Sorry long post!!
I had to let my tank go during a kitchen remodel. I now have an algae issue. From my research, I know it’s under fertilized, so I’ll up the dosage. I was dosing incorrectly (I think). 40 gallons and only giving easy green 3 pumps and capful of potassium once a week. It gets CO2 and lights are on 12 hours. water temp is 78. My poor plants are STRUGGLING, so I’m hoping getting them back will help with my algae. I also have two hillstreams, 4 Nerites, and 10 Amano shrimp in there to do some work. But they seem a bit lazy in their cleaning.
I traditionally did a 5 gallon water change weekly. Do I need to increase for a while?
Biggest issues:
Blackbeard EVERYWHERE. My sponge filter is completely covered. Everywhere in the substrate.
Green dust: covers my walls within a day. All over my plants (I think). I’ve tried gently rubbing it off and it doesn’t work. How can I help them?