

Filter on or off?

I was going going to dose day 1 3 and 5

on the 5th day will do a water change

I have read that the staghorn should start bubbling.. Some say it doesnt?

Thats all for now

First we need to set right the root cause which is usually not enough CO2 to match light and/or nutrients. I would up the CO2 and reduce the Light and/or dosing.
For me spot dosing with peroxide worked best, but was not able to eliminate the staghorn completely.
My observation was that dosing peroxide does not work much since the peroxide reduces rapidly and before it touches the infected plants/ hardscape.

I combined spot dosing along with dosing excel, recommended dosing on day 1, day 2 and double dose on day 3 followed by 50% water change.
Repeated this for may be 2-3 weeks.

 

[Bent17]

I have a feeling the root cause is Iron! Ever since I started dosing Iron the staghorn appeared..

 

[Stan510]

I haven't seen iron cause any problems..its been more of a cure for plants that came to a stop in growth. Anything's possible when you take into account all the different local water and fish tank set ups.
But my advice with algae problems? Keep in mind the old,old,aquarium books that recommend that to raise live food you needed to have green water to feed them ( daphnia bloodworms etc)- and that was created with lights on 24/7..so there you are, as you subtract the hours? Your algae problems lessen.

 

[Bent17]

Only have it on for 6hrs.. my friend had exactly the same.. as soon as he added iron boom staghorn appeared

 

[Stan510]

Some plants are more susceptible to staghorn. Heteranthera zosterifolia ( Star Grass) is notorious for getting it- unless you Co2 and fertilize the heck out of the plant into perpetual lush growth.Otherwise..staghorn gets intertwined and blocks light causing the SG to "lift off". A problem for other carpet plant species also btw.
I youtubed Blake of Blakes aquatics and darned if he didn't have the same problem- in fact he brought it up first.