# algea pics- need help!



## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

I have to admit im not doing so hot growing live plants.... i cant keep the algae off th dwarf sag and my vals... the vals are reproducing like crazy and id have to say 1/3 or so of the plants are real nice green but otherwise the algae is getting the best of me... now the black sand is growing a layer of brown algea all over in blotches(could it be from the root tabs i put in the sand?)... just sucks cause the tank has such potential... i gotta get it figured out!! fyi its a 125g, 2 emp 400's, 192w compact flourescent, black sand, water is very hard... ph usually high at 7.6-7.8... amm/nit 0... nitrate gets up around 30-40, phosphates 1.5-2.0, and i dose with the full line of flourish product--- what the hell do i have to do to get some lush green growth around here?

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dont know what the white spot in the sand on pic2 is... glare from the camera///


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

Looks like diatoms... This is THE reason I will no longer put sand in any of my tanks. If you stick it out, it will go away, but it takes time. As far as the white spots? Dunno, does it look 'cottony'? Could be mold? The algae is due to your dosing. Your either dosing to much or to little of something.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Something is off in your tank... algae grows due to it being able to out compete your other plants becuase there are nutrients that are not being used. Test all of your parameters, and a couple ottocinclus catfish will help clean up your tank pretty quick.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

Ex0dus said:


> Looks like diatoms... This is THE reason I will no longer put sand in any of my tanks. If you stick it out, it will go away, but it takes time. As far as the white spots? Dunno, does it look 'cottony'? Could be mold? The algae is due to your dosing. Your either dosing to much or to little of something.


dude- i said the white fuzzy thingy was something to do with the camera and isnt really there!!!! what could be "off" in my tank?


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

TheGame said:


> Looks like diatoms... This is THE reason I will no longer put sand in any of my tanks. If you stick it out, it will go away, but it takes time. As far as the white spots? Dunno, does it look 'cottony'? Could be mold? The algae is due to your dosing. Your either dosing to much or to little of something.


dude- i said the white fuzzy thingy was something to do with the camera and isnt really there!!!! what could be "off" in my tank?
[/quote]

There could be lots of things "off" in your tank. How much are you dosing of each individual thing and how often? How long are your lights on for each day? How often do you do water changes?


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

therizman1 said:


> Looks like diatoms... This is THE reason I will no longer put sand in any of my tanks. If you stick it out, it will go away, but it takes time. As far as the white spots? Dunno, does it look 'cottony'? Could be mold? The algae is due to your dosing. Your either dosing to much or to little of something.


dude- i said the white fuzzy thingy was something to do with the camera and isnt really there!!!! what could be "off" in my tank?
[/quote]

There could be lots of things "off" in your tank. How much are you dosing of each individual thing and how often? How long are your lights on for each day? How often do you do water changes?
[/quote]

well i dose the phosphates to keep them between 1-2... nitrates i dont have to dose, it seems a couple days after a change they get up around 30-40... flourish comp gets it 2-3 times a week(according to label)... iron gets it the same as well as potassium... excell i havent been using properly i dont think--- but should i really need it at 1.5wpg? lights are on a timer from 4-4... and i do water changes at about 30% every week... seems like my biggest problem is keepin nitrates down and a high ph and hard water... i need to clean this sh*t up tho- way to nice of a setup to look like this! please help...


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

How long have you had this tank setup? My suggestion would be to get some faster growing plants in there until your other plants get going since it looks like it was planted pretty recently. Any fast growing plant would do... by doing this that plant will out compete the algae for nutrients and will slowly kill it off. Adding in some otto catfish will help as well (like $1.50 per fish at PetSmart).

Some good fast growing plants would be anachris or hornwort.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

the tank has been up and running for quite some time now... it has been planted for around 3-4 months... i had some anarchis in there and didnt like it... hornwort i have not tried....


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

I love to see Dippy's comments/suggestions.

Good luck.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

yeah i was gonna pm dippy but i figured hed dawn in on this... isnt he gone tho??? hes been helping me all along and has been great help BUT there only so much he can do ya know...


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## Hater (Apr 21, 2006)

Game

I'm not dippy eggs but I know that phosphate helps algae grow. Try not dosing it for a while and see what happens.

I also use a common pleco. Those fishes will tear up all the algae in your tank. Especially all the algae on the sand.

Hater


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

Hater said:


> Game
> 
> I'm not dippy eggs but I know that phosphate helps algae grow. Try not dosing it for a while and see what happens.
> 
> ...


well i was told that you want phosphates between .5-2 and sure a pleco might "tear" up the algae but my vinnys gonna tear him up b4 he gets anything done--- only small, fast fish make it in his tank


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## Hater (Apr 21, 2006)

TheGame said:


> Game
> 
> I'm not dippy eggs but I know that phosphate helps algae grow. Try not dosing it for a while and see what happens.
> 
> ...


well i was told that you want phosphates between .5-2 and sure a pleco might "tear" up the algae but my vinnys gonna tear him up b4 he gets anything done--- only small, fast fish make it in his tank
[/quote]

Yeah I know Game but I read in some forum that phosphate will increase the algae in your tank. Common pleco only cost around 2-15 depending on size. You will be surprise at how well they do with piranhas. My pleco has been in my tank 5 months with 12 very hungry pygos and he hold his own.

I'm not saying that you will have the same luck but is worth a try man.

Hater


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Diatoms happen quite easily with new substrate, especially sand. They need silicates to make their shells and sand can be a nice source. Diatoms do better in lower light setups and about the only way to eliminate them is to eliminate silicates (or phosphates...but that would be bad for your plants). If you're patient though they will eventually die off as they get outcompeted by higher plants.

Now, how to speed that process up is where Dippy comes in!


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

where is he...


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Sorry, I was out this evening with my wife









I looked at this thread earlier today, but I didn't have time to respond.

I think that you need to get more fast growers in there for 1. The reason is because you need lots of healthy plant mass in there to help balance out the tank. 
I seriously don't know how some ppl manage to keep healthy plants in a lightly planted aquarium.. unless it is very low light, and kept very lean on the ferts.

In your case, with your set-up, I would recommend huge amounts of Hygrophila's of some sort, bacopa caroliniana, Rotala rotundafolia, stuff like that.. You wouldn't believe how much having plant mass in a tank helps create that healthy balance.. 
Also, I would say that you need to do the pain in the butt thing, and wipe most of it off the leaves.. it should wipe off fairly easily.
Directly after, I would say that you need to do a 50% waterchange, as well as rinsing the filter media thoroughly, and keep doing this weekly until it goes away. (or whenever it pops back up)
It will eventually go away, if you stay on top of it like that.

There is no fast way to get rid of it, but you can disrupt it very well to the point that it will weaken it's foothold and slowly die off


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## mattd46612 (Mar 8, 2005)

I have the exact same problem as you. I have sand substrate and I just started live plants. 125g tank with 150w of light. Water Sprites are doing great but diatoms are all over. I just keep breakin off the sprites to plant the new ones all over the tank. Im not using any fertilizers. I have to clean off the tank semi-daily. Hoping it goes away soon.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

Game,

I would do pretty much what DiPpY said. Having phosphates that high (not saying it is too high) you need plenty of fast growing plants that can mobilize the nutrients.
I would not consider your system a low light system, 1.5+ wpg with power compacts is at least more than moderate lighting. Plants should do well in there.
Maybe you have silicates too much, but Diatoms are great opportunists. They bloom extremely easily (pretty much like Cyanophytes) and use up the silicates, then they are gone. Just be sure to remove them (with a syphon or smthng) to take the silicates out.

You also have some red algae on older leaves. These leaves can be discarded.

Then an interesting point to discuss further. That is the pH.
I have been testing higher concentrations of bicarbonates (HCO3) in my setup. This meant raising pH from 6.5 up to 7.8 within a month or so. I found that many plants did not like it at all. Vals did, and for sure they can use up bicarbonates easily instead of carbon dioxide. But plants like Nymphae lotus and Echinodorus bleheri did not like it.
The reason is that the water of pH 7.8 does not contain carbon dioxide very much. Water lilies and Swords could not change into bicarbonates and suffered.
But all kinds of green algae (especially fur algae, Oedogonium) loved it and started to invade.
Lowering the pH back to 6.5 killed them. And the most importantly, Swords and Water lilies started to grow back.

Harry


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## NickNick (Apr 18, 2006)

yeah that doesnt look good


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

now that is some of the most helpful advice i have gotten on here^^^


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

ha in your face game hahaha just jokin

loo
ks like we are on the same level after all brotha


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

harrykaa said:


> Game,
> 
> I would do pretty much what DiPpY said. Having phosphates that high (not saying it is too high) you need plenty of fast growing plants that can mobilize the nutrients.
> I would not consider your system a low light system, 1.5+ wpg with power compacts is at least more than moderate lighting. Plants should do well in there.
> ...


Great post, Harry..
And the best way to drop the pH in this tank is... unfortunately... a pressurized CO2 setup.. I know ppl don't like to drop the $$ on these.. but it is very, very helpful for any planted aquarium. Even though not completely necissary in lower light tanks, it will help so much.
If you went with a pH regulator, pH controller, and a CO2 cylander, you are looking at about $200.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> And the best way to drop the pH in this tank is... unfortunately... a pressurized CO2 setup.. I know ppl don't like to drop the $$ on these.. but it is very, very helpful for any planted aquarium. Even though not completely necissary in lower light tanks, it will help so much.
> If you went with a pH regulator, pH controller, and a CO2 cylander, you are looking at about $200.


PH regulation with CO2 + regulator (pH gauge connection) really sounds helpful for the problems where pH tends to go up steadily. For sure pressurized CO2 system can keep the pH at acid level then.

Another case (though not the Game's issue) is when pH tends to set at the acid level without any chemicals. Then obviously using pressurized CO2 with pH regulation feedback does not work, because the system haults: CO2 addition is ceased as the pH is already at an acid level. In these cases Flourish excel as a pH independat solution seems to be the only working one.

What do you think DiPpY?

Harry

BTW Using excel does also cost some money, so maybe that $200 is not too much. It is only the amount of equipment it takes and the filling of pressure bottles.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

well i got most of it off the bottom last night... planted some hygrophilia also... guess ill see how it looks in a few days? i was wondering if someone was gonna recommend pressurized co2?


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

someone recomend a co2 complete system... one perfect for sum1 who isnt experienced with pressurized co2 but im ready to buy one... realizing i HAVE to get my ph down and this is the best way to do it... im looking into the one on aquariumplants.com... nice setup and all- fully automatic but sells for 289 w/o a tank--- is there a better deal out there? im ready to spend some money on a system- thanks


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

TheGame said:


> someone recomend a co2 complete system... one perfect for sum1 who isnt experienced with pressurized co2 but im ready to buy one... realizing i HAVE to get my ph down and this is the best way to do it... im looking into the one on aquariumplants.com... nice setup and all- fully automatic but sells for 289 w/o a tank--- is there a better deal out there? im ready to spend some money on a system- thanks


http://cgi.ebay.com/CO2-REGULATOR-PH-CONTR...1QQcmdZViewItem

^thats what I just recently bought.

If all you want to do is lower your Ph, conisder a r/o unit. You will be giving your fish better water AND a lower Ph.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

yeah r/o is another idea...^ BUT wouldnt the co2 system benefit in the grwoth of my plants aswell as lower my ph? and im looking for an all in one system- fully automatic... thanks...


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

^Back on top^


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

TheGame said:


> ^Back on top^


The one I showed you has the soloniod and ph controller... its "automatic". Good brand too


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

does it have everything im gonna need(besides a tank)?.....


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

TheGame said:


> does it have everything im gonna need(besides a tank)?.....


that is exactly what I use

you just need a cylander then.. oh and a $2.00 check valve so water from your tank doesn't kill your regulator


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> does it have everything im gonna need(besides a tank)?.....


that is exactly what I use

you just need a cylander then.. oh and a $2.00 check valve so water from your tank doesn't kill your regulator








[/quote]

I believe that the regulator included in that package has a built in check valve, but the normal Milwaukee regulators don't.


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

Not to hijack your thread Game, and if you want ill gladly start my own thread. 
Just wondering tho if I should get a 10lb or a 20lb tank.

ps- Dippy or Jamie im gonna be hitting you guys up for your phone numbers so you can walk me through this co2 sh*t shortly lol.


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

I use Airgas as my source for CO2 and their standard size is 20 so I went with that.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Ex0dus said:


> Not to hijack your thread Game, and if you want ill gladly start my own thread.
> Just wondering tho if I should get a 10lb or a 20lb tank.
> 
> ps- Dippy or Jamie im gonna be hitting you guys up for your phone numbers so you can walk me through this co2 sh*t shortly lol.


It basically depends on the space you're a planning on putting it and how often you want to get it filled









10lb is about 20" x 7", 20lb is about 28" x 8". Then you have to add the height of your regulator and see if it will fit.

I use 5lb cylinders and they last me 3-4 months...mileage will vary based on your injection levels.

10lb canisters would be nice, but the distributor never seemed to have them in stock when I needed to buy one....refill costs compared to the 5lb makes the extra $$$ for the 10lb canister worth it. 20lb is pretty big and bulky...I passed on the 15lb canisters I saw because they were too tall to fit under my 75 stand and too wide for the spot behind my 46bow stand.

PM sent with contact info...hopefully I can be of some assistance!


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