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Re: Algae problem, growing in the ears



Little tiny scissors will help with the ear hair thing.

Tom Barr's email will help you correct some of your problems. All I can do
is to affirm some issues that you are up against. I'm using DIY co2 on a
29-gallon tank and it sucks. I'm using (2) 1-gallon glass jugs for
fermentation, alternating recharging weekly. I can keep my Ph down at 6.6
fairly steady, but the constant testing and watching makes it a pain. Can't
wait to switch over to a pressure tank! I have also found that 29-gallon
tank pretty much max's out the efficiency of a DIY co2 setup. Unless you can
change the bottles every week and like Tom said, have a setup of 3-4 bottles
you're going to have quite a hard time keeping co2 level where they need to
be.

Too much light too. I have 2-watt per gallon, and soon as I stop watching my
Ph and let the Co2 levels drop the algae kicks in. While you're waiting to
get the co2 thing figured out, cut some of that light load out. Extra water
circulation is going to help you right now; it will help more, when you have
things running well. Plus the extra turbulence may be helping you co2 to
escape even faster if you have water surface turbulence.

Can you really keep all those fertilizers straight? Whew...sound confusing.
I dose chemicals straight, separate dosing of KNo3, Fe&trace, KH2PO4, K2PO4
etc. Skip the RO, it's a waste of your time.

Also, put you filter research lower on the priority list. Once you get the
tank well established and plants growing well, the filter is just providing
you with a safety back up source of bacteria, and mechanical filtration.
But, good plant growth, pruning and water changes will do as much for you.

Don't worry so much about nutrients in the substrate; the water column is
where it's at. Others can say more. I've grown micro-sword on gravel from a
sandpit out back in a ten gallon tank and it grew like mad. There was
nothing in those rocks which some were over 3/4" size.

Some of what you are describing sounds like fuzz algae. Looks kind of cool
on the glass, waving there in the current etc. Probably over dosing the Fe
too. My plants suck it up so fast I can never detect it. I go by level of
pearling now and plant appearance for dosing Fe. Learned that one the hard
way too.

Keep the list up to date with your battle.

-Travis
Forecast tomorrow is highs between -10 and 10 yippee. I'm burning scrap wood
from the barn as my wood supply ran out.