# Algea ID/help



## playaslk (Jul 4, 2006)

:mmph: Ok here are my parameters:

55 gallon tank, 5 angels, 8 otos, 1 clown pleco, 2 clown loaches, 3 cories

Old 2x 95 watt VHO bulbs and old 2x 30 watt reg flou bulbs. (getting new bulbs in this week so probably will go up in light intensity). Light time period is a bit irregular. I leave for work at 7 so I turn on lights about 630AM, feed the fish. Turn the lights off around 930pm.

Dosing Flourish complete 2x weekly (5ml) w/ water change. 
(I am getting GW ferts this week also and will start EI dosing)

Water reads: pH 6.8, KH 6, CO2 apporx 28.5 using pressurized 3 bubs a min through powerhead.

Substrate is Soilmaster with a very small amount of peat underneath it.

Problem: Hair like algea on the leaves of swordplant, and on glass. Dirty, brown "borders" on edges of swords, wood, vals, watersprite etc. Older growth is more affected.

Please advise on how to get rid of this. Otos dont seem to like this algea.

Pics are :

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/playaslk/algeagrass.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/playaslk/alreasprite.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/playaslk/algeaval.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/playaslk/algeasword.jpg


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

The dark stuff around the edges looks like BBA(black beard/brush algae). Trim out what is in there and up the co2. Direct dosing of excel will also kill what is in there, but it will come back if the co2 isn't turned up a bit.


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## playaslk (Jul 4, 2006)

turn the CO2 up? Im already running it to the point that all plants have tiny bubbles all over them esp the swords. I dont know if its o2 or co2 but it probably is CO2 considering the fact that there are CO2 bubbles running through the tank constantly. My current infusion rate is 4 bubs a second (or maybe 5, hard to count)


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

If the fish are not distressed by the CO2 you may not be injecting enough. You don't want to affect the fish with the CO2, but you also don't want to be so low in CO2 that BBA is always trying to take over. The goal is to be somewhere in between - no fish distress and no BBA. There is no accurate way to measure how much CO2 is in the water, so about all you can do is start from the pH/KH tables and increase CO2 until the BBA is stopped from restarting after you remove it, and the fish are not objecting. For reference, I use almost as big a bubble rate on my 29 gallon tank as you do on your 55 gallon. And, my fish and shrimp seem to be in good health too.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

You have alot of light so there is probably not enough CO2 nor macros. I'd even say that you're also probably at the low end on the micros as 5ml of Flourish 2x a week in a 55g with the amount of light you have is not enough.

If I were you I'd run the tank with just the 2x 95w. That gives you almost 3.5wpg which is enough to grow anything. I'd also buy a timer (they're pretty cheap) so you get a consistent lighting period and lower the period to around 10 hours from your current 15 hours. If you want to have the light on in the evening to watch the tank just have them come on in the afternoon for the 10 hour light period (eg from 1pm to 11pm).

Remember, very high light = much larger uptake of CO2 = much larger uptake of N and P = much larger uptake of Fe and traces. By reducing your light intensity you will bring the tank into a more manageable situation. If you keep the lighting as it is, you *must* make sure that you do not get deficient in anything the plants need or they slow down and give the algae a chance.

All the above assumes that you have a good plant mass.

And welcome to APC!


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