After running a 65 gallon free water planted tank for a year I got tired
of buying plants and decided that maybe my 40 watt florecent light was
not enough light to keep amazon swords growing (unfortunately most local
stores sell large numbers of sword plants and not much else). When we
would buy new plants they would live but not really grow and we would
eventually have to replace them as the leaves got chewed up.

I upgraded my lights to a pair of 55 watt florecent lights from
ahsupply.com and bam! Everything was covered with algae. I also started
using a mineral supplement someones recommendation. I live in Denver
and I think they implied the need for more iron than the local tap water
would provide.

I'd been doing normal water changes and I did not think my nitrate was
too high but I decided to increase to daily water changes to get the
nitrate down further (it started at about 20 ppm and its now about 5ppm
and falling).

The amount of algae is less but it is still present. All of the old
plants took a real hit from the algae. I had some long filiments along
all the edges of the plants. It looked almost red in color. However
that stuff is gone as well as the leaves that it was groing on.

I've introduced algae eating shrimp, a few different smaller algae
eaters and even an apple snail (my clown loaches gobble up anything
smaller than an apple snail).

However most of the plants have a green covering of fuzzy algae and some
new plants look like they are getting it also.

Should I continue with the water changes? How low should I bring the
nitrates down? Or should I take other measures to get my display tank
back in line?

Since you've increased your lighting, you also have to increase the number and
kind of plants you have. 80% of the tank should be planted, and at least at
the beginning, a lot of those plants should be fast-growing stem plants. They
will out-compete the algae for nutrients.

I would not reduce nitrate below 5 ppm. Your plants need it. Plant heavily,
plant fast-growers, give your plants all the nutrients they need (and yes, that
includes nitrate and even phosphate). A tank of plants that are growing well
won't have an algae problem.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

Since you've increased your lighting, you also have to increase the number and
kind of plants you have. 80% of the tank should be planted, and at least at
the beginning, a lot of those plants should be fast-growing stem plants. They
will out-compete the algae for nutrients.

I would not reduce nitrate below 5 ppm. Your plants need it. Plant heavily,
plant fast-growers, give your plants all the nutrients they need (and yes, that
includes nitrate and even phosphate). A tank of plants that are growing well
won't have an algae problem.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

one of the unsightly problems is the coating of algae on the plants on say the
amazon swords

I have some anachorous (sp) even it has algae growing on it.

what should I plant besides the swords?

LeighMo wrote:

Since you've increased your lighting, you also have to increase the number and
kind of plants you have. 80% of the tank should be planted, and at least at
the beginning, a lot of those plants should be fast-growing stem plants. They
will out-compete the algae for nutrients.

I would not reduce nitrate below 5 ppm. Your plants need it. Plant heavily,
plant fast-growers, give your plants all the nutrients they need (and yes, that
includes nitrate and even phosphate). A tank of plants that are growing well
won't have an algae problem.

Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

one of the unsightly problems is the coating of algae on the plants on say the
amazon swords

I have some anachorous (sp) even it has algae growing on it.

what should I plant besides the swords?

LeighMo wrote:

Since you've increased your lighting, you also have to increase the number and
kind of plants you have. 80% of the tank should be planted, and at least at
the beginning, a lot of those plants should be fast-growing stem plants. They
will out-compete the algae for nutrients.

I would not reduce nitrate below 5 ppm. Your plants need it. Plant heavily,
plant fast-growers, give your plants all the nutrients they need (and yes, that
includes nitrate and even phosphate). A tank of plants that are growing well
won't have an algae problem.

Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

You might want to focus on the plant's needs.
You started down the path there with adding more/enough light.

Now if you add CO2 and nutrients then you'll get plant growth and no
algae.

If the plants don't grow, algae will. When the plants grow, algae does
not.

Plants need three basic things:light, CO2 and nutrients. Give them
these and the tank will do well.

Any plant will do. But as Leigh mention's, more is better and a nice
dense plant tank looks good also.

Don't expect algae eaters to do much more than minor detail of algae
control. Apple snails will eat plants and most snails will eat dying
or dead plant material.

You might want to start on www.thekrib.com and read over some general
planted tank tenents or various archives on forums etc.

Most folks are totally amazed when they learn how to grow plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

You might want to focus on the plant's needs.
You started down the path there with adding more/enough light.

Now if you add CO2 and nutrients then you'll get plant growth and no
algae.

If the plants don't grow, algae will. When the plants grow, algae does
not.

Plants need three basic things:light, CO2 and nutrients. Give them
these and the tank will do well.

Any plant will do. But as Leigh mention's, more is better and a nice
dense plant tank looks good also.

Don't expect algae eaters to do much more than minor detail of algae
control. Apple snails will eat plants and most snails will eat dying
or dead plant material.

You might want to start on www.thekrib.com and read over some general
planted tank tenents or various archives on forums etc.

Most folks are totally amazed when they learn how to grow plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

" wrote:

You might want to focus on the plant's needs.
You started down the path there with adding more/enough light.

Now if you add CO2 and nutrients then you'll get plant growth and no
algae.

If the plants don't grow, algae will. When the plants grow, algae does
not.

Plants need three basic things:light, CO2 and nutrients. Give them
these and the tank will do well.

Any plant will do. But as Leigh mention's, more is better and a nice
dense plant tank looks good also.

Don't expect algae eaters to do much more than minor detail of algae
control. Apple snails will eat plants and most snails will eat dying
or dead plant material.

You might want to start on www.thekrib.com and read over some general
planted tank tenents or various archives on forums etc.

Most folks are totally amazed when they learn how to grow plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

" wrote:

You might want to focus on the plant's needs.
You started down the path there with adding more/enough light.

Now if you add CO2 and nutrients then you'll get plant growth and no
algae.

If the plants don't grow, algae will. When the plants grow, algae does
not.

Plants need three basic things:light, CO2 and nutrients. Give them
these and the tank will do well.

Any plant will do. But as Leigh mention's, more is better and a nice
dense plant tank looks good also.

Don't expect algae eaters to do much more than minor detail of algae
control. Apple snails will eat plants and most snails will eat dying
or dead plant material.

You might want to start on www.thekrib.com and read over some general
planted tank tenents or various archives on forums etc.

Most folks are totally amazed when they learn how to grow plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

"william kossack" wrote in message
...
Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

No, as long as you don't put in too much light and plant accordingly with
low light plants. Everything is a balance - upping the light will not
necessarily make your plants grow better - they will just use up the
available CO2 faster & then stop. You can "help" the CO2 level in a tank
without CO2 supply by having a good amount of turbulence at the surface
and/or an Airstone in the tank.

"william kossack" wrote in message
...
Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

No, as long as you don't put in too much light and plant accordingly with
low light plants. Everything is a balance - upping the light will not
necessarily make your plants grow better - they will just use up the
available CO2 faster & then stop. You can "help" the CO2 level in a tank
without CO2 supply by having a good amount of turbulence at the surface
and/or an Airstone in the tank.

I have a powerhead with an underground filter along with a penguin 330

Iain Miller wrote:

"william kossack" wrote in message
...
Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

No, as long as you don't put in too much light and plant accordingly with
low light plants. Everything is a balance - upping the light will not
necessarily make your plants grow better - they will just use up the
available CO2 faster & then stop. You can "help" the CO2 level in a tank
without CO2 supply by having a good amount of turbulence at the surface
and/or an Airstone in the tank.

I have a powerhead with an underground filter along with a penguin 330

Iain Miller wrote:

"william kossack" wrote in message
...
Is it really necessary to have a CO2 generator?

No, as long as you don't put in too much light and plant accordingly with
low light plants. Everything is a balance - upping the light will not
necessarily make your plants grow better - they will just use up the
available CO2 faster & then stop. You can "help" the CO2 level in a tank
without CO2 supply by having a good amount of turbulence at the surface
and/or an Airstone in the tank.

william kossack wrote in message ...
I upgraded my lights to a pair of 55 watt florecent lights from
ahsupply.com and bam! Everything was covered with algae.

So did I when I upgraded with ahsupply.com.

I traced the algae growth to the use of liquid plant fertilizers
(Nutrifin Plant Gro Iron Enriched .15 - 0 - 0).

Switched to root tabs only, and my algae went away.

william kossack wrote in message ...
I upgraded my lights to a pair of 55 watt florecent lights from
ahsupply.com and bam! Everything was covered with algae.

So did I when I upgraded with ahsupply.com.

I traced the algae growth to the use of liquid plant fertilizers
(Nutrifin Plant Gro Iron Enriched .15 - 0 - 0).

Switched to root tabs only, and my algae went away.