planted tank whisperer anyone?

[logan5]

I've got two planted tanks ... one is going great ... the other has a nagging algae problem that I just cant get rid of.  

3.3 watts per gallon
Nitrates about 10ppm
Phosphates at about .5mg/L
PH 6.9
KH between 7 and 8


I'm fighting black brush and some green fuzzy thing that get's all over the glass



Any thoughts?

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

heres a link to an earlier thread on the subject of algae treatment.

http://houstonfishbox.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1264&highlight=algae

[Ellen]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

Do you have CO2? What are the stats for the algae free tank?

Ellen

[eklikewhoa]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

do you have fish in this tank?

[logan5]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

I am injecting Co2 in both tanks, holding the PH steady at 6.9.  Both are nice community tanks with a mix of angels, tetras (cardinals, xray and rummy noses), bunch of ottos, amanos and ghost shrimps.

The "good" tank has similar water quality ... but here's something I did notice last night couple with an observation I made over the weekend.

The tank with the algae problem has the light on for 11 hours while the other has light for only 9.  Also, the problem tank is in a room that does get a substantial amount of sunlight compared to the other tank.

Could that be a factor?  Not much I can do about the sunlight, but I certainly can cut down on the amount of light from the fixtures.

Anyone willing to make house calls?  I'll provide the beer.

Logan5

[thekarens]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

I've been having some problems with black brush and all the "plant" people tell me it's CO2 related (not enough) but I'm new to planted tanks so my .02 isn't worth a whole lot.

Karen

[eklikewhoa]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

how much co2 are you getting into the water?

imo i think you have way too long of a photo period, i keep my lights on between 7-8hrs at most.

[Ellen]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

You could easily try shortening the photoperiod to see if that helps...The sunlight could be adding to your problems also. What direction are you getting sunlight from?

Ellen

[Mzungu]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

I'm inclined to think the difference in photoperiod and sunlight definitely has an effect. I also think that everyone has a different take on how long the lights should be on, and what works for one might not be great for another. Like ek said, he runs his for 7-8 hours max, but I tend to run mine for about 10-11 hours. How do you think the growth is on the tank with 9 hours? If it's something that you're very satisfied with, I'd try cutting down on the 11 hour tank, especially with the added sunlight.  :)

[logan5]

Re: planted tank whisperer anyone?

I just changed the timer on my light today from 11 to 9 hours ... so we'll see.  I have no problem with plant growth ... just algae.  I'll be more than happy to live with slower plant growth if it ment no more algae, besides, I'm getting tired of triming plants due to black brush on them.

Thanks
Logan5