# Newbie with algea - please help



## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

So here I am, with a new plant tank (first one) and already have some algae, that looks ugly.
I set up the tank 8 days ago, my parameters:
Tank:
55 Gallon 48x12x18
Light:
36 in Nova Extreme T5 with 3 lunar lights
2x39W 10000K 8am-7pm
2x39W 6500K 12am-6pm
Filter:
HOT Magnum 350 NO boiwheel
Sponge filter
Substrate:
18 lbs Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil (rinsed out 10000000 times)
15-18 lbs Eco complete
Hardscape:
Malaysian Wood
Lava Rocks (collected in the desert)
Dosing Seachem Flourish 2x a week and Excel (5ml) 3 times a week.

Well... I had some plants in the 'old" tank, that had algea on them, this exact same monster that I have now. The rescape (complete substrate change) took me too long so I didn't do the PP dip I should have, before I put the plants into the new tank.
My new plants were healthy, now every one of them (except the wisteria) has this algae on them.
Photos:








Marsilea Quadrifolia








Hornwort








Lobelia cardinalis








Anubias - excuse my glo light tetra and guppy for wanting being famous... 








Ludwigia

So here I am not knowing what to do.
Firs I am not sure of the ID of the algae, so I don't know what the solution is.
I reduced the light for:
2x39W 10000K 9am-6pm
2x39W 6500K 1am-5pm
I am picking up otos today (4 or 6)
I have 15 RCS comming on Thursday.
I don't want to start doing water changes because I read that some algae LOVE fresh water and as I don't know what kind of "weed" I have on my plants I don't want to help it.
As I am getting the shrimps in, I can't dose extra Excel.
Please help me identify the algae and give me some advise what to do. it seems my plants are suffering.
Also... I AM a newbie 
Thanks in advanced


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## orion2001 (Mar 20, 2008)

Ok, so I'm a bit of a noob too, but even at first glance I can tell you that you have WAAAYYYY too much light on your tank!!

Firstly T5 lights are much more effective then T8/CFL type fixtures so you could approximately multiply your current wattage by around 1.5, especially if you have good reflectors. With all 4 lights on, you effectively have 39x4x1.5= 234 effective watts over 55 gallons which is over 4 watts per gallon! And that too over a non CO2 tank! If you keep your light levels this high, your tank is going to be an algae disaster just waiting to happen.

I would only use two of your 39 watt T5 lights for close to 2 watts per gallon with excel dosing. Also your light period should be around 7-8 hours. I wouldn't do high burst lighting at any point...not unless you get yourself some CO2 into the tank. Remember higher/more light does not always mean more growth. You need to achieve a balance keeping in mind how much CO2 and nutrients are available to your plants.

Currently your setup is extremely CO2 limitted and the algae will adapt better to the situation and continue growing.

Good luck!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Orion gave great advice. I do think that without CO2 you need to stay low light. 

Also with a new tank you're gonna get algae. Until things balance out it just happens. I know some people say that really heavily planting avoids algae, but I have always gotten diatoms or something, even with heavy planting, seeded substrate and old filter medium.

I think you're on the right track with the ottos and shrimp. I don't agree about water changes. I have always had water changes help. The whole idea is to dilute the ammonia which your plants haven't been able to take up yet. (That's the idea behind heavily planting too.) Eventually the plant will acclimate and out preform the algae and it will all balance out. Until then you need to get rid of the excess ammonia. In a new tank you don't have enough of the nutrifying bacteria to handle all the excess and presto - algae! 

Since you are using excel you could to the overdosing to help eliminate the algae. You can spot treat different areas of the tank. That works too. All these things will take a while but they will work. Don't give up on your plants. They'll be algae free again.


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## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

Thanks for the quick answer orion and tax gal.
Ops, I didn't know about the 1.5x T5/T8 thing... I thought I have 2.8wpg at the burst and 1.4 wpg anyway...
I will set up my light for:
2x39W 10000K 9am-4 pm
2x39W 6500K not turning on at all

Should I do a break in the photoperiod? Something like 9am-1pm and 3pm-6pm?
Also what kind of algae is that?
Ok, I'll do the water change right now, befor I get the Otos today. I'll do 30%.

I saved the sponge filter from the old tank, so that should have bacteria in it, what I didn't convert and has to rebuild is the bacteria in the substrate.
One more thing: without the airstones (I removed them when I converted my tank) will the fish have enough Oxigen if I reduce the photoperiod for that short?
Thanks again


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## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

Here is a pic of the whole tank:









It must be the light I should have known... As my tank is 48 in and my fixture is 36 in (I didn't buy it, I got it as a trade with a 36 in tank, but no stand for the 36. I had a 48 in tank with a stand (without light), so I set it up like this. And I planted low light plant into the right side, where the fixture does not reach, and my very right anubias in the dark corner with the coconut shell (with the long narrow leaves - you cant really see it ) is COMPLETELY ALGAE FREE... Doohhh


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I have done a rest period with my lights when I've had algae. I think it may have helped. The plants can handle that better than the algae so I think anything that gives algae a hard time is a good thing to do!  

It looks to me like you have BBA. You can also bleach dip your plants with a 20:1 solution. (Don't use bleach substitutes.) I will do that if I can easily take plants out, especially slow growers like anubias, etc.

The fish will have plenty of oxygen. You have so few in there I can't even find them! :heh: If you ever wonder about their O2 needs just see if they are at the surface gulping for air. You can also always have the surface of the water disturbed a little by your water output. That is where the air exchange happens so it will help aerate the water. I'm sure you don't need to worry about this though. All those airstones are really about the looks!

BTW, your tank is really gonna look good as it fills out!


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## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

Tank you Tax Gal

I'll try the rest period then. And what do you think I should use? The 10000K or the 6500K for the lighting ? Both are 39W, so I'd have 78W on the tank.
7 hours on plus 2 hours break. 

OMG the otos are the cutest fish ever. They are so little and just cute Active also, which is goooood.  I asked the guy at the LFS to try to get some active ones with round belly, well they kinda look chubby, hope they get fatter here though, they certainly have enough food Although I am not sure they'll eat BBA, I also have green algae on the glass, that should be ok for them. They are exploring the tank, they tried the algae on some plants too.... we'll see.

Yeah, my tank is certainly not overstocked. Which I like. I have _11 female guppies_, they were born at my tank during cycling 2mos ago. The guy at the LFS told me today that they are all female because the ammonia was high. When there is no ammonia in the tank, more male is born. When the ammonia is high, more female. Well I don't know that, but I have 11 females, as all the adults (4) died during cycling. Ialso have _4 glo-light tetras_, _3 cories_ (and some eggs as they were "having fun" today ) This is the second time they were spawning. I don't know what happened at first time, but I found ONE little guy during substrate change... I tried to save it, but I haven't seen it since... I have 1 pleco and now 6 otos. I don't really want more fish. The RCSs are coming, so that should do it.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

How neat that you have cories spawning. I have never had that - at least that I know about.

I have never heard that about the male/female ratio and ammonia. I don't know that it isn't true - it's just news to me.

As far as the bulb Kelvin goes, the word on the street is that while any light will grow plants the higher the red (and green, I think) spectrum the better for the plants. The "plant bulbs" companies make are around 6700K. Many people feel it makes the tanks look yellow. I have a mixture of 6700K and 10000K so that the tank looks better. This thread will tell you all you need to know (and more) about the spectrums. It also shows pxs of the different looks with the different spectrums.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/science-aquatic-lighting/723-9325k-difference.html

BTW my ottos will eat dead BBA. Mollies and rosy barbs will eat live BBA. I have also heard that flag fish will eat it live. I spot treat the slower plants like anubias with excel and the ottos go to work on it. I have 2 giant ottos. They are similar to the little once but 2xs as big and have no stripe on the side.


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## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

When should i do the spot treatment? Morning (before the photoperiod), or evening (after the photoperiod)?

OMG, the otos are just fantastic. They have been working hard. I read somewhere that "a fat oto is a happy oto", well, mine are defenetly getting happier and happier  I swear they have more rounded bellies already. Here is what they have done so far:
Before:








After:









Before:








After:









BEFORE:








AFTER:









Isn't he fatter? 

Unfortunatly I could not make good photos of the corys, they were moving really fast, but here is one that you can see the female carrying the eggs with her "belly fins"


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Love your before and after pxs of ottos and their little tummies! So cute! Don't ya just love 'em!

I just treat with the excell whenever I can. I do have lights on so I can see what I'm doing. If I'm spot treating where filter is I try to turn it off for a few min (10 or so) because I want the excell to stay on the algae a while. Since you can dose excell every day I just put the full dose in a medicine dropper (for babies from drug store) and squirt it all where I want it. That will be my daily does all in one place (or a few places) until the water moves it around. It works great.


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## butacska (Mar 1, 2008)

Thank you for the advise again, you've been really helpful rayer:rayer:rayer:


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