# Help with algae needed



## cjloong (Mar 5, 2005)

Hi... Need to fight algae, as I have quite a new tank. Started in May. Here is the images of I belive 2 types of algae in my tank.

*Pictures*
*Type 1*









*Type 2*



























Type 2 looks like thread algae. Type 1 BBA?

*Water Parameters*
KH - 5
PH 7.0
NO3 - 5 mg/l
PO4 < 1 mg/l
FE - 0.05 mg/l

Light = 36W PL X 2 + 15W FL X 2 about 10 hours a day.
Tank = 20 gallon

It is very high light, I know.

*Plan*
(1) Increase CO2
(2) Reduce 15W X 2

*Past Week Incidents*
I have been changing water quite frequently and fertilizing thereafter. Also, there was a accident where water hose shoots straight at gravel, causing base substrate to come out. 30W of light was out for sometime too but algae occured during these time. Suspect it is CO2 which was very low during the lower light period.

Thanks for any input/help. Help in identification will be helpful as well as I don't know much about algae, need to learn more about it.

Thanks.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You got some nasty algae happening, it does appear to be thread & BBA.

Just remember that in newly setup tanks algae is common and once you tank matures and becomes balanced the algae will fade away.

I suggest to...

*Increase your C02 up too 30ppm, according to your PH/KH it is now setting at 15ppm.

*Add a lot more fast growing plants, it looks as your tank is lightly planted.

*Remove as much algae by hand as possible, scrape algae off the glass and do a 50% water change.

*It would not hurt to raise your N03 to 10ppm, _what is your exact reading on P04 (<1ppm is vague)?_

_What ferts are you using and what is your dosing routine?_


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Let me try a Tom imitiation here -- CO2, CO2, CO2!!!

That's an a lot of light you got there. Like Trena said, remove as much algae manually as you can. Then throw in twice as many plants as you have there - fast growing stem plants (hornwort, R. indica, H. polysperma, etc). Make sure you have nitrates around 10 and phosphates around 1ppm.

If it were me, I'd lose one of the 36's and one of the 15's. So just have 51W on your 20 gal. Once everything is balanced out, if you find you need/want more lighting then go up gradually.

Be patient, it *will* get better.


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## cjloong (Mar 5, 2005)

trenac said:


> You got some nasty algae happening, it does appear to be thread & BBA.
> 
> Just remember that in newly setup tanks algae is common and once you tank matures and becomes balanced the algae will fade away.
> 
> ...


PO4 is about >0.5 and <1.0.

I am dosing some cheap fert (Nutrafin). Planning to get chemicals but haven't really yet.


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## cjloong (Mar 5, 2005)

Bert H said:


> Let me try a Tom imitiation here -- CO2, CO2, CO2!!!
> 
> That's an a lot of light you got there. Like Trena said, remove as much algae manually as you can. Then throw in twice as many plants as you have there - fast growing stem plants (hornwort, R. indica, H. polysperma, etc). Make sure you have nitrates around 10 and phosphates around 1ppm.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion on the light. Gonna try it out this weekend. I've just increased the CO2 by transferring a cylinder from my other tank. Will see the progress first. So far, the plants are bubbling like crazy after I put in the CO2.


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