[bulgogiboy]

Hello, I've been dealing with cyano algae for a while now, and I'm confused on a treatment/preventative measures. My LFS said that its probably being caused by high phosphates and nitrates in my tap water and that I should buy RO water from them to fix the problem. Every time I've ever tested my tank/ tap water I've always gotten a zero reading?

Also due to my paranoia about phosphates and nitrates I've never fertilized for them. On a lark last week I bought some phosphate/nitrogen and dosed 1ppm phosphate and 10ppm nitrogen. I saw results over night in my plants growth! Bright red leaves are now growing on my melon sword, my hygrophila has new growth and the older leaves have "perked up." It's great that I have new growth, but I'm still struggling with cyano algae.


I do weekly water changes and filter cleanings, and gravel vac once a month.

Tank is a 30 gallons (36x12x16)
My filtration is an aquaclear 50, and a hydropro 2 sponge.
lighting is a 36inch planted+, sitting on glass lid with a screen to diffuse light.
substrate is Floramax

 

[jmf3460]

based on what I have learned, cyano forms as a result of stale/stagnant water flow. meaning the places it forms has too low of flow/not enough oxygen. happens for me in tall tanks mostly. there is a relationship between phosphates and cyano but the debates on that theory make me wonder. you can treat easiest with ethromycin and it will be gone, but if you don't figure out what the cause is (which for me was low flow) it will come back. Once I added an airstone, the cyano disappeared within about a month. I did it this way instead of adding em because I don't like using chemicals/medicines in my tanks.

 

[plantbrain]

NH has very high water quality generally, there's no need for RO, that's an old myth.

Poor plant care, mostly lack of water changes and/or low NO3.
BGA is a non issue for most planted tank if you address those 2 issues.

You add more KNO3.

I assume this is a non CO2 tank?

 

[bulgogiboy]

NH has very high water quality generally, there's no need for RO, that's an old myth.

Poor plant care, mostly lack of water changes and/or low NO3.
BGA is a non issue for most planted tank if you address those 2 issues.

You add more KNO3.

I assume this is a non CO2 tank?

Would doing more then 1 water change a week help?

I've been dosing seachem flourish nitrogen over the past week, and have trying to keep it around 10ppm, should I be dosing it higher?

Yes this is a non c02 tank.

 

[jmf3460]

yes, it would also help to add an air stone. liquid co2 will help also. best thing to do is use em to get rid of whats there, or vacuum out whats there currently then take preventative measures to keep it gone like adding an air stone, adding no3 doing more water changes. adding co2

 

[Noahma]

Would doing more then 1 water change a week help?

I've been dosing seachem flourish nitrogen over the past week, and have trying to keep it around 10ppm, should I be dosing it higher?

Yes this is a non c02 tank.

I would pull your nitrogen levels up more, BGA usually starts with your nitrogen bottoming out. kill and remove any areas you see the algae at. you can do a half dose of Erythromycin which will do a decent job of killing it. It will return however if you don't fix the source of your problem.