GSA problem

[sllo]

I have a 30G tank with 2.5WPG lighting presurised CO2 with an external DIY reactor and high fish load.
I dose:
0.2tsp KNO3 3x week
0.25tsp K2SO4 1x week
1,5ml fleet enema 3xweek
5ml Sera flourite traces

Ph=6.2 +- 0.1
Kh=4
From the chart the CO2 should be between 95-60ppm considering the +-0.1 accuracy of the ph meter. However with this high CO2 the fish and shrimps are doing fine, so I guess something is messed up with my water. I contacted my local water supply company but the can not give me an analisys of the tab water. I left a glass of the tank water to aerate for 34 hours and I cheked the ph and it was 7.8. that is 1.7 drop!!!!!!!!
From what I read the problem with GSA is either low PO4 or low CO2. From the dosage of fleet there should be plenty of PO4, so I figured that the problem should be the CO2. I upped the CO2 and I dropped the Ph to 6.1 but the fish started to look very stressed so I put it back where it was. I guess at ph 6.2 I reached the max amount of CO2 that I can supply the tank without killing the fish and shrimps.
GSA grows on the glass and I have to clean it every 3-4 days and there is also GSA on the leaves of my plants.

Is there something else to do to get rid of it?

thanks

 

[matthewburk]

Re: GSA problem

I have the same problem, high co2, high phosphates, lots of GSA I'm beginning to think that it may have something to do with me having very hard water 30GH.

 

[groovyfishguy]

Re: GSA problem

I have the same problem, high co2, high phosphates, lots of GSA I'm beginning to think that it may have something to do with me having very hard water 30GH.

Ditto

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: GSA problem

It has a lot to do with the DIY part of the CO2.

Typically folks do not have enough or/and consistent enough to stem the GSA.
The veiwtainer venturi reactor will help as will changing the brew more often.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[matthewburk]

Re: GSA problem

It has a lot to do with the DIY part of the CO2.

Typically folks do not have enough or/and consistent enough to stem the GSA.
The veiwtainer venturi reactor will help as will changing the brew more often.

Regards,
Tom Barr

I use pressurized co2, about 6 bubbles per second, on a 90 gallon tank. It gets turned off at night.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: GSA problem

My GH was 24, I went over 6 months without wiping the glass.
PO4 is easy to rule out, CO2 is not.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[matthewburk]

Re: GSA problem

I just don't see any way that it could be my co2, it is cranking.

Here is my setup.

90 gallon 24" deep medium heavy plant load.

4x 54 watt T5 tek light 4hoursx2 5hoursx4 3hoursx2

co2 6 bubbles p/sec estimate turns on 2 hours before lights and off 1 hour before lights go out. I cannot actually count the bubbles becuase they are going too fast for me to keep up.

weekly 50% water change

dry dosing, I do not dose nitrate, tap is around 20-40(hard to read test kit)
day 1 - 1/4tsp phosphate
day 2 - 1/4tsp csm+b with iron
day 3 - 1/4tsp phosphate
day 4 - 1/4tsp csm+b with iron
day 5 - 1/4tsp phosphate
day 6 - 1/4tsp csm+b with iron
day 7 - water change, run diatomaceous earth filter for 3 hours

My tank is only about 2 months old, and the GSA seems to be decreasing, but not going away, almost as annoying is the green dust that builds up on
the glass.

I do get intense pearling with all 4 lights on(so much that I don't like it) and there is a slight film on the surface of my water, held in check by 4 black mollies.


I can try increasing the co2 even more, but I think it is near maxed out right now becuase my reactor gets a buble of co2 at the top during the day.

My ph drops from 7.1 to 6.5 during the day, and my KH is also very high, although I don't trust any of the test kits on this. I attribute this to high co2 levels. The ph I am very confident of, I use a digital probe and its calibrated at 7.0 and 4.0.

 

[Cornhusker]

Re: GSA problem

i too have had the algae problem everyone talks about.my gh 12 and kh 9 in my co2 pressurized tanks.i have to run bubble almost at a steady stream to get enough gas in tank.i 'm thinking now that it is a co2 LOSS that is the problem.by getting more surface movement and alot of general circulation in tank has helped considerably. i think bba comes with the tank,free,at no extra charge. co2 seems to allways be the hardess correction to make in a planted tank.after trying several reactor designs,the mist idea may be just the problem solver.it allso helps to get that fertilizer program right for the species of plants in a particular tank. its not all that easy,if it were everyone would be a genius and there would be no need for websites like this one,unless one wants bragging rights. EVERYONE HAVE A NICE THANKSGIVING ! regards,cornhusker

 

[VaughnH]

Re: GSA problem

.....I do not dose nitrate, tap is around 20-40(hard to read test kit)

Isn't it obvious that you are starving your plants by not dosing nitrate? With that much light and CO2 the plants need the nitrate desperately!

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: GSA problem

Okay, now I see not one, but two issues:
Likely as just mentioned, when you assume the NO3 is 20-40ppm, then it becomes an issue, you can add KNO3 and see.

My bet is you have hardly any K+ and NO3.

It will not hurt to add more.
Add 3/4 teaspoon 2-3 x a week, for one week and see what you think.........

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[matthewburk]

Re: GSA problem

Isn't it obvious that you are starving your plants by not dosing nitrate? With that much light and CO2 the plants need the nitrate desperately!

Well no its not obvious to me, my plants grow like crazy. Ill try dosing the nitrate as Tom recommends for a week and see what happens.

 

[VaughnH]

Re: GSA problem

I'm sorry if my last comment was too curt. I didn't mean it to be. The logic behind what I meant was that once a week you add 50% water with 20 -40 ppm NO3, leaving the tank with 10-20 ppm nitrate. But, the high CO2, high light and other ferts cause the plants to use up that nitrate rapidly, so that for most of the week the nitrate level is near zero. That unbalances the levels of fertilizers, so that the algae can gain the upper hand over the plants. The water change, in effect, is a once a week dosage of NO3, instead of the repeated dosage thru the week that Tom recommends.

 

[matthewburk]

Re: GSA problem

Been dosing NO3 for a few weeks now, that did the trick, I still do get GSA, but not on the plants, just on the glass. My biggest problem now is the green dust, which is a real pain in the ass.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: GSA problem

Bump the CO2 up and wait.
Some found the mist CO2 solved their problem.

I've never been able to culture GD for more than a week or two.
It tends to die and it might be because of the high CO2.

I think it might like a higher range of CO2 than BBA, one that can still grow plants well also,

There are at least four or five ways to attack it.

We can do another thread for that one.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Cornhusker]

Re: GSA problem

i have a 55 gal tank that has been a pain in the a.. for almost a year.plants just sat there looking stupid. i was using the yeast method.it's so hard to get co2 consistant that way in a tank that size.green spot was allways there on glass.at that time it had 2wpg.thinking that considering where tank was,a dark room,i decided to add another 2 wpg.completely cleaned gravel and anything else that needed attention.still no luck.went to press.co2.still nothing.decided to try with just 2wpg again.same dosing,allmost.bingo! tank began to respond.gs algae allmost non existant. i did go to the mist idea,that helped the co2 issue considerably,going back to 2wpg.imo i was under doseing tank with the higher lighting.high light tanks require a lot of attention,mainly because you can't count on these so called test kits.if things are off a little they show up as a more agressive problem.landing lights belong on a airport runway!this website is trying to make things easier and simple for keeping plants in a confined envirement.
regards,cornhusker

 

[sllo]

Re: GSA problem

I added more co2 and I dropped my Ph at 5.9 and Kh is at 3.5Fish and shrimps are fine.
GSA is still there but less than before.
Is it possipble that by dosing fleet enema or KH2PO4 can act like buffers and affect the Ph reading?
Isn't the water too acid at ph 5.9 for the fish. Shall I increase it by increasing the Kh?