Help newbie please!

Are you using DIY CO2? If so, it isn't going to work, because that size tank needs far more CO2 than you will be able to generate with yeast bottles. If you have pressurized CO2, you need to use a method of diffusing the CO2 into the water that can handle enough for that size tank. Needlewheel pumps seem to be the method many people are going to for big tanks like that. In any case the drop checker should be very green, even yellow-green if you have somewhere near the right amount of CO2 in the water. And, CO2 is almost always the problem when you have heavy algae growth.

 

That color means you are well below 30 ppm of CO2, at that location in the tank.

By the way, what are the dimensions of that tank. Those bulbs would have to be 8 foot long for six of them to equal 360 watts. And, a 150 gallon, 8 foor long tank would be a very low tank, probably 16 inches or less. If that is the case, you have high light intensity, so you really do need 30+ppm of CO2 to keep algae away.

 

Just my experience, I am nobody here, so for what it is worth...

In addition to getting the CO2 to 30 ppm (I go for closer to 40ppm), good circulation is important. The extra pumps for circulation are great as long as they are working in concert. I have found that circulation for delivery of co2 along with nutrients works best when I create a certain amount of upwelling. The upwelling helps mitigate laminar flow tendencies. My experience has led me to eliminate counter flow issues in tanks over 30 gallons or so by pumping all of the water back to the opposite end of the tank. Then use power heads to assist the flow into problem areas. I actually like those self-contained little power filters for the purpose.

I understand there is some controversy with lighting, I claim no special expertise, but my experience has been that that lighting with a color temperature under 5,000 kelvin is at best limiting. That goes for the grolux bulbs as well. I have had success growing tomatoes and algae with grolux bulbs and very little success with aquatic plants. I did manage to keep a lightly planted 55 gallon tank going for 14 years with incandescent "grow bulbs".

Most of all hang in there!
Biollante
The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity. - Winston Churchill

 

Now, this gets more interesting! So, the tank is 30 inches from front to back? That means you need several light bulbs, spaced a few inches apart, across the top, to evenly light the whole tank. I would guess that 4 bulbs evenly spaced would do that very well. Then, the tank is 24 inches high, which means the light intensity at the substrate level is a lot less than it is higher up in the tank, say half way up, where the intensity is up to 4 times what it is at the substrate.

With 6 bulbs, 3 at each end, overlapping by 4 feet in the middle, you woiuld have very uniform lighting over that middle 4 feet, but the intensity would drop off quite a bit in the last foot at each end. I think you may have a very good level of lighting using all 6 bulbs - not extremely high llight, and not too low, for sure.

I agree with Biollante about the water circulation. It has to be hard to get really good circulation all over that shape tank, and geting the CO2 enriched water to all parts of the tank is even harder.

So, why not spend all of your efforts on improving how you introduce the CO2, improving the water circulation, and getting the CO2 level up above the green drop checker level?

 

Keep working the CO2.

I don't think I would cut the light back. I'm not a fan of under 4000k lighting, but others are apparently quite successful with them, so who am I to judge?

Sorry if I am asking things already answered, but let us go through them anyway.

Are you doing minimum (I do mean minimum) 50% water changes at least once-a-week? If you are I would recommend another now. Remember to dose.

How are the filters?

What are you dosing?

How are you dosing?

How are the fish?

I think you are on track. Keep cleaning out as much algae as you can. I know it is frustrating, but you will get there.

Biollante

 

Yes, not dosing some phosphate can cause lots of problems. Typically people who do that, then start adding some phosphate, find that they they run short of nitrates, as the plants really take off growing, and use up the supply of nitrates too. When you get the KH2PO4, look at the amounts of all of the fertilizers and adjust them to what should be needed for your tank.

 

Do Keep the CO2 Up

Hi,

Looks as though the tank is doing well...

It is better to change out plants or reduce lighting than run low CO2 or for that matter nutrients. Lighting really does drive the system, from there little good comes of violating Liebig's Law of the Minimum.

Great job, ah, er nice camera, I guess...

Biiillante