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To be, or not to be...
I'm totally disgusted...
Forget about CO2 runs, if I don't get this first tank straightened out - my
family will never let me have any others.
My new 9 day old tank is overgrown with this brownish threadlike algae. I
probably should have done the Kromholtz bleach treatment on the wild plants I
foolishly enlisted into the algae war. The traitors! I have Hygo poly,
Ludwigia repens, and Cabomba from the wild at about 50% of the tank's plant
mass. They didn't look real algae ridden when I collected them, but there was
no doubt some attached - as per usual and they must have found conditions
entirely to their satisfaction from the look of things now. My wife and
daughter are like, "Will it always look like this? Yuk"! I bravely assure
them all will be well (eventually) but I'm wondering if I really screwed up
myself...
Here's the specifics: 75gal All Glass with 220 watts of 5300K power compact
from A & H. 75% Flourite, 25% Turface substrate. Trickle filter (which is
quite noisy BTW) powered by 2100 Rio. Gomberg high pressure CO2.
Water from the tap: pH 9.0-9.3 which falls to the mid 7 range within 24
hours. Choloramine present and treated for with Amquel. Total Hardness 75.00
mg/L, Total dissolved solids 198.0 mg/L, Total Alkalinity 24.00 mg/L. I add
baking soda to adjust dKH to 3 and inject CO2 to lower pH to 6.7 - 6.8 for a
dissolved CO2 of 14-20ml/L as per chart(s). PMDD minus trace elements added
at usual daily dose of 2 drops per 10 gal and either TMG or Aquarium Pharm.
Aquatic Plant Stimulant for the trace elements and iron added daily on a
rotating basis. I've done two 30 - 50% water changes in the last 9 days. As
this brown threadlike algae increases, I've added 2 otos, 1 large black
mollie and seven of the babies she had plus two ghost shrimp. They nibble
away but...
I've covered 75% of the substrate with the above plants combined with E.
tennellus v micro, glossostigma, Hygro "stricta" and "Tropic Sunset,"
Rottalla indica, and Micranthemum umbrosa. Plus, I added some Ricca f.
combined in a pancake with Java moss and then tied to an Australian Pine
root. Just couldn't resist an attempt at that Amano look...
Everything is pearling like crazy - especially the algae. It's amazing how
fast this stuff is growing - I swear you can almost see it spread. It's soft,
threadlike and appears almost light brown under the 5300K. Some of those
pearling strands are almost three inches long in places! I suctioned off and
manually cleaned as much as I could stand to every day. It doesn't wrap
around a toothbrush very easily as I had once read to try though - too soft.
It just breaks apart.
I'm not sure whether to try waiting it out and hope things will get better or
turn down some light, CO2, nutrients or what. HELP! I'm real tempted to just
tear everything down and bleach the living hell out of the entire system and
start all over - but I guess I should give it to at least this weekend and
see if things are improving. BTW, If I had it to do over again - I'd
defiantly silicone some acrylic or glass terracing into the bottom -
disguised by bogwood or something. A flat bottom is boring.
Anybody have any ideas? What about taking the fish out and then treating with
copper? Another question - how do you stop a trickle filter from gurgling?
I've been checking through the archives but no luck so far...
Thanks in advance for any and all help, ideas or encouragement...
Bob Olesen - in South Florida, where it hit 90 and felt like 100 today