# Hair algae?



## JJJ (Apr 12, 2020)

Hi all,

A week ago started having staghorne algae...
















I read it was due to lack of flow or poor co2 distribution so I installed a power head.








After a week staghorn has stopped growing up but it has appear hair algae (I believe)...















Any help/adviced will be much appreciated.

Thanks!


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Can you provide more information about your aquarium? Lighting, substrate, tank size, fertilizing, CO2, etc.? That might suggest some problem to some of us.


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## JJJ (Apr 12, 2020)

hoppycalif said:


> Can you provide more information about your aquarium? Lighting, substrate, tank size, fertilizing, CO2, etc.? That might suggest some problem to some of us.


Sorry for the late reply.

Planted date 1/03/2020

230 litres 92x50x50

Seiryu stone and some wood.

Substrate : Help plants

Light: 2 White led lamps, (total 100 Watts and around 11125 lm).
7h per day

Filter jbl 1501 with 2 kg matrix + 100 ml purigen

Water change: Weekly 50%
I use 100%RO water without remineralise as I have seiryu stone and after 12h I get:
TDS 120
Kh 4
Gh 6

Co2 30 ppm during the light period

Fertilising Every day:
2 ppm NO3 (with KNO3)
0.5 ppm Po4 (with PH2PO4)
( K included in the KNO3 salt)
2ml propel
4ml envy
8ml Excel or easycarbo

Other equipment:
Skimmer eheim 350
Ph CONTROLLER
Auto Dosing pump 
Magnetic agitator

Recent changes:

Added Power head circulation pump to increase water flow.
Removal of Sera co2 reactor 500 to increase water flow.
Added co2 neo aquaRio difuser installed.

Due to poor nutrients in the last measure I did before the last water change (no3 2 ppm, Po4 0,3ppm) I have decided to increase 50% of the N & P.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

How do you determine how much CO2 you have in the water?


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## JJJ (Apr 12, 2020)

hoppycalif said:


> How do you determine how much CO2 you have in the water?


Measuring de ph and kh, and then using a calculator or a graphic


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That chart is not a good way to determine how much CO2 you have in a typical aquarium. The chart is very accurate only if the water has nothing in it that affects the pH or KH except CO2 and carbonates/bicarbonates. A better method is to take a sample of the water in your tank let it sit around long enough to degas the CO2 in it, then measure the pH of that water. Compare this pH to the pH of the tank water a few hours after the CO2 is turned on. The ppm of CO2 you have will be about 3 time 10 raised to the decrease in ph power. For examples: if the pH in the tank is 1.0 lower than in the degassed water, you have 3 x 10, or 30 ppm. If the pH in the tank is 0.8 lower than the degassed water, you have 3 x 10 to the .8 power, or 20 ppm. I will bet that you have less CO2 in the water than you think.


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## JJJ (Apr 12, 2020)

So just before the co2 is switched off I have a ph around 6.5 and next day in the morning, just before the lights turn on I have Ph of 7.0

Does it mean that I have just 15ppm so I should increase CO2 level to go near to 30 ppm?

I realised also that when the kh is 3.5-4 the ph difference is 0.5

However as I am getting close to the water change my kh increase until 6 due to the seiryu stone, then the difference is just 0.2 but I put same co2 in the water...


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## JJJ (Apr 12, 2020)

I just did (twice) also the jbl co2.
According to it I have between 30-40 ppm, I couldn't say.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

JJJ said:


> So just before the co2 is switched off I have a ph around 6.5 and next day in the morning, just before the lights turn on I have Ph of 7.0
> 
> Does it mean that I have just 15ppm so I should increase CO2 level to go near to 30 ppm?
> 
> ...


The CO2 content in the tank, after a night of no Co2, isn't necessarily 3 ppm, but could be 4-5 ppm, which would mean you have a lot more than you think. I like the idea of isolating a cup full of water over night or longer better.


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