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mervyn mervyn
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 12:13
Re: I am confused!! #11
Hi,
I am using Neutro C02.

My lights used to come on at 0415am and off at 0715am.
On again at 3pm and off at 9pm.

Today I have reset my timer to come on at 1pm and go off at 9pm.

I have/had the lights like that as I am a very early riser and also due to my health and medication am a very early to bed person(and I mean early) the lighting times allow myself and my family to see the fish in the illuminated Tank.

Thanks
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Critch Critch
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 13:01
Re: I am confused!! #12
so do you think you have black hair algea ?

ist of all you need to clean any algea fron the tank/plants
if you are goig to opt for a single light period.
baby steps are req

I would go for a 6.5 hr lighting period, then each week increase by 15 mins, till you get to your 8hr period,

dose the liquid ferts & Carbon, 30 mins before lights on and dont have any airstones running or anything else which breaks the surface of the water, during the photoperiod time, as this would make the carbon usless,

using Neutro C02 its 250ltr per 5 ml so work on the basis of, 1ml per 50 ltrs so rather than 3ml you could get away with 4ml being 180ltr tank, thats what i dosed my 180ltr
but watch the fish in the tank very carefully, if you do ever overdose just put your filter outlet above the water line to get the oxygen back into the tank, and a water change.
(i speak from experiance i dosed 12ml one day) lucky i didnt loose any fish.

the reason i advise to reduce the time then increase slowly, plants can get grumpy when they get used to a certain light timings, and a massive sudden change can some times shock them, and some times refuse to grow.

so some suggest when starting a planted tank start with a 7hr photo period then as the plants grow, increase it slowly
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mervyn mervyn
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 13:16
Re: I am confused!! #13
Hi Critch and thanks.

It is not black hair algae...it seems to be a cross between brown diatom (although my tank has been running since October) and green spot algae. It is difficult to describe.
It does not seem to be so widespread now, so am wondering whether it is finally going. It was certainly making the plants look quite unsightly.

Unfortunately with my Eheim pro3 filter I cannot seem to get the spray bar low enough not to disturb the water. I will try to "rotate" the bar downwards later to try and change that. I do not use an airstone.

Thanks for your help.
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mervyn mervyn
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 13:37
Re: I am confused!! #14
Well I have done the best that I can do. I have managed to "turn" the spray bar downwards and managed to get it just under the water level.

There is still a very,very small "ripple" effect.
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Critch Critch
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 14:00
Re: I am confused!! #15
This is going to sound daft but thats good news,

You could keep things as they are and just reduce the later lighting period,
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Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad!
I dont keep fish i keep water the fish are only there for decoration
Fishlady Fishlady
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 16:28
Re: I am confused!! #16
Quote:

Critch wrote:


dose the liquid ferts & Carbon, 30 mins before lights on and dont have any airstones running or anything else which breaks the surface of the water, during the photoperiod time, as this would make the carbon usless,


Just a quick point, but aeration has no effect on liquid carbon. It's true that the turbulence caused by increased aeration drives dissolved CO2 from water, but liquid carbon isn't a gas and isn't removed by surface agitation. In both cases the plants need the carbon element and they normally acquire that from the gas CO2, but liquid carbon products contain carbon in a form of gluteraldehyde (C5H8O2) which is still usable by plants and can't be driven out by aeration.
mervyn mervyn
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 16:41
Re: I am confused!! #17
Thanks FL I was wondering about that.
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Critch Critch
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 16:58
Re: I am confused!! #18
Yes well pointed put FL,
I was having a gas moment, sorry.
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I dont keep fish i keep water the fish are only there for decoration
Fishlady Fishlady
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  • Posted on: 25/1/2013 17:05
Re: I am confused!! #19
Still good to minimise surface turbulence though as that should keep more of the naturally occurring dissolved CO2 in the water
mervyn mervyn
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  • Posted on: 31/1/2013 16:17
I am now at a total loss!! #20
Hi,
This algae is now really getting me down. I am thinking of changing to fake plants and rocks.

The algae is not growing on the rocks or decor as much or as quickly, but my plants do look ugly now with the algae on them. Even my faster growing water wisteria has it on the lower leaves, and I have had to prune quite a few plants of their "dirty" leaves but cannot go too far else there would be none left.

I now have my lights on 6 1/2 hrs per day, 2 x 45w T5. I am dosing 8ml of Neutro T fert and now 4ml of Neutro C02 in my tank which I estimate to hold 160 litres.

Maybe I should reduce my Fertilizer??

I have a strange feeling it is my substrate. I only have gravel as a substrate which in itself is covered with a brown algae even though I hoover the gravel at least twice weekly with an eheim battery operated hoover.

I also do twice weekly water changes and try and keep the nitrates down to between 20 and 30ppm.

My plants look so,so dirty

Do I need to change my substrate to something else? The wife will not be too happy if I have to lay out lots of money for new substrate I just do not know what else to do!!!!
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