Hello,
I have been running a 25 gallon planted aquarium with pressurized CO2, set up for 11 months and have been battling algae since about week 3. The tank originally had a massive diatom outbreak lasting 1 month+ followed by green fuzz and green hair algae on substrate rocks and plant leaves. I have experienced a multitude of problems which I have attempted to approach systematically but so far been unable to solve.
Plant growth has been consistently stunted/slow. I have had melting/algae covering anything moderately difficult to grow, and even the rotala has curling new leaves, and gathers hair algae on older leaves. I have attempted multiple iterations of monte carlo (6 pots covering front half of aquarium) and the first couple of attempts I got moderate growth before it was choked out by algae. The last two attempts it has melted completely with the exception of a handful of very small leaves hanging on.
My main suspect is low CO2, I have a fluval drop checker and use the supplied solution, which to my understanding is already a 4dkh mixed indicator solution. CO2 begins 90 minutes before lights on. I am currently running around 2.5 bps through a diffuser placed in the down wash current from the lily pipe output. Visually it appears there are a lot of bubbles being initially forced downwards throughout the aquarium. I have had quite a bit of difficulty getting and maintaining a green drop checker. I will gradually increase the CO2 over the course of a few days but before I am able to get the drop checker a nice lime green, the fish begin to show signs of stress. The white clouds in particular will hover at the water surface and show lethargy. I initially had 10 before gradually losing 7 over the course of the tanks life and recently added celestial pearl danios. I also lost 4/5 amano shrimp coinciding with attempts to gradually increase CO2 levels. I suspected possible low O2 levels but have attempted running an additional submersible pump directed towards the surface, and now running an airstone during the night to no improvements. Fish still show signs of stress before I can achieve a green drop checker. The best coloration I can get in the drop checker is displayed below, kind of lime green on top and blue/green on bottom. I have to say my camera makes it look more yellowish than in reality. Regardless, the fish were stressed at this level, in the image a white cloud can be seen through the lily pipe in the top left corner, farthest from the CO2 diffuser. This image was taken at the end of the CO2 cycle.
I have tried placing the drop checker right above the CO2 diffuser to confirm it will actually turn green.
I am at a bit of a loss here and am not sure if the root cause could be:CO2 and how to increase it if fish are stressed, fertilizer/poor plant growth, or ideas I haven't considered. Obviously these things may be related.
Tank Specs: 25.3 gallon 60 x 40 x 40 cm.
Light: Finnex Planted+ 24/7 running on a timer at 100% intensity for a 6 hour photoperiod.
Fertilizer: Aquarium Co-op Easy Green dosed daily to equate to recommended levels for a high light tank.
Filter: Fluval 207 canister
Water Changes: 25% twice per week
Plants: Rotala Rotundifolia green, Rotala H'ra, Hydrocotyle tripartita japan (algae on older leaves), Hygrophila pinnatifida (algae covers leaves), Some cyrpts (alage on older leaves), Dwarf Hairgrass (new), alternanthera reineckii mini (melted), Monte Carlo(mostly melted), staurogyne repens (mostly melted).
Stocking: 3 white cloud mountain minnows, 10 celestial pearl danios, 1 otocinclus, 1 amano shrimp.
Temperature: 73 °F / 23 °C
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~20 ppm
GH: 7
KH: 0
pH: 6.5
Substrate of fluval stratum buffers to 6.5 pH and reduces KH
I have been running a 25 gallon planted aquarium with pressurized CO2, set up for 11 months and have been battling algae since about week 3. The tank originally had a massive diatom outbreak lasting 1 month+ followed by green fuzz and green hair algae on substrate rocks and plant leaves. I have experienced a multitude of problems which I have attempted to approach systematically but so far been unable to solve.
Plant growth has been consistently stunted/slow. I have had melting/algae covering anything moderately difficult to grow, and even the rotala has curling new leaves, and gathers hair algae on older leaves. I have attempted multiple iterations of monte carlo (6 pots covering front half of aquarium) and the first couple of attempts I got moderate growth before it was choked out by algae. The last two attempts it has melted completely with the exception of a handful of very small leaves hanging on.
My main suspect is low CO2, I have a fluval drop checker and use the supplied solution, which to my understanding is already a 4dkh mixed indicator solution. CO2 begins 90 minutes before lights on. I am currently running around 2.5 bps through a diffuser placed in the down wash current from the lily pipe output. Visually it appears there are a lot of bubbles being initially forced downwards throughout the aquarium. I have had quite a bit of difficulty getting and maintaining a green drop checker. I will gradually increase the CO2 over the course of a few days but before I am able to get the drop checker a nice lime green, the fish begin to show signs of stress. The white clouds in particular will hover at the water surface and show lethargy. I initially had 10 before gradually losing 7 over the course of the tanks life and recently added celestial pearl danios. I also lost 4/5 amano shrimp coinciding with attempts to gradually increase CO2 levels. I suspected possible low O2 levels but have attempted running an additional submersible pump directed towards the surface, and now running an airstone during the night to no improvements. Fish still show signs of stress before I can achieve a green drop checker. The best coloration I can get in the drop checker is displayed below, kind of lime green on top and blue/green on bottom. I have to say my camera makes it look more yellowish than in reality. Regardless, the fish were stressed at this level, in the image a white cloud can be seen through the lily pipe in the top left corner, farthest from the CO2 diffuser. This image was taken at the end of the CO2 cycle.
I have tried placing the drop checker right above the CO2 diffuser to confirm it will actually turn green.
I am at a bit of a loss here and am not sure if the root cause could be:CO2 and how to increase it if fish are stressed, fertilizer/poor plant growth, or ideas I haven't considered. Obviously these things may be related.
Tank Specs: 25.3 gallon 60 x 40 x 40 cm.
Light: Finnex Planted+ 24/7 running on a timer at 100% intensity for a 6 hour photoperiod.
Fertilizer: Aquarium Co-op Easy Green dosed daily to equate to recommended levels for a high light tank.
Filter: Fluval 207 canister
Water Changes: 25% twice per week
Plants: Rotala Rotundifolia green, Rotala H'ra, Hydrocotyle tripartita japan (algae on older leaves), Hygrophila pinnatifida (algae covers leaves), Some cyrpts (alage on older leaves), Dwarf Hairgrass (new), alternanthera reineckii mini (melted), Monte Carlo(mostly melted), staurogyne repens (mostly melted).
Stocking: 3 white cloud mountain minnows, 10 celestial pearl danios, 1 otocinclus, 1 amano shrimp.
Temperature: 73 °F / 23 °C
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~20 ppm
GH: 7
KH: 0
pH: 6.5
Substrate of fluval stratum buffers to 6.5 pH and reduces KH