Algae Problem

[joyban]

Hi Tom

My Tank Parameters are as:-

1. pH - 6.8
2. Kh -3
3. Gh -3
4. fe - .05ppm
5. N02- .2ppm
6. NO3 - 17ppm
7. 2 X 150 Watts of Ceramic Metal Hallide 4200K (4hr /day) & OSRAM Flora 18W X2 (12 hours)
8. Pressurised CO2 Tank
9. Dimentions are as:- 3 ft x 2ft x 2ft
10. Unimax 500 External Filter - 1500 liters per hour
11. Water Temp Around 30C
12. Dosing as per EI K2SO4 - 1/2 tsp ; KNO3 - 3/4tsp & KH2PO4 - 3/4 tsp every alt day.
13. MicroNutrients - Microsol B - Fe=5%, Mn=2.50%, Zn=1%, Cu=2.50%, Mo=0.035%,Bo=2.50% - 1/4 tsp alt day.
14 50% water change ever 7 days ie every week with RO water of 14TDS

Seem to have lot of BBA see the pics below please suggest what might be going wrong ?:-










Thanks & Regards

 

[VaughnH]

You mention that you have pressurized CO2. How are you making sure you have enough in the water? Do you have a powerhead in the tank to give more and better water circulation? Your filter seems to be a little low on flow, but I'm not sure about that.

 

[joyban]

Well I have a CO2 Diffuser and a CO2 Mixer with a powerhead in the tank, what really bothers me is this Algae due to inproper mix of CO2 in water or for any other reason....may be at 30C the solubility of Liquid CO2 in water decreases and this may be the cause of less C02 in water, which currently is around 14.26 ppm (CO2 (in PPM) = 3 * Kh * 10 power ( 7-pH )

The Solubility of CO2 depends on the the following :-
1. Solubility increases with increasing pressure.
2. Solubility decreases with increasing temperature.
3. The solubility of CO2 increases with decreasing pH.

So is any of these factors playing their part in CO2 Solubility in water or is there any other reason ?

Regards

 

[VaughnH]

Your problem is almost certainly due to low CO2 concentration in the water. CO2 concentration in typical aquarium water cannot be measured by just measuring KH and pH. That method will almost always over estimate the amount of CO2 you have. You can increase the bubble rate and watch the fish reaction to be sure you don't go too far, or you can get a drop checker and have a better idea of whether or not you have enough CO2.

 

[Tom Barr]

I'd focus on CO2.

When you make changes to CO2, make sure to do so slowly.
Do not increase the rate of CO2 additions quickly.
Take your time.

As far as the BBA: you can use Excel or Easy Carbo and dose according to the instructions(Do not over dose).
This plus good CO2 will help.

BBA might take a while to die and go away, but as long as new growth is not spreading or not very fast at all, then you can easily beat BBA.

I trim infected pretty well and clean any equipment with BBA on it.
More frequent water changes along with Excel dosing seems to help and helps the plants grow faster so you can outpace the new BBA growth on plants.

Also, water changes tend to add more CO2, so you often have high growth the day of and after the water change(you should see more pearling).

Regards,
Tom Barr