Yet another algea question... (sigh)
 

Hi everyone!

I've got a 300 liter (75 g) tank with a low fishload but with lots of
plants, Amazones, Java fern, Riccia and many more. I'm adding preassured CO2
with a reactor designed for a 400 liter tank. Allthough I'm not getting as
much CO2 into the water as I'd like to, most plants are pearling nicely. pH
is on the high side with about 6.8 and gH is 5. I'm adding Tropica liquid
fert. dosed as recommended by Tropica and a few drops of iron. Lighting is 4
SunGlo 4.200K at 4 * 36 Watts. Photoperiod is about 12-14 hrs.

I have very little algea in the tank, but recently I've seen some of those
long, nasty disgusting aglea-strings that looks like a long human hair on
some of the plants. They can be removed by simply pulling them out, but it
seems useless to even try to get them all. Now to my question; Does anyone
know if this perticular type of algea is caused by phosfates (have no test
for that) or anything else inperticulat that I CAN adjust, such as lighting
or fertilizer. Or is there a critter that'll eat the stuff?

/Mathias

--
---------------------------------------
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad catapult tuum saxum
immane mittam.
[I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock
at your head.]

Yet another algea question... (sigh)
 

"Mathias" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone!

I've got a 300 liter (75 g) tank with a low fishload but with lots of
plants, Amazones, Java fern, Riccia and many more. I'm adding preassured
CO2
with a reactor designed for a 400 liter tank. Allthough I'm not getting as
much CO2 into the water as I'd like to, most plants are pearling nicely.
pH
is on the high side with about 6.8 and gH is 5. I'm adding Tropica liquid
fert. dosed as recommended by Tropica and a few drops of iron. Lighting is
4
SunGlo 4.200K at 4 * 36 Watts. Photoperiod is about 12-14 hrs.

I have very little algea in the tank, but recently I've seen some of those
long, nasty disgusting aglea-strings that looks like a long human hair on
some of the plants. They can be removed by simply pulling them out, but it
seems useless to even try to get them all. Now to my question; Does anyone
know if this perticular type of algea is caused by phosfates (have no test
for that) or anything else inperticulat that I CAN adjust, such as
lighting
or fertilizer. Or is there a critter that'll eat the stuff?

/Mathias

You said you're not getting as much CO2 as you'd like to. At gH 5 and pH
6.8, you're possibly overdosing CO2. Remember the 3 are related. pH6.8 may
be the best you can sustain without softening the water more.
Lighting seems to be on the high side. For the plants you mention, you may
be best with 2 tubes and shorten the "day" to 8-10 hours.
This type of algae is IME found when the tank is still cycling and
therefore, time should over ride the problem. Too much light is also a
culprit.
Keep removing as much algae as you can by hand. Reduce light, then increase
pH or soften the water. Do one change at a time so that you can establish
the culprit.
Assuming your tank is cycled, then you're into phosphate territory but I
doubt that is the cause.

Steve,

Yet another algea question... (sigh)
 

In article , "Mr GTV"
writes:

Subject: Yet another algea question... (sigh)
From: "Mr GTV"
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 17:02:42 +0000 (UTC)


"Mathias" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone!

I've got a 300 liter (75 g) tank with a low fishload but with lots of
plants, Amazones, Java fern, Riccia and many more. I'm adding preassured
CO2
with a reactor designed for a 400 liter tank. Allthough I'm not getting as
much CO2 into the water as I'd like to, most plants are pearling nicely.
pH
is on the high side with about 6.8 and gH is 5. I'm adding Tropica liquid
fert. dosed as recommended by Tropica and a few drops of iron. Lighting is
4
SunGlo 4.200K at 4 * 36 Watts. Photoperiod is about 12-14 hrs.

I have very little algea in the tank, but recently I've seen some of those
long, nasty disgusting aglea-strings that looks like a long human hair on
some of the plants. They can be removed by simply pulling them out, but it
seems useless to even try to get them all. Now to my question; Does anyone
know if this perticular type of algea is caused by phosfates (have no test
for that) or anything else inperticulat that I CAN adjust, such as
lighting
or fertilizer. Or is there a critter that'll eat the stuff?

/Mathias

You said you're not getting as much CO2 as you'd like to. At gH 5 and pH
6.8, you're possibly overdosing CO2. Remember the 3 are related. pH6.8 may


I believe that the KH, pH and [CO2] are the three related parameters. If your
KH
is 5, then, using Chuck Gadd's converter, your [CO2] is on the high but safe
side.
(See http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm)

I'm just about done with my fishless cycle (NO2 finally down to 1 ppm!!) and
added
my plants about a week ago now. A couple of days ago I started getting lots of
the hair algae, too. All I've added are Fluorish Tabs in the substrate and
some
Fluorish liquid fertilizer, with a few drops of some RedSea Flora Fe. I too,
am
hoping that there is some critter that likes the stuff, and am hoping that the
hair
algae is just a new tank thing.

Erica

Yet another algea question... (sigh)
 

Mathias wrote:

I have very little algea in the tank, but recently I've seen some of those
long, nasty disgusting aglea-strings that looks like a long human hair on
some of the plants. They can be removed by simply pulling them out, but it
seems useless to even try to get them all. Now to my question; Does anyone
know if this perticular type of algea is caused by phosfates (have no test
for that) or anything else inperticulat that I CAN adjust, such as lighting
or fertilizer. Or is there a critter that'll eat the stuff?

This stuff infested my Java Moss for months. I finally got rid of ALL of it when
I started rigorously controlling my Iron dose.

I will be posting a detailed article soon. In my specific case, decoupling Fe
from trace elements worked best, unlike the PMDD formula wherein they are
coupled. I use Flourish and Flourish Fe. In my specific tank, dosing 0.008 ppm
Fe per day killed the thread algae but caused a yellowish tinge to appear in
many plants. Doubling that dose to 0.016 per day eliminated the yellowish tinge,
and the thread algae has not returned.

Yet another algea question... (sigh)
 

I have very little algea in the tank, but recently I've seen some of those
long, nasty disgusting aglea-strings that looks like a long human hair on
some of the plants. They can be removed by simply pulling them out, but it
seems useless to even try to get them all. Now to my question; Does anyone
know if this perticular type of algea is caused by phosfates (have no test
for that) or anything else inperticulat that I CAN adjust, such as
lighting
or fertilizer. Or is there a critter that'll eat the stuff?

For herbivores, depends on what kind of specific hair algae you have, I've
seen "hair algaes" that the standard crew love and some stuff they won't
touch (cladaphora sp.). Anyhow, all bad algae can usually be overcome by
keeping CO2 levels good and the proper ratios of NO3 PO4 K and traces... it
will at least stunt it, you can remove the rest by hand and never see it
again. Anyhow, most important is usually CO2. btw- the tables relate KH,
not GH to pH so be sure you're measuring the right thing. As for proper
nutrient ratios and what not, check out:
http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/barr_02_01.shtml

and learn about the balancing act. Usually, you can safely be a little high
on anything provided everything else is okay.

Cheers,
Jeff Ludwig