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Seattle_Aquarist

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Everything posted by Seattle_Aquarist

  1. Hi @Jeff_F, Are you adding the Seachem Alkaline Buffer because the water out of your RO unit is acidic (pH<7.0) or a fish species in the tank needs alkaline conditions? Is the water going through the water softener and the RO unit?
  2. Hi @ndfi78 It's one of the various filamentous algae types, like hair algae. Follow @Tony s suggestion to manually remove as much as possible, I too use an old toothbrush. To keep filamentous algae in check I use one or two Siamese (NOT CHINESE) Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus oblongus) in each of my tanks. They will eat most filamentous algae (they eat it like spaghetti - funny to watch) as long as they don't get too much fish food. Hope this helps! -Roy
  3. Sorry Joe, the I have not seen the nutrient type chart for iron.
  4. Hi @JoeQ, I've posted this on the forum several times, here is the availability of the more common forms of chelated iron including EDTA, DTPA, and EDDHA. Depending upon pH of the tank some are more effective than others at making iron available. Chelates are bonded to a mineral/metal like iron and make it available to the roots of a plant sort of like encapsulation. If the bond between the chelate and mineral are 'broken' then the mineral is no longer available to the plant. If you look at the chart below you can see that all three common forms of chelated iron are very good bond at maintaining their bonds with iron at lower pH values. However the bonds start to 'break' for the various chelates as the pH increases. For EDTA chelated iron for example the bond begins to breakdown at about pH@6.2 and as the pH increases to pH@7.0 only about 40% of the iron is available to plant. If the pH of the tank is the pH@7.5 then only 3% of the iron is available. So basically in products that use EDTA chelated iron if the pH in the tank is low you are getting some or all of the benefit of iron but if the pH is above 7.0 (neutral) or alkaline you are paying for iron but not getting little to no benefit. I find myself regularly having to explain this to planted tank hobbyists that ask "How can I have an iron deficiency? I am dosing more than the recommended amount of iron." I try to avoid the term 'iron deficiency' which some people interpret as not dosing enough iron. Instead I describe issues where a plant has iron related symptoms, most commonly interveinal chlorosis (dark leaf veins with lighter interveinal areas) on new growth or almost white new growth, as "insufficient available iron" and then explain chelates and show the chart below. Joe you asked about DTPA chelated iron. The DTPA chelate is better at maintaining the bond with iron than EDTA but it too breaks down as the pH increase just starting at a higher pH (about pH@6.7) and doesn't drop off as much at pH 7.0, pH@7.5 and is still providing benefit at pH@8.0. What about EDDHA chelated iron, why not just use it? Well it is certainly more available to plants in most pH environments we have in our tanks but it has two drawbacks. The first is price (which maybe we can live with) and the second is it turns the water purple (breaker). What I haven't talked about is a fourth option for adding iron to planted tanks....ferrous gluconate which is type of iron in Seachem Iron. Ferrous gluconate maintains iron in the ferrous (Fe+3) state and remains available for plants to uptake at most pH levels. What do I use? I have six tanks, some are low tech with roughly a neutral pH to slightly alkaline. Others are 'high tech' with a pH in the 6.2 range. Rather than dose different types of iron for my tanks I make up my own mix for micro-nutrients consisting of CSM+B (which has most micro-nutrients as well as EDTA iron), DTPA iron (powdered form, and ferrous gluconate (powdered form). What's my formula? By volume I use 4 parts CSM+B, 1 part DTPA chelated iron, and 1 part ferrous gluconate. 1/16 teaspoon per 8 gallons gives me: 0.64 ppm iron, 0.11 ppm manganese, 0.05 ppm of Boron. I also dose Seachem Flourish one a week for other micro-nutrients. Hope this helps! -Roy
  5. Hi @Lauren A, I didn't see any mention of the water parameters of the tank and the availability of many, but not all, nutrients are pH dependent. Without water parameters it is sort of like reaching in the sock drawer in the dark and hoping to pull out a pair. However I did notice two indicators in your photo: #1) Beside the overall chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves of the watersprite and other species I noticed the 'cupping' of the leaf of the cryptocoryne. Both the overall chlorosis and the cupping of leaves (especially older leaves) are symptoms of insufficient available magnesium (Mg). It could be the spectrum of the light making the plant leaves look yellowish but the cupping of the leave is nutrient related. This issue is very common in the Seattle area where I live since our water is basically from reservoirs in the mountains fed by snow pack melt we have very, very soft water with little magnesium or calcium in our water. #2) If you look closely at the new leaf of the anubias you will see how the leaf vein is darker than the rest of the leaf. This issue, interveinal chlorosis, when it occurs in new leaves can signify insufficient available iron. You are feeding your plants Easy Green which does contain iron (Fe) but it is EDTA Chelated Iron which is fine if the pH of a tank is below pH@6.8 but if the pH is higher (neutral or alkaline) EDTA chelated iron becomes unavailable to plants as you can see from the graph below. How to fix these issues? If you can provide me some water parameters (pH, dKH, dGH, nitrate (NO3) ppm) I can offer some suggestions on dealing with the possible issues. Hope this helps! -Roy
  6. Hi @Knew tooth is, Remember we are watching the new leaves as they emerge and mature.....NOT existing leaves they will change very if at all. Why? Because iron is an immobile nutrient and does not move easily within a plant/stem/leaf. If it is not available at the time the leave is formed the result is what you are seeing in the tank. -Roy
  7. Thank you @Rube_Goldfish for the shout out. @Knew tooth is I suspect the holes are the result of physical damage caused by the snails since the holes are not round which would be typical of insufficient available potassium; also the physical damage crosses over leaf veins and potassium typically shows up in the interveinal area of the leaves. If it was the plecostomus the damage would be much larger and more elongated. Likely the cause of the damage is the leaves are weak. The newer leaves of the anubias are light in color with darker veins, this indicates insufficient available iron (or using iron with the wrong chelate for the pH of the tank). Since you have it on hand try dosing the Easy Iron per the instructions on the bottle for one month. Watch the new leaves as they emerge, are the interveinal areas (area between the leaf veins) darker green matching more the color of the leaf veins. If so you are on the right track. If you pH is over 6.8 (i.e. alkaline - 7.0 or above) I would suggest changing over to Seachem Iron which is made from ferrous gluconate and is more easily absorbed by plants in tanks where the pH is alkaline. Let us know how things progress. -Roy
  8. Hi @Supermassive, P2O5, or Phosphorus pentoxide, is a crystalline powder. It is very soluble with a 90% - 95% solubility. When added to water it creates H3PO4 which is an orthophosphate. As an orthophosphate becomes available for plants to uptake. -Roy
  9. Hi @Supermassive, Thank you @Mmiller2001 for the shout out. Phosphorus (P) is an element that is always found in nature bonded to other elements or chemicals (two common examples are ammonium or potassium) and never found as pure phosphorus (P). Plants uptake phosphorus through the roots only in the form of orthophosphates (or phosphate joined to other chemicals or elements like in the examples). I cannot answer why Rotala Butterfly states that there is P "left over" after dosing KH2PO4 since any P that resulted would bond with another chemical or element in the tank to form an orthophosphate. -Roy
  10. Hi @Yanni 1) One of the water parameters that is missing is pH; and pH can effect the uptake of various nutrients by plants. Please provide current pH of the tank. 2) The second water parameter that is missing is hardness, both dKH and dGH. Hardness provides some information on available calcium and magnesium, both secondary nutrients. Please provide dKH and dGH of your tank. 3) Are you providing any fertilization besides the Dennerle Shrimp King Active Soil? I looked and cannot find any information as to the nutrient analysis of the product. Your nitrate level is fine but we have no information as to the availability of other nutrients. -Roy
  11. Per the Center for Disease Control: "Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins can harm fish and other aquatic animals in several ways. The toxins may directly kill the animals. When a harmful algal bloom caused by cyanobacteria decomposes, it can use up the oxygen in a body of water." That is why water utilities try very, very hard to source water where there is not cyanobacteria - it's not good for our health either.
  12. Hi @anewbie I am 95% positive that what you have is cyanobacteria (BGA). Clean off some of those leaves in your pictures and take a good sniff. Since cyanobacteria is part algae it will certainly grow more quickly with more light. The only other thing I can think of that would cause that kind of discoloration of the substrate would be the substrate is becoming anaerobic which is typically caused by excess waste buildup in the substrate. If you do some poking in the area of discoloration and gas bubbles rise from the area take a sniff. If they smell like sulfur dioxide that would be confirmation of anaerobic conditions. But I still think it is BGA. -Roy
  13. Hi @anewbie Sorry for the delayed response, I was on vacation with my family over the holidays. What I see in your photos is blue-green algae, aka cyanobacteria, which is a unique type of 'algae' in that it is part plant and part animal (bacteria). I occasionally get it in my tanks like I suspect many hobbyists do, usually when I am 1) delinquent in doing my weekly water changes, 2) not changing sufficient water and allowing a build up of nitrogenous waste, 3) not cleaning my filter as often as I should. I have also found it to occur when I have high light, insufficient plants, and/or poor water circulation. Typically my first step is to physically remove as much of it manually. I gently remove it from the leaves putting a finger on each side of the leaf and lightly squeezing from the stem to the tip. Blue-Green Algae (BGA) comes off very easily, feels a little slimy, and has a pungent aroma. For the substrate I siphon off the areas that have BGA removing the BGA and some of the substrate. Then I add more substrate if needed. After removing as much manually as I can I check to see if I have been lazy doing some of my maintenance, do a 50% water change, and clean my filter. If the BGA consistently returns, and my maintenance and water circulation are good and the light isn't excessive, then I look at add additional remedies. Some folks have had success killing BGA using a antibiotic (erythromycin) however I try to avoid using antibiotics in my tanks because diseases can become resistant to them if used too frequently and their is already too much in our environmental wastewater. Also, if you use any sort of chemical remedy and too much of the BGA dies, then the dying BGA will deplete the tank of oxygen, the water will cloud, and the loss of fish may result. About two months ago I had a bad outbreak of BGA in my 75 gallon discus tank. I had gotten lazy and not cleaned the three (3) Fluval 307 filters for about seven (7) months and I usually clean them about every two (2) months.....my bad. So I did what I suggested above, spent several hours manually removing the BGA from the leaves and hardscape and siphoned the BGA from the white pool filter sand substrate. I got out as much as I could but I knew I didn't get it all so I looked for an alternative to antibiotics. What I found was interesting.....combating one bacteria with another. I read about Dr. Tim's Cyanobacteria Treatment for BGA (link to PDF) and decided to try it. I had met Dr. Tim (Yes he has several science degrees) about 20 years ago at a aquatic expo in Seattle. He had just started his own company after 17 years as the Chief Science Officer of Aquaria Inc., the parent company of Marineland Aquarium Products, Aquarium Systems (Instant Ocean). His views on cyanobacteria were interesting but since his initial products were for saltwater applications I did not think too much of it. I did my first experiment with Dr. Tim's in August with bad results. I used both products (Refresh and Waste Away) on a 45 gallon as lost about a dozen Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecoxis) - when they suggest starting with 1/2 dose on both products they mean it. The dying BGA / bacteria clouded the water and caused oxygen starvation. In early November I decided to try again on my 75 gallon starting dosing at 1/4 dose and increasing slowly over a couple of weeks. The result was by Christmas almost all the BGA was gone and when I returned from vacation it had not returned. I will continue to use the product once or twice a month as 'maintenance' but I was very happy with the results. I found the best prices of both products on Amazon. Hope this helps! -Roy
  14. Hi @Supermassive I was a chemistry major 55+ years ago but the computations based upon molar weights has long since left me. Here is the information regarding 1/2 teaspoon of MgSO4*7H2O. Maybe someone who took chemistry in this millennium can check the math for you...lol.
  15. Hi @Supermassive, OK, along with the Easy Green, and the Seachem Iron, we are going to add some additional magnesium. Most tap water has much higher levels of calcium than magnesium. Ideally for a planted tank the calcium to magnesium ratio (Ca:Mg) should be between 3:1 and 4:1. The Adding magnesium will increase the dGH slightly. Go to your local drug store and pick up some Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate; MgSO4*7H2O). Buy the cheapest stuff on the shelf with no additives (like scents). A pound will last you a long time with that 10 gallon and should only cost a couple of dollars. Next do an "Initial Dose" of 1/2 teaspoon to your tank. This will add about 5 ppm of Mg to your tank and increase the hardness by about 1 dGH (19 ppm). Thereafter, when you do a water change, add 1/4 teaspoon of Epsom Salt for every 4 gallons of water you remove and replace in the tank. This should maintain the higher magnesium level. Again we do the above for a month, watching the new growth as it emerges and matures. If magnesium is causing the chlorosis they new growth should be 'greener' with the additional chlorophyll and the additional glucose (sugars) being produced may increase plant growth even further. Hope this helps! -Roy
  16. Hi @Supermassive, What are you dosing for a GH Booster? How much? How often? What size (gallon) tank? -Roy
  17. Hi @Supermassive, As I stated earlier I am seeing some improvement on the new growth but the chlorosis (yellowing) on the older leaves which could be a result to a lack of iron when they were emerging however I think that some magnesium may help improve the chlorophyll generation (i.e. green color) and it may increase the growth rate as well. Before adding magnesium I like to check the water parameters. I've re-read this thread and do not see your water parameters indicated; could you please provide some current water parameter measurements? Thank you, -Roy
  18. Hi @Supermassive, No, Prime will not will not effect the availability of nitrates to the plants. It is very good at 'locking up' ammonia but has not effect on nitrates one way or the other. When dealing with high nitrates I usually increase my water changes. When you have recovered your nitrogen cycle and the NO3 ppm level is back to normal we can discuss other possible changes. -Roy
  19. Hi @Supermassive, I'm seeing some improvement on the new growth. Have you been monitoring your nitrate levels? Faster growth may cause the NO3 levels to drop. Continue to dose the Seachem Iron once a week. Let me know what the NO3 ppm test at and we discuss a next step. -Roy
  20. Hi @anewbie That is indeed a skimmer but with the slots horizontal as detritus (aka floating algae) builds up around the edges it becomes less effective, that is why one with vertical slots should do a better job. How many gallons are flowing down that horizontal skimmer per hour? I suspect it is one or two pumps worth maximum. Do you use a 'splitter' where just a fraction of the water returns through the skimmer and the rest through the bulkhead? -Roy
  21. Hi @anewbie Not really, there are several designs out there but a external overflow box with a skimmer looks basically like this: The trick is to get enough flow through the box to effectively draw the algae laden surface water into the box. -Roy
  22. Hi @anewbie, WOW! THAT IS ONE B-I-G TANK!!! What is it about 950 gallons or so? Algae is almost always caused by too much light (intensity, duration, or both) + too much nutrients. You didn't indicate the water parameters, specifically nitrates (NO3) so I would start there. With big fish comes big poop so in addition to fertilizer the amount of food and nitrogenous waste can cause high nitrate levels. You would think that 800 GPH of filtration would be sufficient however for my tanks my filter GPH is about 10X the tank volume. Extra flow in that tank would likely help. I agree with @nabokovfan87 about a skimmer. If it were my tank I would use an external overflow box with built-in skimmer, add some filter floss to the box and hook up a pump that will draw water from the tank, through the external overflow, and return to the tank. You will likely have to change filter floss a few times a day until the surface clears. Don't let a build up of the algae in the overflow box start to die, it will starve the tank of oxygen as it decomposes. Also do not turn off the lights, the dying algae does the same thing. Hope this helps! -Roy
  23. +1 for what @Mmiller2001 said. Most (but not all) submerged plants are capable of absorbing nutrient through their leaves or their roots. This is because most of the plants we use in our aquariums are mostly 'marginals' (plants that live in shallow water near the shore). They spend part of their lives submerged underwater (wet season) and the other part emerged along the shore (dry season), so being able to absorb nutrients both ways is an product of evolution and necessity. -Roy
  24. Hi @MN-AQUARIST I believe the issue is with using the 'softened' water. Water softeners replace the calcium ions and magnesium ions in the incoming water with either sodium ions or potassium ions (depending upon the recharge agent: sodium chloride ((common)) or potassium chloride ((uncommon)). Water coming out of the water softener should typically has a high dKH and but a low with dGH - the pH is about right for softened water. Besides not having any calcium or magnesium in your water the excess of sodium (Na) (not saying sodium chloride ((NaCl)) can also effect the ability of plants to uptake other nutrients. Assuming you are using salt (sodium chloride ((NaCl)) as the recharge agent for your water softener I would start with just trying to re-mineralize the softened water. This is easier than changing your water source For convenience let's start with adding Seachem Equilibrium to the 60 gallon tank. Do an initial dose of 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons, this will add about 13.5 ppm of calcium and 4.0 ppm of magnesium to your tank. After the initial dose, when you do a water change add 1 teaspoon of Equilibrium for every 10 gallons you have removed from the tank. Do not add Equilibrium for water lost due to evaporation. Do this for one month and watch the new growth on your plants as it emerges; do not watch existing growth it will not change appreciatively. What you should see is healthier, greener growth and an increase in the growth rate. If you do see improvement you can change to other re-mineralizing products which are cheaper to dose. Contact me and I will give you some alternatives. Also, the EDTA chelated iron in ACO Easy Green in unavailable to your plants at a pH 7.8. Start dosing Seachem Iron in addition to the Easy Green. The ferrous gluconate iron in Seachem Iron is much easier for plants to access when the pH is over 6.8. Hope this helps, let us know how things progress. -Roy
  25. Sorry @Rube_Goldfish, no enough information or pictures of plants to evaluate. -Roy
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