Green spot algae and green hair algae, I'm getting tired...

[Mmiller2001]

If you would like to share your tank and how you achieve it, please create a journal so we can all benefit from your successes.

[River]

Sounds like the high-tech folks have given you some great advice if you want to keep fighting the algae.  My advice is to declare a temporary cease-fire if the frustration is making your hobby not fun.

When I change things, my tanks go through an algae bloom regardless of how hard I fight it.  I’ve made peace with it, and learned to love a more natural look.

You’re good at this. I’m confident you’ll figure out what your tank needs. In my experience, my tanks usually sort themselves out whether I do everything right or not.

 

 

[Mary W.]

riioKen, hang in there - it takes the better part of a year for a planted tank to mature.  Successive waves of different algaes are part of the process.  Next spring when your plants are established and thriving this will be a thing of the past.  I love how you set up your tank, it's going to look great -

One thing you might try to get through this early phase - Add in a big mass of floaters (anacharis has worked for me) which can start competing out the algae right away without having to take time to root and start growing.  You can always remove them down the road if you don't like them -

Good luck and enjoy -

[IanB]

I think you have gotten lots of good advice here. I would only add that, in the future, APT1 is preferable in the first couple months of a new/redone setup, then switch to APT3 once the plants are growing faster and are larger and need more nutrients.

Since you are using APT, I assume that you are familiar with Dennis Wong’s 2hr aquarist advice website. It has great answers to most planted aquarium questions and his advice and products have been proven not only in his own aquariums but are used as the main fertilizers by Aquarium Design Group (aka the Senske brothers) who are among the best-known aquascapers in the US and worked with Takashi Amano. If you get a chance, check out their gallery/store in Houston. Truly amazing stuff. Here is a video tour of the store from a few years ago, though it can’t capture how they look in person: 

 

[riioKen]

On 8/2/2023 at 4:39 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

It’s leeching ammonia.

I would shoot for these numbers. Dennis Wong recommends a middle ground between EI and ADA approaches. It’s lean, but not too lean.

 

Hi @Mmiller2001

i would like to revive this thread, considering that soon, probably today, i start a new 330L (around 90g) tank (i made a journal but is very "lacking" in info, well the tank isn't yet running so...).

Using APT3 Complete will be extremely expensive (50€ for 1 litres, - 10ml x day - 70ml x week. 50€ every 3 months), but i want to use the same approach used in the APT 3. I know that there is a site called rotala butterly that should be helpful for preparing our own ferts. Do you think that i can "copy", considering that Dennis Wong give us (approx) the dosage weekly of APT3 , the amout of ferts used so that i can prepare the ferts by myself? I would like to create 3 bottles, 1 with micro, 1 with macro without nitrates and 1 with NO3 only so i'll dose it as needed without messing others macro. Is it a good idea? If you don't mind, can you help me with some calculations? i never prepared a ferts using dry salts. Thanks

Edited September 7, 2023 by riioKen

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/7/2023 at 2:43 AM, riioKen said:

Hi @Mmiller2001

i would like to revive this thread, considering that soon, probably today, i start a new 330L (around 90g) tank (i made a journal but is very "lacking" in info, well the tank isn't yet running so...).

Using APT3 Complete will be extremely expensive (50€ for 1 litres, - 10ml x day - 70ml x week. 50€ every 3 months), but i want to use the same approach used in the APT 3. I know that there is a site called rotala butterly that should be helpful for preparing our own ferts. Do you think that i can "copy", considering that Dennis Wong give us (approx) the dosage weekly of APT3 , the amout of ferts used so that i can prepare the ferts by myself? I would like to create 3 bottles, 1 with micro, 1 with macro without nitrates and 1 with NO3 only so i'll dose it as needed without messing others macro. Is it a good idea? If you don't mind, can you help me with some calculations? i never prepared a ferts using dry salts. Thanks

You definitely can and it’s quite easy. Doing the micros are a bit more challenging and as such I went with a premixed micro solution. But the macros is super easy and can be tailored any way you want.

[riioKen]

On 9/7/2023 at 4:07 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

You definitely can and it’s quite easy. Doing the micros are a bit more challenging and as such I went with a premixed micro solution. But the macros is super easy and can be tailored any way you want.

Thanks, right now i own:

• KNO3 
• KH2PO4 
• trace elements (it contains Fe, Cu, B, Mn, Mo, Zn, all elements are "chelate EDTA" idk what it means) in the description says 1 Tbsp of this salt should be dosed in 1 litres of osmosis water, then 30ml x 100L (26g) tank gives 0.5ppm of Fe
• Fe DTPA
• MgSO4 

have i everything covered? or i miss some salts?

Edited September 8, 2023 by riioKen

[riioKen]

One thing, im tuning better the Co2.

- Before the co2 starts at the 7:30am, the ph is 7.4

- When light turns on at 9am the ph is 6.7

- at 10am the ph is 6.6 and it remains 6.6 during all the photoperiod (i test it with a phmeter every 1 hour).

6.6 for my kh is 27ppm of co2, i was thinking in starting the co2 2h before light (not 1:30h) this way i should recover the 0.1 point.

Do you think that i need to push a bit lower and aim for the 30-35ppm or 27ppm is good?

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/8/2023 at 1:56 AM, riioKen said:

Thanks, right now i own:

• KNO3 
• KH2PO4 
• trace elements (it contains Fe, Cu, B, Mn, Mo, Zn, all elements are "chelate EDTA" idk what it means) in the description says 1 Tbsp of this salt should be dosed in 1 litres of osmosis water, then 30ml x 100L (26g) tank gives 0.5ppm of Fe
• Fe DTPA
• MgSO4 

have i everything covered? or i miss some salts?

You’ll probably want some K2SO4. Is the micro mix CSM+B?

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/8/2023 at 6:29 AM, riioKen said:

One thing, im tuning better the Co2.

- Before the co2 starts at the 7:30am, the ph is 7.4

- When light turns on at 9am the ph is 6.7

- at 10am the ph is 6.6 and it remains 6.6 during all the photoperiod (i test it with a phmeter every 1 hour).

6.6 for my kh is 27ppm of co2, i was thinking in starting the co2 2h before light (not 1:30h) this way i should recover the 0.1 point.

Do you think that i need to push a bit lower and aim for the 30-35ppm or 27ppm is good?

My goal is to have my pH target at lights on. My reactor achieves this in 30 minutes and holds this the entire photo period. The KH PH chart doesn’t account for other acids in the tank and is misleading. I would imagine you could push CO2 a bit more and would try increasing it while watching the tank. Shoot for 6.4 and see how the fish behave. If you see stress, the back CO2 down by .5pH. Then give it an hour and see if the stress stops.

ideally, set a sample of tank water out for 24 hours and then pH it. This will be the degassed pH and you’ll want a 1 to 1.5 drop from the degassed pH.

my degassed pH is about 6.5, my tank sits at 5.8 to 6 and my injection pH is 5.09.

[riioKen]

On 9/8/2023 at 4:22 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Is the micro mix CSM+B

I dont know, in EU there aren't a lot of dry salts kit available

https://planted-box.com/en/product/estimative-index-kit/

above the kit, its called "trace elements"

 

i have found this

https://www.ebay.it/itm/254105826999

Edited September 8, 2023 by riioKen

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/8/2023 at 8:55 AM, riioKen said:

I dont know, in EU there aren't a lot of dry salts kit available

https://planted-box.com/en/product/estimative-index-kit/

above the kit, its called "trace elements"

 

i have found this

https://www.ebay.it/itm/254105826999

All you need is KNO3, KH2PO4 and K2SO4. I would stay away from standard CSM+B and try a pre mixed solution. Maybe ADA or Green Aqua. You won’t need MgSO4 as your tap water has it most likely but plain old epsom salts is MgSO4. 
 

https://greenaqua.hu/en/novenytapok/novenytapok-porok-szaraztapok.html

But powders should be cheap. I get a pound of salts for 3 to 5 dollars. Jump on UKAPS and see where they source it.

[Mmiller2001]

https://www.labstuff.nl/contents/nl/d102.html#p3938