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Cloudy water returns....with avengence!
So, its been about a week or so, and right on schedule my cloudy water has
returned! This time its definately an algae cloud, the water is definately
more green then grey or white, however it hasn't come on quite as strong and
fast as in the past. Though, this time its just come on as an algae cloud
as opposed to something that seemed more like a grey cloud turning into an
algae cloud. So here we go again, I'll try my best to not do anything about
it I guess and let the tank take care of itself, because I know I've done
almost everything right! The one thing I will do is vacuum with a 20% water
change, but we all know its only going to make it slightly better and only
for another week or so. I'm pointing my fingers at something else this
time, though. My light setup! Perhaps I missed something when setting this
up. I have two, two bulb shoplights from homedepot because I'm not spending
hundreds of dollars on special fixtures that just 'look nice.' Both of
those lights have 2 plant growth, full spectrum bulbs...also from home
depot. They say they're good for plants and aquariums in general, perhaps
not the best lighting for a planted tank, but should be better then bright
white bulbs, I figured. But I'm wondering if these tubes are catering more
to algae then the plants, and therefore causing this green water.
Incidentally, my water always seems to turn to an algae cloud before I just
can't stand it anymore and kill it with acu-clear (aquarium pharmacuticals
(sp?)). Almost like clockwork, I'd drop in the recommended dose, plus a few
drops for good luck and a few hours (about a half day) later I turn off the
mag 350 and clean out the cotton and pleated filter because its so gunked up
with green! Nothing has changed in the tank. I still have all the fish as
last time and they're still eating VERY well. None of the food I drop in
the water is still floating, or on the bottom of the tank within about 3
minutes...and usually the earth eater will grab the last chunk (before the
other fish are done eating) of the brine shrimp and that'll be the end of
it. At that point I normally drop another one in, cause the earth eater is
busy working the chunk he just got, and all the other fish devour the other
chunk!
Side question, should I not only feed brine shrimp? I had been feeding them
soley 1-2 cubes/day of brine shrimp. I halted the blood worms for now to
see if that would help any...it didn't. But I also have some flake food,
but my fish seem to be spoiled now, hahaha. I tried this morning to feed
them some flakes, but they just turned around in the water (at the
suggestion of my girlfriend, last time I listen to her!). Now I have some
flakes in my gravel, hopefully the earth eater will pick it up, and my
overflow prefilter has gunk on it too.
I'll try again to give as much details as possible...bottom up:
90g AGA
I have 5 gallons of bio-balls running in a DIY trickle filter that dumps
into a 20g bin where a 700gph (4' head, so about 500gph) sump pumps water
back into the tank through the overflow. Next to the trickle filter is a
mag 350 (hand-me-down from my father, I hoped the extra filtration would
help) with a pleated filter with a sleeve. Around the sleeve is packed
cotton, so I suspect it isn't getting much more then about 200gph, if that.
Two 50lbs bags of #1 fillpro gravel (definately larger than sand!) with 55
oz. laterite mixed in the bottom layer of gravel in the back-half of the
tank (mostly). An additional 55 oz. laterite on top of the mix in the
back-half, making a thin layer of laterite before about 2-3" gravel. I have
no fake plants, not a single ornament. I have about 15 bulbs, 8 growing
very well (back from the dead really, had them in a 10g before). The other
7, 4 or 5 have started sprouting and the other 2 or 3 don't seem like
they're going to do anything. They haven't been in the tank very long,
either. I have two anacharis bunchs, 3 sword type plants, java fern and 10
bunches of other plants. One has thick stocks and looks like a thin sword
with white veins...the others are twisted, thin (almost parallel sides)
leafs. I'll tell ya, the fish like the new plants to swim in and out of,
especially the cat. A handful of the twisted ones I noticed were VERY
rooted, I was spreading them out the other night thinking I had bunched them
too closely together and I started to pull on one of them that didn't budge,
I'm very happy about that. All the swords came in pots and I left them in
the wool. I also have 2 pots of dwarf hairgrass broken into about 6-8
pieces, then 4 pots of microsword broken into 10-12 pieces spread out
accross the middle-front of the tank. The microsword doesn't seem to be
growing, though I have noticed a few sprouts...I did have a DIY CO2
injection (2 liter with 1/4 airline tubing going into a small hole in the
700gph sump's prefilter, right next to the impeller) but I was worried about
pumping too much too fast for our puffer, who was acclimated to freshwater.
Since then the puffer has started losing its beautiful green (leopard)
coloring.
I already mentioned the lighting, but the top is just a glass cover
purchased for the AGA aquarium.
With all that, the fish seem very happy (all but the puffer). The angels
have HUGE fins and nice color. My earth eater has nice irridescent spots
all over him and beautiful spike fins, none tattered...all the fish are
happy. HELP!
Think thats a book enough, sorry so long
TIA
-Dave