# my poor tank :( help me fix it!



## Danielle (Jan 26, 2008)

this is what it looked like on the 24th of March










This is what it looks like now












5.5g
PH 7.5
KH 5
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm (tested late in afternoon)
Phos 1ppm

I dose pfertz system
Excel 1mL
no CO2
40-50% WC on sundays
24w CF 9 hours/day

3 changes made

1: Swapped ferts from seachem to pfertz. Last seachem dose was on a saturday the 22nd, 50% WC on the 23rd, 50% WC 25th, started pfertz on 25th. Continued excel during this time.

2: Major trim of Rotala. Don't remember what day that was though...

3: Added Eheim 2213 canister filter. I'm running both my HOB and the canister at the same time until the canister builds up a good bacterial colony. The HOB is on the left back corner of the tank and the flow goes from back to the front. The spray bar for the canister is on the right side spraying to the left. Most of the bad growth is in the right rear corner on the ludwigia and in the center on the nessae, but it's really everywhere. That was maybe 10 days - 2 weeks ago

I know some of the algae is BBA... but it's only growing in one or two small spots on a section of driftwood. The stuff covering the nessae and ludwigia is a very dark green. I wondered if maybe it was BGA? or if it's some other sort of algae. I have cherry and amano shrimp and an oto and none of them seem to touch it.


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## lee1 (Mar 22, 2008)

pfertz system may have something to do with it. being such a small tank it's real easy to overdose. have you checked the temperature and made sure the bulb is not going bad? why did you get such a large filter?


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## Danielle (Jan 26, 2008)

Actually I think it would be very hard to overdose. You dose one pump per 5 gallons and it's a 5.5 gallon tank so *shrug*

temp is 76*, the bulb is brand new. The smaller HOB filters just werent working to keep the water clean on this tank.



lee1 said:


> pfertz system may have something to do with it. being such a small tank it's real easy to overdose. have you checked the temperature and made sure the bulb is not going bad? why did you get such a large filter?


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## pianomav (Jan 9, 2008)

I have almost the same size of tank as yours and i think the one that helped to keep the plants healthy and algae at bay is Co2. I'm using 2liter of DIY Co2 and the plants are pearling pretty good and the only algae I get is the occasional spots of green dust algae on the glass (more likely due to my nitrates bottoming out) . I also dose excel everyday but I feel it's not enough especially with the amount of lighting that I have, which is the 24w like yours.


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## lee1 (Mar 22, 2008)

just from experience the plants look like they are suffering form lack of light. in the before picture the light is much brighter on the heater and substrate. it looks like there is less light after.


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## Danielle (Jan 26, 2008)

Pianomav.. thanks! CO2 is next on my list. I got the same reply on another forum... all 6 or so people that replied said I needed CO2.

Lee, thats an effect of the camera settings and post processing in photoshop. The bulbs are brand new helios bulbs and the fixture is brand new as well.


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