eek, wall of algae and other questions

ir0n_ma1den

Prolific Poster
Oct 8, 2007
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DSC00452.jpg


DSC00453.jpg


As you can see I am battling a fairly large algae breakout out. Its a mix of brown algae ( I think diatoms), some type of green algae, and hair algae. I bought 4 baby otto's hoping they would do something, but they really haven't. What can I do to clean this tank up?


I am running an XP1, pressurized CO2, dedicated EI method, 65w PC lighting (thinking about upping that by adding 48w of T-5, should I?), and eco complete. temperature ranges from 77's to 79F. 29 gallon tank by the way.

Also, I have some sort of film buildup on the surface of the water that make my tank look like I have no flow. CO2 bubbles stick to it and barely move around, what should I do about it?

thanks
 

VaughnH

Lifetime Charter Member
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Jan 24, 2005
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Sacramento, CA
How much CO2 are you dissolving in the water, and how are you doing it? Do you use a drop checker, with 4 dKH distilled or deionized water in it, to measure the ppm of CO2? And, is the water flow in the tank good enough that you can see leaves moving in the water all over the tank?

The algae on the glass looks like green dust algae. More light isn't going to help things.