# Debris like algae in new planted tank



## 678kirandesai (Jan 25, 2017)

I am new to planted tanks and have setup a planted tank with dirt substrate capped with sand . Its almost 3 weeks now but im not able to get rid of this stuff ... Looks very ugly.. has covered my dwarf sag and all other plants . I m worried that if this doesnot go away eventually all my plants will die..
Specs
20 gallon tank .. 36 watt cool white general purpose led batten ... Keeping on for 10 hrs... No co2 ... 
Pls advise what can i do to get rid of this.. attaching a pic of my tank









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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

I'm really hoping that is an Instagram filter or something making it look like a spooky haunted forest 

10 hours is way too long of a photo period, especially for just starting the tank. Try dialing that down to 5-6 hours. You'll need to let the plants establish themselves before you increase it.

Are you dosing any fertilizers, or are you relying on the dirt only?

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## 678kirandesai (Jan 25, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> I'm really hoping that is an Instagram filter or something making it look like a spooky haunted forest
> 
> 10 hours is way too long of a photo period, especially for just starting the tank. Try dialing that down to 5-6 hours. You'll need to let the plants establish themselves before you increase it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for ur reply... 
No i didnt used any ferts till now... Soil already had little compost mixed with it i guess the garden store guy told me you dont need to add ferts for atleast 3 months (he supposed i will be using it for terrestrial plants in pot).
Will cut down the photoperiod to 5- 6 hrs.. 
Should i keep split photo period of 3 hrs each or straight away 6 hrs.?.
Also whether adding co2 at this stage will help or increase the problem.. i have already bought the diy citric acid and baking soda co2 kit. Should i install it?

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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

I don't know if split photo period will matter at this point, but you probably need to do a couple of really big water changes to clean up the water. Most likely fertilizer from the soil is leaving into the water making it look that bad. Just do a water change each day until that cloudiness goes away.

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## SGdiscus (Jun 24, 2016)

Hi there,

I agree with natemcnutty:

1. Based on my own experience the photosynthesis period is too long for a newly established tank such as yours. For a start, 5 hours would be good. No need to break it up. If you want to have some lights to view your tank, you can timed it such that the lights are on when you are home. For example, my photo period is from 3pm to 8pm. 

2. Dimensions of the tank is not give, I assume that this tank has a height of about 12". I have a gut feel that the LED light is too bright/intense. Is the LED light dimmable? I see some dark green spots on the leaves. These are green spot algae that thrived under bright lights. For my particular set of LEDs, I am using 70% intensity. But you have to go abit of trial and error. 

3. What sort of filtering system do you have? A HOB or external canister? The lack of proper filtering coupled with the nutrients leeching out from the soil will lead to excessive organics in the water which is the main source of food for the algae. This is the reason natemcnutty is recommending daily big water changes.

4. Adding CO2 is a good idea but injecting CO2 at an inconsistent rate will also lead to other issues. An alternative is to invest in carbon liquid such as Excel and dose according to instructions. The idea behind this is to allow the plants to transit and adapt into the submerged state. Many LFS buy 'aquatic' plants in emersed state because it is cheaper and easier to mass produce. Unless you know the source of the plants, most of the plants will need to go through a period of transition.

5. Even if the plants were grown in a submerged state, its original conditions would be different from your tank especially if they had come from a tank with CO2 nourishment vs a non-CO2 tank.

6. Patience and diligently cleaning and water changes are your best bet. It will take one or two months for your plants to establish itself. 

7. If available, you may also look into putting two or three amano shrimps as algae clean up crews. These are guys are very efficient in breaking down organics so that the nitrifying bacteria can have a larger surface to break the waste further and convert the ammonia into nitrite and nitrate. 

good luck!


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## guitarstevie (Nov 30, 2016)

You state this is a dirted tank capped with sand, but I see more than sand in the bed. Is that dirt that escaped or was never covered? I have set up several dirted tanks capped with sand and have had great success, however there is a procedure I follow. I "wash" the dirt to remove floaters, bake in a 250 degree oven, allow to dry, and re-wet and allow to dry (this is referred to mineralizing), and sift the soil. I place no more that 1" of dirt, and CAREFULLY add 2" inches of sand, making sure all soil is capped by sand.
If that is in fact soil I see in the photos, I would consider tearing it down and starting over, possibly with some new fast, easy to grow plants such as hornwort, anacharis, and duckweed. These plants do an excellent job of establishing a new tank and are cheap and readily available. Let your tank settle in for 3 or 4 weeks while experimenting with proper light and Co2 and you may then start to add plants you like. I think you'll have much better success this way.
Also, I did not notice what filtration and additional water current you have...though I may have missed it. I'm not at my sharpest today - home with the flu. And what size tank is it?

Bump: I see you did indicate this is a 20 gallon. If you elect to keep the current setup, I agree with others - lots of frequent heavy water changes. And if that is soil I see in the photos...get it out! If you can't remove it with a gravel cleaning lightly against the surface so as not to vacuum up to much sand, use tweezers and remove as much as you can. I think you will also need to do frequent filter cleanings until you get the tank cleaned up.

Sorry, I'm just not to alert today. You don't need to even think about adding ferts for several months, maybe 6 month to a year depending on many variables. That's why you used the soil. Additional nutrients would likely just lead to an algae bloom. Good luck!


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## 678kirandesai (Jan 25, 2017)

guitarstevie said:


> You state this is a dirted tank capped with sand, but I see more than sand in the bed. Is that dirt that escaped or was never covered? I have set up several dirted tanks capped with sand and have had great success, however there is a procedure I follow. I "wash" the dirt to remove floaters, bake in a 250 degree oven, allow to dry, and re-wet and allow to dry (this is referred to mineralizing), and sift the soil. I place no more that 1" of dirt, and CAREFULLY add 2" inches of sand, making sure all soil is capped by sand.
> If that is in fact soil I see in the photos, I would consider tearing it down and starting over, possibly with some new fast, easy to grow plants such as hornwort, anacharis, and duckweed. These plants do an excellent job of establishing a new tank and are cheap and readily available. Let your tank settle in for 3 or 4 weeks while experimenting with proper light and Co2 and you may then start to add plants you like. I think you'll have much better success this way.
> Also, I did not notice what filtration and additional water current you have...though I may have missed it. I'm not at my sharpest today - home with the flu. And what size tank is it?
> 
> Bump: I see you did indicate this is a 20 gallon. If you elect to keep the current setup, I agree with others - lots of frequent heavy water changes. And if that is soil I see in the photos...get it out! If you can't remove it with a gravel cleaning lightly against the surface so as not to vacuum up to much sand, use tweezers and remove as much as you can. I think you will also need to do frequent filter cleanings until you get the tank cleaned up.


Thanks for ur reply stevie..
What ur referring on the bed are pebbles not dirt ...
Dirt is not escaping at all .. all the brown thing which u can see on the bed and on dwarf swag ..and even on plants leaves is the debris like algae (or sumthng else i dnt know).. its very soft and comes off if water is disturbed ...

As recommended by others i have done 2 big water changes like 70% ... 

I think within a month of regular water changes situation will improve .. hoping for the best..


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

Yikes.


Looks like you had a major dirt cap breach. What type of soil are you using? How much compost did you add?

Siphon up the escaped dirt, add filter floss to your filter, and do some water changes (CAREFULLY - no more cap breaches for you!).

Probably also a good idea to remove livestock. You should not stock a newly dirted tank so early: a cap breach like this, in a new tank, is very likely to start a bacteria bloom. You need to be more careful about maintaining your dirt cap.


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## maxhrbal (Mar 19, 2016)

Yikes indeed! Don't fret, all is good, but wow! You probably have many issues that need to be addressed. I would almost suggest trimming everything down to the substrate and hope for the best. The cloudy water really exaggerates the condition of your tank, more pictures will help along with more info. Your plants will indeed die soon if it's not taken care of. I'd suggest major trimming combined with a generous tank treatment of an algaecide assuming no fish are present. Scrape the glass, trim and treat. Reduce light and stop adding fertilizer. During treatment, maybe do a blackout for 2 days at least, cover the tank with a dark towel or blanket. Continue daily water changes. Expect some loss of plant life and don't be discouraged.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Bananableps said:


> Yikes.


this

i agree it might have been a huge toxic disaster or something. all your plants missing 90% of leaves are basically RIP. would just tear them all down. they are severely deformed in regards to new growth and are totally dying off (lower leaves almost totally gone). this can be due to many factors...

i would consider full tank teardown and re-assess your approach before trying to fix the situation at hand... major mistakes may have been made that cannot be reversed... also would probably be easier to start fresh vs try to fix that


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