# Help I have not been paying attention and now I have tons of algae



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

Story of this tank is it is about 2 years old. It has grown quite a few beautiful plants, but alas I started a Reef tank and I haven't been paying enough attention to it.

It's a 55 gal
4 X 65 watt CF on for 8 hours a day
pressurized CO2 at about 2-3bps
I do a EI fert method (from our sticky)
3/4Tsp-KN03 3x a week
3/16Tsp-KH2P04 3x a week
1/4Tsp-K2S04 3x a week
8ml -Florish 2x a week
8ml- Plantex CSM+B 3x a week

I do a 40% H20 change-weekly

This stuff is EVERYWHERE, and I know Excel will kill it on a temp basis however before I do that I need to discover what is causing this.

Some pics


----------



## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

Looks a lot like BBA. Do you have a drop checker or other method to determine your co2 levels (besides the bps)? How do you diffuse the co2?


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

mpodolan said:


> Looks a lot like BBA. Do you have a drop checker or other method to determine your co2 levels (besides the bps)? How do you diffuse the co2?


I use a drop checker from Black Sunshine it always reads a light green color. I defuse the CO2 into a Rex Grigg reactor it is then returned to the tank from the spray bar. Spray bar is set about 6 inches from the bottom of the tank and has been customized to go along the side instead of the back. I have the return to the XP3 on the other side of the tank (it's a 4' tank) and I have a Maxi jet 900 which comes on during the lights/CO2 off peroids to get rid of the remaining CO2 left in the tank


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

try to lower your lights. Take a tube out. And obviousy, remove as much as you can although it's kinda pretty on the driftwood.


----------



## mrkookm (Apr 4, 2007)

Thats way too much BBA and *definitely something isn't working* and IMO it's *Co2*. Whether its your DC, Reactor, lack of flow & Co2 BPM off , all needs to be carefully re-evaluated. T*here is no way your CO2 is where it needs to be with the amount of BBA that you have*. If I were you I would increase the amount of Co2 thats getting pumped into your tank because even your plants seem to be showing signs of low Co2.

When was the last time you changed you DC solution? You also seem to lack flow IMO and suggest you run your powerhead during the day to increase flow and help move the enriched co2 water if any around your tank efficiently. 

You will have to use excel at this point and also manually remove the dense tufts of the BBA. I also suggest you lower your lighting to half of your total wattage while you get things under control. 

Up your Co2!


----------



## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

That is a lot of BBA, trust me I had it almost that bad. 
It's CO2, I turned mine up, and it helped. The problem is Turning up the CO2 IME will not kill it, it will stop it from coming back. 

Ok, first, where is you drop checker? I mistakenly had mine in the outflow of my spray-bar, so it told me I had more in there than I actually did. 
Next, you need to kill off the BBA that you have. I've read that people have done it with Excel, or H2O2.
I did it with H2O2, using about 2ml per gallon, turn off the lights, and filters, and spot dose the BBA. I repeated this every other day for almost 2 weeks. 

However, H2O2 or Excel will kill certain plants!!!!

HTH, good luck


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

the drop checker is right above the spray bar, maybe that is why it reads perfect???????????

I thought using the powerhead during the day with the CO2 would dispuse the CO2 and make it not effective?


----------



## mrkookm (Apr 4, 2007)

I would change the solution in the checker to be on the safe side. The powerhead adjusted to its lowest setting an placed in the right spot will move the co2 enriched water aroud the tank and especially so if you have a lot of plant mass.

BTW Is your powerhead the kind that will mount fully submerged underwater? If not, I can understand you concerns now so let me clarify by saying you should only use one that can *be mounted fully submerged *and *if it has an air suction capability do not use this*, all you want from the Phead is to *supply movement underwater*. Use the lowest setting too, a LGPH phead would be best *so that you don't not create to much movement* underwater and cause plants to dance wildly.


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

mrkookm said:


> I would change the solution in the checker to be on the safe side. The powerhead adjusted to its lowest setting an placed in the right spot will move the co2 enriched water aroud the tank and especially so if you have a lot of plant mass.
> 
> BTW Is your powerhead the kind that will mount fully submerged underwater? If not, I can understand you concerns now so let me clarify by saying you should only use one that can *be mounted fully submerged *and *if it has an air suction capability do not use this*, all you want from the Phead is to *supply movement underwater*. Use the lowest setting too, a LGPH phead would be best *so that you don't not create to much movement* underwater and cause plants to dance wildly.


I think I will need to buy a less powerful powerhead, as the one I have is able to be fully in the water is has a lot of power.

Maybe I will buy a small rio 90 or something and stick it right above the spray bar to push around the CO2 then run the other one when the CO2 is off.


----------



## mrkookm (Apr 4, 2007)

LGPH Phead sounds good. What about your DC solution, when was the last time you changed ot for fresh liquid? Don't forget to move it to to the farthest side of your Co2 in-tank input and mount it lower.


----------



## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> the drop checker is right above the spray bar, maybe that is why it reads perfect???????????


Probably.

Move it away from the out flow of the CO2 rich water and then see what it reads.


Mike


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

So a small recap:

Move DC to as far away from CO2 injection point as possiable and change to fresh liquid (it has been months since I changed it)

Get low GPH powerhead and place above spray bar (where CO2 is injected) to move the CO2 rich water around the tank better.

Most likely (afte checking with fresh solutioned DC) crank up the CO2.

QUESTIONS:

I turned off 1 set of lights this morning so right now this 55 gal only has 130 watts over it. With possibly turning up the CO2 when should I turn back on the other set of lights? (keeping in mind the CO2 only gets turned up after all the above steps are finsihed and I actualy don't have enough in the tank) Also should I contunie to dose EI, with less light going into the tank?


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

if all is right and BBA not growing anymore, how do you kill the remaining BBA? i have the same problem with my java fern / windelov.


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

iroc said:


> Move DC to as far away from CO2 injection point as possiable and change to fresh liquid (it has been months since I changed it)


Err......needs changed every 2-3 weeks tops.



> Get low GPH powerhead and place above spray bar (where CO2 is injected) to move the CO2 rich water around the tank better.


I doubt this has much to do with things.



> Most likely (afte checking with fresh solutioned DC) crank up the CO2.


An almost certainty:thumbsup: 



> QUESTIONS:
> 
> I turned off 1 set of lights this morning so right now this 55 gal only has 130 watts over it. With possibly turning up the CO2 when should I turn back on the other set of lights? (keeping in mind the CO2 only gets turned up after all the above steps are finsihed and I actualy don't have enough in the tank) Also should I contunie to dose EI, with less light going into the tank?


Leave things at low light for awhile. 3 weeks say.
Get the tank clean first.

You can do the 3x a week 50-60% water change and add double dose of excel each time.

This will kill it pretty quick.
But things will be ratty for awhile, but be patient, add Excel and crank the CO2.

You can dose 1/2 the EI amount if you wish till the tank is clean.

Trim, prune, clean etc, water changes, Excel, watch CO2 closer, stop neglecting things till they get this bad in the future.

It takes generally weeks of abuse/not watching CO2 to get a bad case like this.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

plantbrain said:


> Err......needs changed every 2-3 weeks tops.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Tom, and it has been most of this last month while I watch my reef tank florish away............I am a trader.


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Well, you can bring this back without losing much, the reef?
Muhahaha!

Certain death. Well depends on what you have and your routine.
Non CO2 planted tanks can handle a month or more of abuse.
As long as you add water for evaporation, feed the fish etc consistently.........

So there's a trade off available for each bad and good habit out there.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

plantbrain said:


> Well, you can bring this back without losing much, the reef?
> Muhahaha!
> 
> Certain death. Well depends on what you have and your routine.
> ...


I have learned my lesson, I think since i set up the low light no CO2 7 gal I have gotten lazy with the 55 gal high light CO2 system, and the reef shouldn't be an excuse considing it is about 15 inches away from this negelected tank.....I am a trader and a loser rofl. Anyway I am going to pick up some excel today and I will begin the road to recovery. I tried to order some new DC solution from blacksunshine but he hasn't gotten back to me, Tom you leave around here any idea where I can buy some premade?

And Tom just to be clear you don't think I should set up a low GPH power head next to the CO2 injection to move it around the tank? the injection currently happens on the far side of a 4 foot tank will it travel that far on it's own? I never really see pearling except on the plants right next to it.


----------



## enchanted (Sep 23, 2004)

Water will automatically disperse anything added to it evenly around the entire tank. Just a fact of nature. 

The extra flow in the tank may be a good thing though, as one thing Algae does not like is flow.


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

Ok I did a major hacking of plants and I have been adding excel every other day (I am applying directly to the effected areas)

A question, even with the powerhead it seems like little CO2 bubbles gather at the top of the water only on 1 side of the tank. I
m not sure what this means.

I have switched the DC to the other side of the tank and it is not showing the correct color yet but I am moving slowly with turning it up.


----------



## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Major bummers. Didn't they tell you? Reefin aint easy! lol Kids whine, women leave, and planted tanks crash over 'em. :icon_roll 

Good luck with that nasty stuff. I know it's wise to get the balance back, but at that state I would have to add some SAEs if there aren't some already, just for mass cleanup duty.


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

Algae is under control and basicly all has been cleaned up with no new growth, funny thing is with upping the CO2 and cutting back the light to 130watts over the tank the growth is amazing, everything is doing so much better and is lush.


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

the cause is just simply too much light?


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

Well I don't claim to be an expert, but I was running 4 X 65 watts over this 55 gal and I had a battle with algae off and on, I followed the advice given in this thread (did bi-weekly water changes, spot dosed double the amount of excel directly on the bad areas, manualy cleaned what I could, cut the light in half, and upped the CO2 amount) and it seems to have gotten the algae under control, but a bi-product is all the plants are growing way better.


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

hmm it's amazing how simple the solution is. i'm gonna try doing this as well to one of my tank.


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

ikuzo said:


> hmm it's amazing how simple the solution is. i'm gonna try doing this as well to one of my tank.


Tom Barr made it seem the most simple. Start by reducing your light. Get a DC and pump the CO2 as high as it can go but staying within the safe perameters. kill as much of the algae manualy (either by scaping, cutting or indroducing excel directly to the problem areas).

For more info try reading the posts in this thread.


----------



## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

iroc said:


> Algae is under control and basicly all has been cleaned up with no new growth, funny thing is with upping the CO2 and cutting back the light to 130watts over the tank the growth is amazing, everything is doing so much better and is lush.


You have found the Balance well done.

Its been a long journey since i introduced you to ThePlantedTank from Tropical fish forum.net
Seemss like you learned more then me :icon_mrgr


----------



## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

frozenbarb said:


> You have found the Balance well done.
> 
> Its been a long journey since i introduced you to ThePlantedTank from Tropical fish forum.net
> Seemss like you learned more then me :icon_mrgr



You talk like a teacher young grasshopper...........ROFL

I haven't learned as much as a lot of ppl have forgot, everyday I learn something new which is what makes life interesting


----------

