too much light? not enough co2?

[brad713]

i have a 20g tall low maintance planted tank w/ no co2 and some livebearers and i was wondering if my light was too strong for the tank, i have a 24 inch single lamp coralife 65 watt 6700k fluorescent going and was just wondering is it too much should i consider getting a co2 setup and also i found some white hairy spot all over the glass swaying in the current and have no idea what it is. so can some help me out with those two issues thanks

[Darbex]

65W isnt too much for a 20G thats about 3.25W per gallon. My preference though is to be in the 8-10K color on the light.

[brad713]

still need help identifying the white hairy stuff hanging on my glass and on the plants, i would take a pic but its too small

[Mzungu]

My first thought when you described it was it was just some sort of algae that looks a bit whitish. It could also be hydra, though.

Are the spots distinct? Or does it seem to cover a lot of area? I.e. does it look like each spot could be one organism, or are the spots clumped together, and by "spots" you mean "areas?"

[brad713]

they are split up they dont cover up one certain area but they are singled out all over, they a have a stem that sticks to the glass and plants and have hairs coming off the stem that sway in the current but they are so small i cant really tell , i was also thinking it was hydra and could be due to the fish not feeding since i just put them in the tank, i guess i made the mistake of putting in the fish to early before the tank got cycled (never do that again) i did a gravel cleaing and picked up all the left over food so now the gravel is clean and the fish are eating and im defintely not over feeding them now, could it be hydra? cause all the hydra pics i have seen shows hydra in a bigger form

[Mzungu]

Hydra are actually pretty tiny - think "head of a pin" sized. :)

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[brad713]

im gonna try to post a pic

[brad713]

SAM_0345.jpg
its the cloudy spots in the picture

[brad713]

i hope its not hydra

[brad713]

taking a closer look they look like cotton balls i thinks its from over eating but i need to find a way top get rid of them

[Mzungu]

I really can't tell very well from the picture, but if I'm looking at it correctly, they look a bit big to be hydra. Would they fit on the head of a pin? Or are your spots larger than that?

[brad713]

ive been stuck to my comp trying to find out what it is and all i can find is that it might be a fungus growing due to overfeeding but i will be going to the lfs to get a oto catfish to see if he will get rid of this stuff

[Mzungu]

Fungus that grows due to overfeeding usually occurs on the uneaten food left in the tank, which is usually stuck on the bottom (in the substrate, on/in the decor, etc.). I don't think I've ever seen it on the glass of the tank.

If you don't think it's hydra, I'd say it's some type of algae. But without a clearer picture I can't be positive.

[Mzungu]

Lol, I just saw you're in Pasadena. Maybe, if we can't figure it out soon, I can come check it out.

[brad713]

your more than welcome to stop by shoot me a pm if your interested and ill give you my address im here all day