Can't get Algae under control

[Travis Harman]

We have 75 gallon tank that's been running for over a year.   Last 7 months it has been a real struggle.   Cut back light (fluval 3.0) to the point plants went backwoods its on right know at 50% at its peek and total of 7 hours. Cut back fish food to every 3 days but had to go back to every day because fish where getting skinny.   Right know all traces of food are gone in 10 minutes or less. 2 months ago I started testing water parameters daily,  never seen any ammonia, nitrite, have always struggled keeping nitrate levels above 20 and have to dose easy green twice a week at 8ml. Lots of pogo stem, 2 big Java ferns, Brazilian peny wort red darwf lilly. Have always fought hair algae, blue green slime ( marcine clears right up but comes back few week later) brown diatoms, then this week I saw black beard and decided to go  nuclear and ordered a bunch of easy carbon.   I know it's going to kill my vall, but don't recognize the name of what else it will kill.  Any other ideas, we have 6 cherry barbs,  2 ottos, and white brushy nose pleco and those fish are fat with the buffet of algee.

[Irene]

Hmm, when I got my first Fluval 3.0 for a 20-gallon high tank, I had a similar situation: a) plants were growing like crazy at first, b) very little nitrate despite dosing tons of Easy Green, and then c) green hair algae and black beard algae covered everything and plants started dying from lack of light. I eventually cut down the light to 30% intensity for about 6-7 hours to stop the algae growth, and then I noticed any new leaves that sprouted didn't automatically get covered by algae. Also, I didn't have to dose as much Easy Green and nitrate levels were staying higher at 20-40 ppm.

Back when my lighting was too strong, I did use Easy Carbon to treat the whole tank but the water got super cloudy and the algae grew back too quickly to make a difference. Once I lowered the lighting, I used a pipette and Easy Carbon to spot-treat a few algae-covered leaves at a time, and it helped immensely. 

As the plants have grown larger and started shading out the bottom plants, I gradually increased the lighting period to 8-9 hours (10 hours was too much). Also, I was still getting some black beard algae around my sponge filter (because the taller plants were getting pushed away from where the bubbles popped), so I eventually put a giant, floating water sprite above the sponge filter to shade out that corner and I believe the BBA will eventually die out from lack of light.

Oh yeah, and I have the following algae eaters: hillstream loaches, amano shrimp, and platies. I had some otocinclus previously, but they didn't really eat the green hair or black beard algae and more preferred the brown diatoms.

Here's another forum post that talks about different Fluval 3.0 lighting schedules. I don't do anything fancy except decrease my blue light to almost nothing. Hope this helps!

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Irene

[Travis Harman]

Thank you so much gives me some new ideas to try. I can't believe a  company employee would take that much time to help,  truly great customer support.

[Ambush0908]

Hello- I have also been fighting some BBA.   Before I say what I am doing I should mention that I am new to a high tech tank and still learning.  I actually watch a lot of Irene’s videos on You Tube and can assure you she is more of an expert than me.  They are really informative.  I don’t think you mentioned if you are running CO2.  I am and found I needed to increase it.  I also removed some of the plants that were too far gone which I really didn’t want to do.   Any plant or driftwood I could easily remove I took out and wiped down with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.  I let it dry for a little and than put back in.  I have to say I was skeptical about doing this and still won’t put directly in tank but this really worked.  Within a week algae was turning red and dying.  I have also been dosing Easy Carbon.   It is still early on but I am not seeing any new growth.  The algae I could not take out to use peroxide on is not dying yet but also does not seem to be spreading much.  I also watched some videos on you tube by Bentley Pascoe.  He is also very helpful.  On his recommendation I lowered the blue light in my Fluval 3.0.  He has a great series of videos about the Fluval light.  Good luck and I would love to hear what else you are going to try and if it works.

[Bev C]

@Irenethank you so much  for the light info with the blue light and intensity.. I have a Finnex Alc and I had turn it down to 30%  to 6-7 hours

Finnex  company said by e-mail  30% intensity was low light plants and 50% was medium light  for plants  with the Finnex alc 

plus want to ask you about the water . i have a chemical or plant deficiency not sure which one I have adjust lights, time  and Easy Green 3 fertilizers  but still have algae and stunt growth . could it be my water and minerals ?

I have  hard water and lots of calcium/ lime stone  but there is iron in the water at times  my tub turns orange at times if i do not dry tub out ..I feel like i have a chemical imbalance  and was wondering if the Seachem Equilibrium would help with balancing that out some  I remember you saying it helps you soft water would help the opposite.. with hard water and iron and other hard minerals   another person recommended Purit Click Here but i do know anything about it  Thanks 🙏 

[isaly]

On 12/29/2021 at 2:48 PM, Irene said:

Hmm, when I got my first Fluval 3.0 for a 20-gallon high tank, I had a similar situation: a) plants were growing like crazy at first, b) very little nitrate despite dosing tons of Easy Green, and then c) green hair algae and black beard algae covered everything and plants started dying from lack of light. I eventually cut down the light to 30% intensity for about 6-7 hours to stop the algae growth, and then I noticed any new leaves that sprouted didn't automatically get covered by algae. Also, I didn't have to dose as much Easy Green and nitrate levels were staying higher at 20-40 ppm.

 

So...where, ideally, would you want nitrate levels to be?

I started my 55 gal in September '21. It's my only tank right now. I put some plants and a few small fish in to help start the cycle. I changed water often and nothing got high enough to cause me alarm. I used an API master kit. I got ammonia, then I got nitrite, and both went to 0. Nitrite never got above somewhere between 5 and 10, given that the comparisons to process color (a printing thing) are approximations at best. I got algae, blue green, hair, and filamentous which did a number my stem plants.

I've cut down the light. Algae got less prevalent. I carefully researched and then dosed H2O2. Algae got still less prevalent, grows back but much more slowly but it's still there.

What I understand, could be wrong, and what you wrote above seems to confirm, is that there needs to be some nitrate in the water for plants. It seems there's a contingent that goes nuts when nitrate gets above 20 and water change, water change, water change.

I interpret what you and others have written (hopefully correctly) to mean that low tech tanks are a balancing act between light and nitrate (and other nutrients for the health of the plants.

Edited January 2, 2022 by isaly

[isaly]

So, 25 tetras between 1 and 2" in a 55 gal. tank.

Presently, temp 78, pH 7.1, Hardness 4/7.

Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 - 20—probably closer to 20 depending on the visual mechanism of the person reading the comparison chart.

[Travis Harman]

On 1/2/2022 at 7:21 AM, isaly said:

So...where, ideally, would you want nitrate levels to be?

I started my 55 gal in September '21. It's my only tank right now. I put some plants and a few small fish in to help start the cycle. I changed water often and nothing got high enough to cause me alarm. I used an API master kit. I got ammonia, then I got nitrite, and both went to 0. Nitrite never got above somewhere between 5 and 10, given that the comparisons to process color (a printing thing) are approximations at best. I got algae, blue green, hair, and filamentous which did a number my stem plants.

I've cut down the light. Algae got less prevalent. I carefully researched and then dosed H2O2. Algae got still less prevalent, grows back but much more slowly but it's still there.

What I understand, could be wrong, and what you wrote above seems to confirm, is that there needs to be some nitrate in the water for plants. It seems there's a contingent that goes nuts when nitrate gets above 20 and water change, water change, water change.

I interpret what you and others have written (hopefully correctly) to mean that low tech tanks are a balancing act between light and nitrate (and other nutrients for the health of the plants.

From every thing I read some where between 20-40ppm.   I'm no expert but the tank I have been having problems with was hard to keep them above 10.  I have done what she suggested and my nitrate are staying in that 30-40 range fish seem happy, just hopeful that the algae slowly dies back.

[isaly]

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/1-1-4-water-parameters/

 

Quote

"The nitrate levels controlled by water changes are nowhere near as important as social media would lead one to believe. Nitrate in fish are like beer in humans. Think of 40 ppm nitrate to be like one beer per day. One beer or 40 ppm nitrate probably will give little or no problems. Two beers or 80 ppm (40x 2) nitrate will probably give few or no problems. Four beers every day or 160 (40 x 4) ppm nitrate will probably give some minor problems with health. Sixteen beers will kill some humans and or 640 ppm (40 x 16) nitrate will kill a few very sensitive fish. Common goldfish can take 2,000 ppm of nitrate in stride. So what is your “acceptable” nitrate level?"

Sorry, it took me a while to remember where I read this.

so 40 - 60 nitrate is largely inconsequential, unless your fish are allergic to beer???

On 1/2/2022 at 9:59 AM, Travis Harman said:

From every thing I read some where between 20-40ppm.   I'm no expert but the tank I have been having problems with was hard to keep them above 10.  I have done what she suggested and my nitrate are staying in that 30-40 range fish seem happy, just hopeful that the algae slowly dies back.

Thanks. I didn't read your bit before I posted.

Edited January 2, 2022 by isaly

[isaly]

Thanks @Travis Harman, @Bev C, @Ambush0908, and @Irene for participating in what may be a 'putting a couple of pieces together in a meaningful way' moment.

[Bev C]

  I could be wrong known to be allot of times .. someone is welcome to correct me ..

I was told a year ago  when I was having nitrates very high when I started my plant journey ,, that 40-50 ppm for nitrates was ok  with plants and fish together ..because you have to add fertilizer and other nutrients.. anything over needs a water change ,,

that is what i go by  now.. the pothos plant in the tank helped me allot .. i had at the time 80 ppm nitrates out of the tap water the plant help me keep to 40-50 with fertilizer..till water change i do a 30-40 % weekly water change unless trouble then i do 50% water change  my fish are happier with the fresh weekly water

My nitrates are good  but i have some thing off that keeps my plants from growing and keeping algae on my plants i have to clean constantly my plants of algae  .. I have tried  and adjusted lights and time and fertilizer AEG Carbon .. I have the Master kit , Nitrates , Phosphate, test kits , and Aquarium coop test strips .. I really like the Aquarium coop test strips for nitrate testing they are more accurate then API for nitrates ..

but i might take some water in the fish shop next time i go and have them test it  maybe the Api test is off maybe they can find out what is wrong 

I have been using  only Easy Green 3 pack fertilizer   for a year now .. but thinking of ordering a small bottle of Seachem  products separately and add them one at a time and wait to see if that helps what is lacking 

@isaly you are welcome , if anything i learn helps you or others ,that is wonderful .. all of us is learning to keep our fish and plants healthy together.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Bev C

[isaly]

On 1/2/2022 at 1:40 PM, Bev C said:

 

I was told a year ago  when I was having nitrates very high when I started my plant journey ,, that 40-50 ppm for nitrates was ok with plants and fish together...because you have to add fertilizer and other nutrients.. anything over needs a water change ,,

 

...and that's exactly what wasn't obvious to me...all the people whose nitrates go up and uh - oh, water change and here I thought it applied to all tanks.

I love learning stuff, and fish and plants are cool.