Hello everyone!
Sorry for the long post to come, but I need help.
I’m writing this for a friend, who doesn’t speak English. We’re from Italy.
We need help for some issues with his tank.
The tank (his very first) is running from last February 15th. It’s (sorry for cm dimensions, I don’t know otherwise) 80x40x31h cm. ADA Amazonia, both normal and Powder, with Power Sand Special and Tourmaline BC, all bought in 2018 (I’m reading on the web that quality control on new Amazonia is bad… it melts and has too much PO4 absorption). Light ADA Solar RGB and superjet filter ES-600 right now running on bamboo charcoal after carbon and bio rio. CO2 with external in-line glass diffuser.
Fertilization is ADA, it started with just Brighty K, Mineral, Nitrogen and Iron (following the protocol), recently my friend bought also Phyton Git Green Gain and Green bacter.
RO water with salts DRAK Duradrakon KH and Duradrakon GH, bioconditioner (not using for some months now) DRAK Blackdrakon.
He has 20 Danio Margaritatus and 15 Amano shrimps.
Twinstar, but off for some months after the first months.
Curiosity, he doses with an external timer pump (don’t know how to call it).
It started with Rotala Green, Alternanthera reineckii mini, Rotala indica (ex bonsai) and Eleocharis parvula.
Eleocharis never spread, Rotala indica and green always had good growth, Alternanthera had nice growth initially, but was finally attacked by algae. We honestly don’t know where they came from, the shop where he took plants (most of it in cups anyway) is really good, and specialised, the best in Italy and I never had any issue with them, so I’d exclude algae were from the plants.
It ended up in being infested with filamentous algae. Probably for some direct solar light, Solar RGB too much close (he was using it at 25cm) and too much soil used in the tank. Helped by someone, he used Protalon (I don’t know much more, never used this product), cut and cleaned all plants, and trough some process he did get rid of filamentous algae. He fixed something on fertilization etc. and all went fine.
He replaced Rotala Green with some species of others Rotala rotundifolia, like normal one, Orange, Colorata. Removed Alternanthera reineckii mini and cut all the Eleocharis (just few spots remained, growing back).
Leaving only Rotala indica, adding Lobelia cardinalis first, some Pogostemon heiferi. And lately, two weeks ago, he added tropica cups of Micranthemum Montecarlo, after initial melting it’s now doing better. And on a rock he has Vesicularia ferriei (weeping moss).
Running right now on Bright K Mineral and Nitrogen at 4ml per day. Iron is on 1-2ml. He’s using now (two weeks) Phyton Git and Green bacter, on protocol. And Solar RGB is right now at 45cm from water.
KH is 2 and GH is 7, pH at 6.7-6.9. CO2 is like 140 bubble per minute during 8h of light.
NO3 2.5, PO4 0.1. Fe is never more than 0. Sometime found at 0.1.
Pearling is good but not great. A bit on Rotalas, better on Lobelia. But not massive pearling, and it occurs only after 6-7 hours of photoperiod.
On Monday, he found some new algae on plants again, especially on Montecarlo and a bit on moss.
So he’s now worried about it, fearing a new infestation.
So what to do? He’s been really careful last months, so he’s really “sad” to see algae again.
Is it the soil? Honestly he used too much soil, we know that. But what to do? How to improve pearling?
All is growing fine, but the foreground plants never grew well, Montecarlo is doing better but not that great (it seems very much of it but he bought 12 cups, so mostly that’s why the high quantity) but Eleocharis and even Hemianthus in the summer, never grew and finally even Hemianthus melted without growing.
Here’s pictures (if I post right).
Sorry for my English, hope you can help, and anyway thank you very much!
Sorry for the long post to come, but I need help.
I’m writing this for a friend, who doesn’t speak English. We’re from Italy.
We need help for some issues with his tank.
The tank (his very first) is running from last February 15th. It’s (sorry for cm dimensions, I don’t know otherwise) 80x40x31h cm. ADA Amazonia, both normal and Powder, with Power Sand Special and Tourmaline BC, all bought in 2018 (I’m reading on the web that quality control on new Amazonia is bad… it melts and has too much PO4 absorption). Light ADA Solar RGB and superjet filter ES-600 right now running on bamboo charcoal after carbon and bio rio. CO2 with external in-line glass diffuser.
Fertilization is ADA, it started with just Brighty K, Mineral, Nitrogen and Iron (following the protocol), recently my friend bought also Phyton Git Green Gain and Green bacter.
RO water with salts DRAK Duradrakon KH and Duradrakon GH, bioconditioner (not using for some months now) DRAK Blackdrakon.
He has 20 Danio Margaritatus and 15 Amano shrimps.
Twinstar, but off for some months after the first months.
Curiosity, he doses with an external timer pump (don’t know how to call it).
It started with Rotala Green, Alternanthera reineckii mini, Rotala indica (ex bonsai) and Eleocharis parvula.
Eleocharis never spread, Rotala indica and green always had good growth, Alternanthera had nice growth initially, but was finally attacked by algae. We honestly don’t know where they came from, the shop where he took plants (most of it in cups anyway) is really good, and specialised, the best in Italy and I never had any issue with them, so I’d exclude algae were from the plants.
It ended up in being infested with filamentous algae. Probably for some direct solar light, Solar RGB too much close (he was using it at 25cm) and too much soil used in the tank. Helped by someone, he used Protalon (I don’t know much more, never used this product), cut and cleaned all plants, and trough some process he did get rid of filamentous algae. He fixed something on fertilization etc. and all went fine.
He replaced Rotala Green with some species of others Rotala rotundifolia, like normal one, Orange, Colorata. Removed Alternanthera reineckii mini and cut all the Eleocharis (just few spots remained, growing back).
Leaving only Rotala indica, adding Lobelia cardinalis first, some Pogostemon heiferi. And lately, two weeks ago, he added tropica cups of Micranthemum Montecarlo, after initial melting it’s now doing better. And on a rock he has Vesicularia ferriei (weeping moss).
Running right now on Bright K Mineral and Nitrogen at 4ml per day. Iron is on 1-2ml. He’s using now (two weeks) Phyton Git and Green bacter, on protocol. And Solar RGB is right now at 45cm from water.
KH is 2 and GH is 7, pH at 6.7-6.9. CO2 is like 140 bubble per minute during 8h of light.
NO3 2.5, PO4 0.1. Fe is never more than 0. Sometime found at 0.1.
Pearling is good but not great. A bit on Rotalas, better on Lobelia. But not massive pearling, and it occurs only after 6-7 hours of photoperiod.
On Monday, he found some new algae on plants again, especially on Montecarlo and a bit on moss.
So he’s now worried about it, fearing a new infestation.
So what to do? He’s been really careful last months, so he’s really “sad” to see algae again.
Is it the soil? Honestly he used too much soil, we know that. But what to do? How to improve pearling?
All is growing fine, but the foreground plants never grew well, Montecarlo is doing better but not that great (it seems very much of it but he bought 12 cups, so mostly that’s why the high quantity) but Eleocharis and even Hemianthus in the summer, never grew and finally even Hemianthus melted without growing.
Here’s pictures (if I post right).
Sorry for my English, hope you can help, and anyway thank you very much!
Last edited:
