# Black thread algae :(



## dougz

How do I get rid of it?

It started in my tennelus, and is now on my anubias..


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## trenac

Without knowing anything about your setup etc, here is my suggestions...Check your nutrients levels, keeping nitrates at around 10ppm & phosphates around 1pm. Make sure to keep C02 levels up around 25ppm and/or increase the use of Excel. Do larger water changes weekly. Remove as much by hand as possible & remove badly affected leaves. Keep lights on a steady schedule of 8-10 hours.


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## dougz

Ok, I can't really monitor the nutrient levels..

I just add 1/2 a capful of Flourish every other day.

The CO2, I just go by the drop checker, which I'm not sure what that solution is calibrated for, ppm-wise.. It's showing green, in any case..

I stopped with the excel when I went to pressurized C02, but I'll get some more of it, and do more water volume per water change.

I've been doing about 20% (15g of a 75g) a week.


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## BryceM

The number one issue with that sort of algae is almost always CO2. I've been playing around with a drop checker and had to run it far, far into the yellow to get my tank "happy". I'm not really sold on them as a great way to check the levels. Watching the plants and aiming for pearling (if your light is intense enough) is the best method IMO.

Flouish is a good trace element source, but you're not getting any Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium with that. You need to address the macro nutrients first if you're running CO2 with higher light levels.

Nice loach, BTW.


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## dougz

> You need to address the macro nutrients first if you're running CO2 with higher light levels.


How would you recommend I do that?



> I've been playing around with a drop checker and had to run it far, far into the yellow to get my tank "happy".


Hmm.. What about the fish, though? How can you be sure those levels aren't hard on them?

I run an airstone for 5 hours at night, but during the day..

Would I start adding the nitrogen, etc. before upping the CO2?

Also, I have it set-up so that the C02 turns on or off depending on the pH. The CO2 is on till it gets to a pH of 6.8, then shuts off.

So if it get's to set point, even if the level is still "green" there's no way to get more C02 pumped in..
Don't know how I could get around that..


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## Cavan Allen

dougz said:


> Hmm.. What about the fish, though? How can you be sure those levels aren't hard on them?


Drop checkers can easily be set to be green at whatever co2 level you desire. Adjusting the KH of the the water inside them is how. I usually run my tanks at about 40ppm and have had healthy fish and thriving shrimp populations.



dougz said:


> I run an airstone for 5 hours at night, but during the day..


Off.



dougz said:


> Would I start adding the nitrogen, etc. before upping the CO2?


Why not do both simultaneously?



dougz said:


> Also, I have it set-up so that the C02 turns on or off depending on the pH. The CO2 is on till it gets to a pH of 6.8, then shuts off.
> 
> So if it get's to set point, even if the level is still "green" there's no way to get more C02 pumped in..
> Don't know how I could get around that..


Don't use the controller. Bring the pH down a bit. Either way will work.

We've only gotten a smattering of details regarding your setup. How much lighting? How long is the photoperiod? Details, details, details! The more, the better. We need the whole picture to really help you.


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## dougz

Here's the details:

*75g Perfecto Aquarium with stand*

Tank is exposed to indirect, diffused light from a N facing window.

*Filter:* Eheim 2217 x 2

I have both Boyd's Chemi-pure Excel and peat in with my filter media (ceramic rings, EHFIMECH and EHFISUBSTRAT, coarse and polisher sponge).

*Light:* Current USA Nova Extreme 48" 2x54W x 2 = 220W, or 3.9wpg.

T-5 10,000 K (1 SlimPaq 10,000°K bulb and 1 SlimPaq Freshwater bulb)

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...rent+USA+Nova+Extreme+48"&queryType=0&offset=

The light is on 10h a day.

*Air pump:* Tetra Whisper 100 Air Pump) with airstone.

*C02 set-up:* 20lbs cylinder, regulator, solenoid, needle valve, diffuser, Pinpoint pH controller (on a timer, set to turn off and on with the lights).

I add demineralised water mixed with tap water (pH 7.8) to get roughly 6.8 for a pH, and I change out about 20% or approx. 15g a WC (once a week, abouts).

The GH is about 10.

I add 1/2 a capful of Flourish a day, and a capful of Flourish Iron every once in a while (once every 3-4 days).


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## abcemorse

With that kind of light you'll definitely need solid CO2. I'd think in 75G tank you'd be looking for around 4 or 5 bps, but that varies widely with regulator, circulation, reactor efficiency, etc. If you have a 4dKH solution you should be shooting for greenish yellowish, just watch fish for surface gasping. Personally I don't trust pH monitors as they use tank water which has phosphates and other buffers that tend to skew pH reading as they relate to CO2. There will be a sweet spot somewhere so that plants are pearling and fish are happy. You'll also need to dose NPK, dry ferts are the least expensive and easy to use IMO. Check out the EI dosing system, it works good, although I back off of it a bit, just a preference. Most importantly: PATIENCE!


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## dougz

Well, I don't go by bps..

I have the controller which shuts the CO2 off when it gets to the set point pH.

I just dropped the set point to 6.5, and the drop checker was still solidly in the green.. 

I turned on the air stone for a bit till it got back up to 6.7, which I set the set point at for now (don't want to have too drastic a pH swing).

I'll check out the EI dosing, but aren't I in this mess because there is too much nutrients in the water already??


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## Cavan Allen

dougz said:


> I'll check out the EI dosing, but aren't I in this mess because there is too much nutrients in the water already??


Quite the opposite. You are getting these problems because your macros are much, much too low. Remember, you're not running a reef here. Your micro nutrients are low as well. Half a cap full of Flourish? That's what, 2.5mls? You really need something in the neighborhood of 10-20mls *per day* of both Flourish and Flourish Iron; much of that depends on what kinds of plants you're growing. Throwing in tiny amounts every couple days isn't going to cut it.


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## dougz

Ok, I'll step it up then, thanks!

Oh, dunno if it applies, but I have Eco-complete as a substrate, with pure powdered laterite forming the layer underneath that..

Plants I'm growing: tennelus, cabomba, A. reineckii, Riccia fluitans, A. var nana.


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## Edward

The reason why you have algae infested leaves is because you starve the plants. Weak plants get attacked by algae because they don't have enough energy to fight it. As for your infested leaves, they are lost. You can only wait for new leaves to grow before you remove the bad ones. You need to feed your plants with good fertilizer.

The most common mistake people do is aquascaping before reading Fertilizing and Algae forums.


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## dougz

> You need to feed your plants with good fertilizer


Even with the 3" of Eco-Complete and 1" of pure powdered laterite under that?


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## Edward

Even with the nice carpet the aquarium stand is sitting on. Seriously, substrate has nothing to do with it. Plain river sand will do the same job.


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## abcemorse

dougz said:


> Well, I don't go by bps..


 That's why I said it varies widely, just wanted to throw a ballpark figure...


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## dougz

> just wanted to throw a ballpark figure


What I should have said is i CAN'T go by bps..

I run it only during the day, and then only until the pH reaches setpoint, which it does in about an hour or so..

I should probably cut the bps down with the needle valve, so it stays on longer, or does it matter how fast or slow you get to a certain ppm?


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## Sunstar

I seem to get my algaes under more or less control with this regime, although I plan on getting the macros as well. I've been in a very similar boat. 

my 25 gallon tank, I give a full cap of flourish and flourish excel at water change. I spot treat problem spots with the excel. works a dandy. (filters turned off due to maintanance anyway) Then after that, I do 2.5 ml of excel and flourish every day. On the 3rd day, I do another capful of flourish, and 2.5 of excel then day before my water change (usually a tuesday shooting for a wednesday waterchange) I stop the flourish and just dose the excel. That is what is working for me. I do see issues where I can visually see a lack in either iron or a macro.


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## BryceM

dougz said:


> I should probably cut the bps down with the needle valve, so it stays on longer, or does it matter how fast or slow you get to a certain ppm?


It's beneficial to get to the desired concentration of CO2 quickly so that you're covered for the entire photoperiod. It's also a good idea to set your bubble rate such that the CO2 controller doesn't cycle on and off too frequently. One an hour is probably more than enough. A high CO2 rate will result in drastic back-and-forth pH swings that will wear out the solenoid faster. It also doesn't leave you with a margin of safety if the solenoid happens to get stuck in the "on" position. Mine did this and killed a few fish.


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## Cavan Allen

What's your KH?


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## dougz

> It's beneficial to get to the desired concentration of CO2 quickly so that you're covered for the entire photoperiod. It's also a good idea to set your bubble rate such that the CO2 controller doesn't cycle on and off too frequently. One an hour is probably more than enough. A high CO2 rate will result in drastic back-and-forth pH swings that will wear out the solenoid faster


One what?

The bubble count know is more like 2 bubbles a second..

I'll set the needle valve to it's slower..

KH I'd have to test again, but GH is around 10..


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## Cavan Allen

He means one on/off cycle per hour.


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## dougz

> He means one on/off cycle per hour.


Ahh..

So what should I do while I'm waiting for the ferts?

Manual removal would be pointless, no?

Keep doing weekly water changes?

Less light?

Thoughts?


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## Sunstar

Manual removal of badly infected leaves might reduce the effort later.


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## Cavan Allen

Sunstar said:


> Manual removal of badly infected leaves might reduce the effort later.


Right on.

It can't really take that long for the ferts to get to you, can it? You could cut the light a little I guess, but it won't hurt much to just wait it out.


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## MatPat

As stated, you can manually remove the infected leaves and start using more Flourish while you wait on your ferts to arrive. Manual removal is an important step because you may see an increase in algae growth if you do not remove it. Lack of nutrients is what brought on the algae but by adding them you will reduce or eliminate the algae from returning.

You are also running almost 3wpg of T-5 lighting on your tank. This is a good deal of light for someone that fertilizes regularly but up to this point you have barely been fertilizing. I would suggest turning off one of the lighting units until your ferts arrive. 2x54w is more than adequate for a 75g and by your plant list, you don't have very many plants in the tank.

If you dropped your pH down to 6.5 and were still in the green on the drop checker and did not experience any fish stress, I would drop it even further. Don't let the pH number bother you, it is just a number. The fish don't seem to mind the drop in pH when using CO2 unless you go too low and stress them.

Do you know the set points on the PinPoint controller...i.e. when the pH hits it desired spot, how much does it rise again before the controller turns the CO2 back on. It's been a long time since I used a controller but if I remember correctly, it is set to a 0.2 rise in pH before the controller kicks the CO2 back on. Unlike the Milwaukee Controller I think you can adjust this point on the PinPoint Controller but like I said it has been a long time since I used a controller. If it is a 0.2 set point I would adjust the controller to drop the CO2 0.2 points below where you want it to be. So, if you decide you want your pH at 6.5, set the controller a bit lower, say 6.3. That way the controller will kick back on when your pH hits your set point (6.5) rather than going 0.2 points above it. I'd prefer to have a bit more CO2 in the water (as long as it doesn't stress the fish) than not enough. *Just make sure when you do this for the first time that you are around to observe your fish for signs of stress like gasping at the surface for O2. *


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## Sunstar

MatPat said:


> As stated, you can manually remove the infected leaves and start using more Flourish while you wait on your ferts to arrive. * Manual removal is an important step because you may see an increase in algae growth if you do not remove it.* Lack of nutrients is what brought on the algae but by adding them you will reduce or eliminate the algae from returning.


Absolutely. The more that is there, the faster it can and will spread. I failed to remove one leaf and shortly after I had a serious issue. But after a treatment of excel and increased flourish, seems to have slowed that down and caused my plants to go bananas.


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## dougz

> It can't really take that long for the ferts to get to you, can it?


Depends.. WAS going to get it from Green Leaf Aquariums, but they won't ship ferts to Canada.

The owner knows a guy in BC that may be able to help me, though..

So hopefully I'll get them soon..



> Absolutely. The more that is there, the faster it can and will spread.


Ok, I'll start trimming, and go to one light for now..

I don't know about "not many plants", though:










What about the slow growing Anubias? Won't I damage it by removing too many leaves?

Can I cut the tips off the tennelus without killing it?



> I would drop it even further


Why's that?



> Do you know the set points on the PinPoint controller.


There is a .4-.6 pH variance (6.6 to 7.0-7.2) between the time the CO2 shuts off at night, and the air stone turns off in the early morning.

But as far as the set point on the controller goes, LOW is set at 6.5, HIGH is set at 6.7.


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## Cavan Allen

KH please.


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## dougz

Hmm..

My API GH test seemed to work, turned colour after 11 drops..

But my KH test went yellow right away..

So either I have a KH of zero, or my kit is buggered..

Will have to get another one..

So what should I do with the tennelus?

I cut away the tips of some infested leaves a few weeks ago, and now those leaves are yellowish red instead of green..


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## Commodore 64

You probably have a very low kH. Mine is less than 1 degree too. My 20g Shrimp tank has a low kH...my pH regularly drops to ~5.8 from CO2 addition using DIY...the most I've ever seen with my Red Sea CO2 kit is 18ppm. I don't have a drop checker yet. I don't run an airstone at night, either.

There's an Oto and several snails in there too. The only adverse effect I see atrophy/pitting on one of my nerites and that's been there since I got it. I tossed an old apple snail shell in there and it has been disintegrating slowly.

With your kH and your pH setting at 6.5, I would guess you aren't even maintaining 15ppm of CO2.


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## MatPat

It does look likeyou have a good amount of plants though it didn't seem that way from the list you provided earlier  I think the problem lies in the lack of fertilization so far and possibly not enough CO2 dissolved in your water.



dougz said:


> Why's that?


While your drop checker is in the green it is possibly that you still may not have enough CO2 in the water...I would add more CO2. As long as you don't stress the fish, it is safe to continue to raise the CO2 level in the tank.



dougz said:


> But as far as the set point on the controller goes, LOW is set at 6.5, HIGH is set at 6.7.


Going strictly from the KH/pH chart, if you have a KH of *3 dKH*, a pH of 6.5 will give you around 28ppm of CO2 which would be good. However, at 3dKH a pH of 6.7 will only be 18ppm which is low. That is a pretty big swing in CO2 levels even though the pH only drops by 0.2. This is why I suggested setting your controller a bit lower. If your KH is *2dKH*, a pH of 6.5 would give you 19ppm of CO2 and when the controller kicks back on at 6.7 you would only have 12ppm of CO2. Both of those numbers are pretty low.

However, the KH/pH chart is usually off and makes you think you have more CO2 in the tank than you really do. In my case, I have had over 200ppm of CO2 in my tank going from the KH/pH chart and was still able to increase my CO2 level without causing stress to my fish...Rummy Nose and Peruvian Altums were fine and the Rams and Apistos bred at this hypothetically high CO2 level. Try not to let the pH number get to you, it is only a number. As long as the fish are not at the surface gasping for air, they should be fine.


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## BryceM

For comparison my controller ranges from 5.65 to 5.85 which in reality keeps pH from 5.65 to 5.75. Go slow, watch the fish. Take them to some mild stress (rapid gill movements, lethargy) and then back off about 0.1 units. I'm raising West African chiclid fry in this tank with no trouble at all.


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## dougz

Ok, I have my ferts, and am dosing as follows:


60 – 80 Gallon Aquariums

¾ tsp KN03 
¼ tsp KH2P04 Mon, Wed, Fri
¼ tsp K2SO4 

¼ tsp (20ml) Trace Elements Tues, Thurs, Saturday

Sunday 50% weekly water change



Let me know what you think..

I also brought down the set point on my controller to 6.4, and I've installed another diffuser on the opposite side of the tank..

Seeing pearling finally on the riccia, so I must be heading in the right direction, CO2-wise..

Did a bid weeding of the tennelus.. Got rid of alot of affected leaves that way.

Going to get a pair of SAE as well.

Will look at removing more leaves from the A. reinekii and A. barteri tomorrow.

Thanks for all the feedback!!!


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## BryceM

It seems to me that pearling isn't always possible, but if you get it, it's universally a sign that things are happy. I'd try going a tenth or two lower with your pH. Go slow. Be careful. Once you have enough the appearance of the plants will astonish you.

Once it's happy (the tank - and by extension you!) consistency is key. Problems arise when you get lazy. Let the controller get out of calibration, run out of CO2, or forget to dose for a couple of weeks and you'll get a perfectly nice mess in no time.


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## MatPat

Riccia is a fairly good light/CO2 indicator...it should start pearling an hour or two after lights on if both are good. It sounds like you are well on your way to a happy tank. Keep us updated on the progress.


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## dougz

As soon as my Excel shows up I'll start spot treating the anubias, and after another WC I'll bring the pH down another notch, and get my drop checker set-up right.

Hopefully they have some _true_ SAE at the lfs in PG..


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## BryceM

SAE's might help but they're overrated. Drop checkers are good, but they're also overrated. A lesson that I've needed to re-learn many, many times is that you need to watch the fish & plants. Pearling = good. Algae formation = bad. When you go from good to bad it's usually a CO2 problem. After that, it might be overstocking, underfertilizing, mad mathematics, blind following of innacurate test kits, or some other evil. For me it's been a CO2 issue nine times out of ten.


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## dougz

> SAE's might help but they're overrated


In what way?

I'd prefer not to get them, as they get too big, and don't go after the algae that much when they do, but if it will help keep the algae in check, with the addition of all the other steps I'm taking, then...


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## BryceM

When very, very hungry they'll eat BBA algae. When either fish food or Rotala wallachi are available they'll eat that instead. I dunno - I've had them on and off for years now and I'm not convinced they've been the answer to any of my alage problems. YMMV.


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## dougz

Hmmm..

One way to find out, I guess.. LOL

Hope they like staghorn and GTA..


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## MatPat

I agree with Bryce on the SAEs. I've had them and unless you keep them starving (hard to do if you have other fish in the tank) they will eat fish food, and other fine leaved plants including mosses over the BBA. They can be hard to remove from a planted tank too. I had to "de-plant" my 30g tank years ago just to catch them. IMO it is not worth the hassle and expense to get them.

Ditto Bryce's other comment...when I get algae in my tanks 90% of the time it is something I have done or not kept an eye on, mainly my CO2.

Once you start dosing your Staghorn should go away. The GTA (I assume Green Thread Algae) is easy enough to remove manually with a toothbrush. Just twirl the toothbrush in it like you would a fork in spaghetti. It can come back quickly but given a week or so of good dosing, CO2 levels and manual removal you should be able to get rid of it. Persistance is the key with Thread Algae.

Be careful with the Excel dosing...it can wipe out Riccia and other liverworts and some other plants like Valisneria species and Downoi. I've had good luck with vals when dosing at the recommended levels but they die off when I overdose. You should be OK with spot treating the Anubias but it may be just as easy to remove the Anubias and OD it outside of the tank


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## davemonkey

I had the same experience as Bryce and MatPat with SAE's. I used a fish-trap made of ols water bottles to catch them finally. One of them never did get fooled into the trap, though, and since I like the way they look, I let him stay. He does browse on my mosses, but by himself he doesn't do too much damage.

I also used Black Mollies to eat algae. They ate *every kind *of algae in my tank, including some white fungusy looking crud on my driftwood. The problem with them is that they CRAP EVERYWHERE, NONSTOP! Sometimes I'd have to go in twice a day with a small paintbrush and brush their turds off my mosses and plants where water flow was slower. They are no longer a part of my 'fauna'. 

Keep your ferts up, your CO2 in check, and your water quality high. Use fish if you have to for clean-up, but don't depend on them.

-Dave


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## dougz

> it may be just as easy to remove the Anubias and OD it outside of the tank


Hmm.. There's an idea!

How much should I dilute the Excel? Or should I just use full strength?

How long do I leave it in the solution?

Will I need to treat it more than once?

I'll rethink the SAE, I guess..

I already have 2 yo-yos that I didn't really want (but have since come to love) in my SA fish tank to take care of my snail population (hitchhiked on some plants, I guess).. LOL


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## dougz

Just an update..

Been doing weekly 50% WCs, and dosing as per EI.

The Excel bath I gave my anubias.. I must have used too strong a mix, or left them in too long, or both. I have had to trim off alot of dead leaves, and it will be a long time coming back, but I hope they WILL recover eventually..

The Staghorn isn't as bad a s it was, but it is still present..

I got 2 SAE, but they haven't been eating much algae at all, from what I can see.. They are both about 1" in length, and I have been careful to keep them away from fish food as much as possible..


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## Manwithnofish

To those who have apparently found success with high light, high CO2, and ferts. Once you get this thing where everything is matched and your growth is optimum, how often do you have to prune? When I pruned, I was removing a significant amount of biomass. Do you trim lightly but very often or do you prune heavy less frequently.


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## dougz

Might get more answers starting a new thread about this..


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## Manwithnofish

I did, but I noticed that a few of the folks who have been "advisory" roles on this thread, don't tend to venture off to some of the other forums. So I thought I'd try here first. It's not unlike fishing, one spot is not the same as the other so you sometimes do better if you move around.


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## dougz

Well, some people don't appreciate it when you use their thread to forward a totally unrelated question..

It's even got a name: thread crapping..

Just FYI..


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## Cavan Allen

Is there any *more* staghorn showing up? Or is is just residual? I suspect that you are still a bit low on the macros. Your _Alternanthera_ says as much.

Please feed your SAEs. They probably won't eat staghorn and should not be relied upon to do so.


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## Manwithnofish

dougz said:


> Well, some people don't appreciate it when you use their thread to forward a totally unrelated question..
> 
> It's even got a name: thread crapping..
> 
> Just FYI..


Well I thought it was related. I mean they say pump, pump, pump with the CO2, lights and ferts and I just thought there are going to be consequences...like a ton of biomass. That in turn equals more (or higher) maintenance. That's related enough for me no matter what you call it. But nevermind.


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## dougz

> Well I thought it was related.


I can see that, and I appreciate where you're coming from.

It's just that it doesn't really help this discussion along, and instead would go in another direction..

Didn't mean to sound snarky..

I honestly thought you didn't know you were thread crapping..


> Is that staghorn new?


The staghorn is new..

Last WC I removed 95% of the affected plants. What's coming back now is new algae, just nowhere near as bad..

What macros do I need, still? Or are my portions too small?

Here's the dosing regime again:

60-80g:

¾ tsp KN03 
¼ tsp KH2P04 Mon, Wed, Fri
¼ tsp K2SO4

¼ tsp (20ml) Trace Elements Tues, Thurs, Saturday

Sunday 50% weekly water change

I'm trying to up the CO2, but how do you do that without pushing the pH too low?

I've already taken in from 6.8 to 6.3.

The water I use for WCs is 70:30 demin water (pH 6, GH 0) : tap water (pH 7.8, GH 11).

I also have peat in my filters.

The SAE are getting enough to eat.. They eat the NLS small fish formula and bloodworms that makes it to the bottom of the tank.


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## BryceM

The preferred term would be "thread hijacking".  When possible, it's usually best to start a new thread in this instance. The person asking the question will be much more likely to get the responses they're looking for.


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## Manwithnofish

I wasn't hijacking anyone's thread. I was expanding the discussion. Everyone is discussing everything except the fact that there is going to be a lot of biomass that will have to be dealt with in this equation. It seems to me that it is equally important to maintain a biomass in balance with those optimum levels of CO2, ferts, and light. After all, if the objective isn't to grow plants at an excellerated rate, one could just remove the CO2, ferts and most of the light, and the algae would be gone.

I think it's applicable to this discussion.


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## dougz

> I was expanding the discussion


Umm.. Exactly.. 

I don't _want_ to expand the discussion, I want answers having to do only with my specific issue with this particular algae, and any tenuous connection with biomass issues is just going to muddy the waters in my opinion, applicable or not..

Now, to repeat:

What other macros do I need, still? Or are my portions too small?

I'm trying to up the CO2, but how do you do that without pushing the pH too low?

I've already taken in from 6.8 to 6.3.

I'm getting a kH of zero, which is weird, seeing as how I'm getting a GH of 11..

Is it possible? Or is my test kit compromised?

The water I use for WCs is 70:30 demin water (pH 6, GH 0) : tap water (pH 7.8, GH 11).

You'd think I'd have plenty of buffering from the tap water..

I also have peat in my filters.

The SAE are getting enough to eat.. They eat the NLS small fish formula and bloodworms that makes it to the bottom of the tank.

I think I'll add some pear, on the advice of a friend..


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## Cavan Allen

If new stuff is appearing, then yes, you are still short. Try upping everything by 50% and see how that goes.


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## dougz

Across the board, I assume?

New ratio:

60-80g:

1 1/4 tsp KN03
2/3 tsp KH2P04 Mon, Wed, Fri
2/3 tsp K2SO4

2/3 tsp (20ml) Trace Elements Tues, Thurs, Saturday

Sunday 50% weekly water change


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## Cavan Allen

Yeah, across the board.

Are you adding dry traces or Seachem stuff?


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## dougz

The Seachem stuff, just till I'm rid of it.. 2 capfuls every other day..

I have the dry stuff, though..


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## Cavan Allen

That really doesn't sound like much in the way of micros. More would be good. Try 50% more of that as well. It will become more important as you get your macros in line.


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## dougz

3 capfuls..

Ok.


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## Cavan Allen

What happened with this?


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## dougz

LOL

It's funny was just going to post an update yesterday but got too busy..

Both the staghorn and green thread algae are in complete remission!

Looking good..

Not sure wether I keep up with the 50% increase I made with the dosing, or just go back to the recommended dosage for 60-75g tanks..

Now I have other problems, getting air in my filter outlets.. Not sure where it's getting in..

Some water leaking from where the impeller assembly connects to the filetr (Ehiem 2217) housing, so maybe a bad seal, or a whole new gasket needed..

But I digress..

Thanks for the algae help!!!


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## Cavan Allen

Cool. Glad to hear it. 

I'd keep it up. Your plants and the tank in general are your best guides.


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## dougz

K, will do..

Still need to get a Lamotte CO2 testor and see whereabout my actual CO2 ppm is...


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## Cavan Allen

I still have that kit around somewhere. Didn't find much value in it. A dropchecker would be better. 

Do have reason to suspect you don't have enough?


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## dougz

I have a drop checker, but I'm told a green indication means anything from 30 to 45ppm..
I heard the lamotte kits were more accurate..


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## Cavan Allen

I disagree with that. I thought it was a waste of money. 

The drop checker will show green wherever you set it to be green. I believe someone mentioned it earlier in this thread.


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## dougz

Yeah?

Shoot, I'll see if I can find it..


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