algae problems

[kretz11]

I've had this tank set up and running for a little over a month and I have a severe algae problem. It is green hairlike algae over an inch long covering the glass and all of my broad leaved plants. It started about 2 weeks ago and now most of my stem plants, which were growing great before, are turning white at the tips and are not growing. I am running CO2 and just 2 watts per gallon and the substrate is fine gravel with laterite in the bottom 1/3. I fertilize once a week with kent proplant. This is a heavily planted tank with a very low fish load(20 rummynose in a 120g)
ammonia&nitrite 0
nitrate >5
pH 6.5
gh 4
kh 4
This is my third attempt on a planted tank and I am just about ready to give up! I try to learn from my mistakes but the outcome is always the same......algae&lots of it. Can someone tell me what I doing wrong? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

If you're not using any pH buffers it seems your CO2 levels are good
enough. Add some algae eaters - they should be able to help
cut down on the algae already present. How frequently do you do
water changes? 50% weekly is reccomended.

In order to grow plants well you need all three macro nutrients,
and trace elements.
N, P and K plus traces. While your Kent Pro plant may be providing
enough traces (don't know for sure till I see what its got and how
much you're doing) but for sure its not providing enough macro
nutrients.

N

nitrate >5

Is that a typo? Did you mean less than 5 ppm? With the light
fish load you're probably not getting enough nitrates to keep
the plants going and will have to suppliment it.
Your nitrates should be kept at 10ppm. You can dose KNO3 to
bring those up.

P
Phosphates - don't add those just yet - its too easy to OD and cause
algae but you will need to add it in once things get moving.

K
Your pottasium should be around 20ppm
A couple of teaspoons of K2SO4 dosed dry should help bring that
level up.

Use the following website to help figure out how much you should
be dosing.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

STUFF your tank with as many fast growing plants as possible.
Hygrophila polysperma, hygrophila difformis, cabomba carolina,
vals are all cheap fast growing plants that will help you win your battle
with algae. You can swap them out with other plants slowly once you
get rid of the algae.

Ghazanfar Ghori
http://www.aquaticscape.com

 

[Orchid]

Get yourself several true Siamese algae eaters (SAE), they really do eat hair algae. They don't get as irksome as many of the other Asian algae eaters. Some folks like female(?) flag fish as hair algae eaters, I've not had the opportunity to try them.

Ghazanfar's suggestion about cramming your tank with fast growing plants is very good, many of them are inexpensive bunch plants and they don't have to be permanent. Once your slower growing plants begin to take off, you can begin to remove the fast growing plants from your tank.

Remove as much of the hair algae by hand as often as you can and watch your phosphate levels, this is what the algae is probably feeding off of right now. As hard as it is don't despair, we've all been there and continue to go through there when we set up new tanks. I, too, am dealing with a recent hair algae outbreak in my 55 gal tank that has been established for a year and a half. My lfs doesn't have any true SAE at the moment, either. Besides, if you tear down the tank you still have to go through the cycling process and who's to say that you won't be dealing with hair algae again? Do your best to keep on top of it. Good luck.

 

[R-S]

My favorite algae eater if I'm looking for really quick clean-up of hair algae is the Florida Flag Fish as Orchid already mentioned (male or female, it hasn't seemed to matter in my experience). One FFF can do quick work on an early outbreak, but in a tank your size I'd add several. They aren't a schooling fish in particular so less than 6 is OK, though more will do a faster job of cleanup. They are quite hardy and compatible in a community environment, and absolutely are gluttons for any kind of algae that is string-like (hair, beard algae) and I've never seen them eat the plant itself.

 

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

I've heard confilicting experiences about Florida Flag fish.
I've read that they're agressive with their own species,
and will sometimes harass other fish too. Someone also told me
that they ate his soft plants (H. zosterfolia, M. fluvatilis).

On the other hand, I've also read experiences that are similar to the one
R-S talks about.

If you can find true SAEs (see the article on my website to help ID)
then I'd go with those. Unless your tank is an open top - in which case
don't get the SAEs - they are jumpers.
BTW my SAEs have taken a liking to my Mayaca fluvatilis - they keep
it mowed down. They're only doing it in one of my tanks - not enough
algae to keep them satisfied. I've got to start feeding them veggies.

 

[farm41]

It's a love/hate relationship with me, SAE can't live with them/can't live without them. I get them young, about 2" and trade them back at 3.5-4".

I have had them eat my R. walichii completely.

 

[Mike]

The problem may be that the laterite is creating iron that is available for the algae cause the plants arn't taking it up.

The nutrient levels are all fine re the previous post.

Two things that spring to mind is your low GH.

You may be lacking Magnesium.
But white tips is usually a lack of calcium.

if you want to try magnesium then to 120G.

Adding 10 Tablespoons of Epsom salts to 350ml of water. Each 1ml will add 0.1ppm of Magnesium.


So 10ml of that solution will add 1ppm - good starting point.

Keep the potassium levels up also.

If you could tell us you fertilisation routines, and maybe your phosphate levels, we could further advise.

 

[aspen]

are you using ph buffers? how do you maintain the 6.5 ph. is it just with co2? is your water nice and soft?

did you buy your plants all at once, out of pkgs? how fully planted is the tank?

maybe a lot more details esp how you fert, etc would help.

you can get algae eaters and avoid feeding them, as the tetras will out compete them esp if they are slightly under fed. 4- 8 sae's would be good. but it would help to get more into your nutrient management details. is it the new growth that is coming in white or transparent, or is the older growth turning white? with your fishload, you can be very precise in your plant feeding- handy when you got a problem.

rick