# Monster Staghorn Algae? Pic



## torsp (Dec 19, 2010)

I would say your hard water is causing a serious nutrient imbalance for that staghorn to take off like it is. Try increasing your CO2. Do you have any fast growing plants in there? Mosses will be easily out-competed by algae. Any way you can do an RO/Tap mix? I am sure the high tech people will jump in, I am a low tech guy.


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## UpperPaleo (Feb 16, 2011)

Thanks for the input. The tank is mostly all moss, one huge Amazon sword and some ludwigia. I've added some pics below. In the 3rd one you can see the CO2 mist on top of the water. Here is a little more info on the tank: 55 gallon tank, medium light, huge (7+ years in the tank) drift wood root system. Fish are pearl gouramis, bozemani rainbow fish and otocinclus, schwarzii corys and some fiddler crabs, red crabs and nerites. We have very hard water, high pH, KH and GH, also the tank temp is 78F. 

Lighting: 1.56 WPG, have ordered another light and will have 3.34 WPG. The photo period is 16 hrs. I was dosing with Flourish at recommended levels, but found out iron is good for Staghorn algae so stopped that. Now just dosing with Flourish potassium.

For filtration I had 2 big BioWheels, but took off the bio wheel part because it would dissipate the CO2. Now I just have the 2 power heads with the sponge filters on them and do a 50% water change once a week. I know I need different filtration, please advise. The moss gets a bit of brownish bio film in it and I use a big turkey baster to blow it off. I think it is the brown diatomaceous algae, that was on the glass but the nerites and otos took care of it.


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## KrazyFish (Dec 23, 2010)

I think you could start by reducing the photo period. 16 hrs seems excessive ( I run mine 9hrs with pressurized co2 and EI dosing).

Also you may want to start blending RO in to your tap water to balance out the paramaters.

You may want to invest in a decent canister filter (I have 2 Fluval 405 on my 90gal).

nice looking tank though


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## torsp (Dec 19, 2010)

So you have around 80W in lighting? What type of lights are they? Combine low lights with CO2(you say injection, is it pressurized or DIY?), heavy nutrients from your tap, dosing nutrients/ferts, and a 16hr light period......that is a lot of excess/imbalance that the algae is benefiting from.

I would start by reducing your lighting period down to 8-10hr/day max. Cut your tap with RO, start with a 50/50 mix. If you cannot do the RO then I would stop dosing ferts. I think combined with your tap that is making things worse, I may be wrong but that would be my first instinct. Then increase your CO2 a bit? If your budget will allow it get a canister filter, something in 200-250gph range would be fine. I have recently started using Cascade's, for the price and volume they are a good deal IMO.


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## UpperPaleo (Feb 16, 2011)

We use pressurized CO2 there is a mist of it in the water (my diffuser is under the power head.) I am going to get a canister filter, don't know what kind. Researching that. Looking at the Hagen Fluval 305. I don't want to use RO water, want my fish and plants to be adapted to local water conditions, besides can't afford that right now. 

According to our Municipal Water Supply our water is:

KH 315 mg per litre
GH 300 mpl, 17 grains
pH 7.53

We have a 30 gal. tank with same water, same photo period, more light (3.66 wpg) and it looks great. It is more heavily planted with plants though, not mosses. tetras and CRS, nerites. 

I will reduce my photoperiod though and try to add some nutrient sucking plants. Still, I think I will have to remove my invertebrates and nuke the tank with some sort of algaecide or I will never recover from this infestation. Any advice welcomed.


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## torsp (Dec 19, 2010)

That is amazing. I thought our water here was crap......yours take it to a whole new level. It would be interesting to see how long crs can survive in those parameters. I can just picture them jumping out of the tank screaming "F this!!!" How long have you had them and were they breed/raised in those conditions?

Edit: You have pretty much answered your own questions with the information on your other tank.




UpperPaleo said:


> KH 315 mg per litre
> GH 300 mpl, 17 grains
> pH 7.53
> 
> We have a 30 gal. tank with same water, same photo period, more light (3.66 wpg) and it looks great. It is more heavily planted with plants though, not mosses. tetras and CRS, nerites.


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## UpperPaleo (Feb 16, 2011)

Our water comes from the Burlington aquifer. The CRS came from Illinois similar water parameters, the breeder said they'd be fine in our water. They have grown and colored up and look great.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

Yeah, staghorn algae...I had the same issue until I bumped up the co2, then I never saw it again.


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## KrazyFish (Dec 23, 2010)

Go for a 405 over the 305 more filtration the better.


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