Professor_J
Fri May 23, 2008, 04:43 PM
Hello,
So recently I have had a problem start up with blue-green algae and I'm not sure why. The tank has been running since August or so of last year, 90 gal. 7 young discus, a school of 15 cardinals and 15 rummy nose, 5 cories and nominally 8 ottos (I see a couple occasionally).
Nothing special for lighting, just a pair of 18" broad-spectrum fluorescents that are on for 8ish hours a day, gravel bottom, a bunch of java ferns and a couple other epiphitic plants. I do ~30% water changes 1-2x a week depending on how busy I am and add in ~5mL flourish K once a week after a water change.
I haven't changed anything really since it got up and running and in the last month or so a carpet of velvet-looking algae has started to appear, initially on driftwood. It is brown near the base and bluish at the edges. It is kind of pretty in its own way, but it is spreading through the tank and taking over.
Water right now is 29C, pH 7.3, KH/GH are 3/7 in German degrees, NO3 is about 7.5 ppm, NO2/NH3 are zero. Everyone is pretty happy in the tank.
Any tips on making the algae miserable enough that it leaves?
So recently I have had a problem start up with blue-green algae and I'm not sure why. The tank has been running since August or so of last year, 90 gal. 7 young discus, a school of 15 cardinals and 15 rummy nose, 5 cories and nominally 8 ottos (I see a couple occasionally).
Nothing special for lighting, just a pair of 18" broad-spectrum fluorescents that are on for 8ish hours a day, gravel bottom, a bunch of java ferns and a couple other epiphitic plants. I do ~30% water changes 1-2x a week depending on how busy I am and add in ~5mL flourish K once a week after a water change.
I haven't changed anything really since it got up and running and in the last month or so a carpet of velvet-looking algae has started to appear, initially on driftwood. It is brown near the base and bluish at the edges. It is kind of pretty in its own way, but it is spreading through the tank and taking over.
Water right now is 29C, pH 7.3, KH/GH are 3/7 in German degrees, NO3 is about 7.5 ppm, NO2/NH3 are zero. Everyone is pretty happy in the tank.
Any tips on making the algae miserable enough that it leaves?