# Hair algae and co2 fluctuation. Help!



## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

I have had a massive hair algae bloom in the last 2 weeks or so.
I've always struggled with algae in this tank and I thought I had it under control for a minute when I used excel and h202 spot treatment as well as upping the co2 bubble count.

My tank:
-Was dosing PPS-Pro as well as extra iron. I have not dosed in about 5 days at all.
-Pressurized CO2 with a Red Sea kit, which is not very good IMO. *I am having trouble with this system as the bubbles per sec rate keeps slowing down. Anyone know how I can fix this?*
I know that fluctuating CO2 levels encourages the algae growth, I start with a 2bps on co2 and end up with a slower bps within 12 hours.

I stopped the initial excel treatment because much of the algae died and my vals were melting. Also I noticed no algae growth during this treatment period + another week or so.

Though my tank is infested with algae, my plants are growing so fast, some stems are growing out of the water!

My plan :
on the next big maintenance, I am going to scrub/vac all algae I can as well as spot treat excel where needed, scrub off each plant of algae to the best of My ability and do an overdose excel treatment for prescribed period (I think it was 10 days or something) then add small dose of excel each day to maintain some level of it.

*My biggest problem is the co2 fluctuation.*
I am not exactly sure as to why this happens. 
The red sea kit has a regulator, needle valve, solenoid, and I use a lime wood diffuser.
The pressure gauge I think is set correct pressure.
Any thoughts/comments are welcome and much appreciated.


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## Storm (Aug 7, 2011)

Hi, I think if you can fix your Co2 problem the hair algae will go away. At least, it did for me when I fixed mine.

This is how you set your bubble rate:


Open needle valve until 2bps (or desired rate)
Wait 20 minutes, time bps
If bubble count has changed from desired rate, go to step 1.
It literally took me 12 hours one day of sitting there and opening the needle valve further and further every 20 minutes to get it set right on mine.

What really screwed me up initially was that one morning when the solenoid clicked on, the bubble rate was really fast initially so I turned it way down because I didn't want to gas my fish. I learned later that this is normal as the pressure builds up overnight while the solenoid is off.

The key is that in the morning, for the first few minutes the bubble rate might be 3bps or higher, but it will settle into the desired rate. The key is if it stays that way for 20 minutes it will probably stay that way for several hours. If it stays that way for several hours, you probably won't have to adjust it any more.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

I've struggled with some of the needle valves packaged for the hobby in both FW and SW. Once I went to a higher quality valve those adjustments were very easy and "set and forget" for months.


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## herns (May 6, 2008)

FreedPenguin said:


> *My biggest problem is the co2 fluctuation.*QUOTE]
> 
> Check for leaks at the nozzle. I have just eperienced this type of issue.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

fresh.salty said:


> I've struggled with some of the needle valves packaged for the hobby in both FW and SW. Once I went to a higher quality valve those adjustments were very easy and "set and forget" for months.


I wonder if it is the needle valve. How much is a decent needle valve?
Wondering if the cheap plastic bubble counter can be the problem as the Red Sea bubble counter is and I cracked a little part of the closing latch. The water level inside the bubble counter slowly decreases.



Storm said:


> Hi, I think if you can fix your Co2 problem the hair algae will go away. At least, it did for me when I fixed mine.
> 
> This is how you set your bubble rate:
> 
> ...


See thats the thing, I am using PPS-Pro method and I never turn off my co2, even at night. My solenoid and needle valve are never off.
But even so, my bubble rates change too much.
I actually have a glass diffuser with ceramic on the way. In case its the diffuser I am currently using.



herns said:


> Check for leaks at the nozzle. I have just experienced this type of issue.


I am not quite sure how to check for leaks, wet my hand and feel?
Drip soap water over it?

Thanks everyone!


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## Storm (Aug 7, 2011)

You might have a leak. Get some bubbles or soapy solution and brush it on every part of your Co2 regulator. Also, if you have the solenoid, why not use it? Put it on the same timer your lights are on. Your fish will appreciate not being gassed in the night and your plants will appreciate having consistent Co2 during their lighting period, which is the only time they can use it.


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## herns (May 6, 2008)

FreedPenguin said:


> I am not quite sure how to check for leaks, wet my hand and feel?
> Drip soap water over it?


About five bucks from HD.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

Storm said:


> You might have a leak. Get some bubbles or soapy solution and brush it on every part of your Co2 regulator. Also, if you have the solenoid, why not use it? Put it on the same timer your lights are on. Your fish will appreciate not being gassed in the night and your plants will appreciate having consistent Co2 during their lighting period, which is the only time they can use it.


I used soapy water to check for any sort of leaking and I did not detect any. Also when I put the regulator on, I made sure to properly use the "o" ring. I have used co2 tanks at work for fountain drink carbonation so this is not entirely new to me.

However, the reason for the solenoid valve is completely lost on me. This may be a dumb question but what exactly is the function of the solenoid?
I would venture to guess that it has something to do with shutting on and off the co2 flow.

So, my main concern is the fluctuating co2 levels in my aquarium, and I think using the solenoid in tandem with the light fixture timer may not work to stablilize the co2 levels in my aquarium. 
That being said, I have a drop checker in there (though I know its not the best method of checking co2 levels), and I have about 20 or so neon tetras, 7 juvenile powder blue rams, 5 amano shrimp and 5 julidochromis transcriptus and not had any fatalities or any fish gasping for air at the waters surface. I am not worried at all about gassing my fish.

Just did a WC, scraped about a cup of hair algae from the glass.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

So did about a 40% WC overall and added 5 gals dechlorinated tap water and 6 gallons of RODI.

The tank looks so pristine and clean I love it. (gotta look close at plants to see the algae now.

I still have yet to add fertz into the tank for a period of about 4 days now. 
Even without adding fertz, my plants are growing at a very rapid rate.

Upon completion of the waterchange, I added 10ml of Excel and as I have a 40gal Breeder, I did 10ml to add slightly more than double the recommended dosage. 
-turned off canister and hydor evo
-spot treated excel using a syringe

Here is a close shot of the frontal area.
As you can see the Elatine Tiandra is growing in very very nicely after struggling for about a month. Near the substrate level, looking closely I see tufts of what I assume to be BBA. 










On a side note: The plant directly behind the ET, can anyone ID? started with 1 stem and now its growing rampantly.


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## Jaguar (Oct 13, 2011)

Solenoid valves are electronic valves that you can run on a timer, so you can have your CO2 automatically turn off at night and back on again in the morning.

Ludwigia repens? Should be mostly a deep red, but for whatever reason some people just can't get it to grow nice and red... Mine is pink lol.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

Jaguar said:


> Solenoid valves are electronic valves that you can run on a timer, so you can have your CO2 automatically turn off at night and back on again in the morning.
> 
> Ludwigia repens? Should be mostly a deep red, but for whatever reason some people just can't get it to grow nice and red... Mine is pink lol.


It was nice and red when it was a single stem but when the roots and sideshoots started to grow, I planted it diagonally and its growing green.
Maybe it will grow redder as it grows near the waters surface.


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