The Beginning...

ek antwoord nou maar engels vir al die engelse ouens se part!

The last photos were taken of the plants in one of the 15 liters. I've got very high light in them and the plants are growing beautifully. Little bit of brown spot algae raising its head but nothing serious.

The big tank is still a problem. Looking better since I've been adding excel daily and stopped with the EI. Will only probably see the effect of the comprehensive in a week or two's time. I will have to trim my Willow Leaf Hygro, it has reached the waterline but my Hygrophilia Difformis is packed with algae and really looking BAD!

I'm going to give it two weeks and if there's no significant improvement I will have to go back to the drawing board. Will post some pics of the plants. Terrible state!

 

My algae problem....

I've stopped dosing EI and I'm keeping to excel and flourish. Definitely some new growth going on again which should hopefully improve the situation. Really not happy with the current situation but I'm learning. It's a huge contradiction to my other tanks that are clean and beautiful!

Any ideas on how to clean up my plants would be appreciated!

 

As you know I had the same problem, I cleaned my plants by taking them out of the sand and gently shook them in the water and most of the algae was cleared but still present.

 

Looks like diatom algae to me. It's quite normal in a newly set up aquarium. I think what you need to do is increase your water changes. Diatom algae is cause by excess silicates in the aquarium water. When you do water changes, you effectively dilute the amount of silicates in the water. This should help clear it up somewhat. It's not an overnight cure, but it will help.

Another way to get it under control is to get Ottocinclus catfish. They're very effective at eating diatoms. Bristlenose ancistrus are also excellent cleaners.

Another thing to remember is to continue to dose your fertilizers. Imbalances in nutrients cause algae blooms. So by effectively doing water changes, and continuing to dose fertilizers, you're maintaining a healthy balance within your aquarium.

Hope that helps?

 

Thanks @Sean J

I will up the water changes. I've got 4 ottos in there, nice and fat, but I think they are fighting a loosing battle! Lol! Maybe I should get in a couple extra and just sell them off later.

With regards to the Tropica fertilizers, will the Plant Growth Premium Fertiliser be suitable for my tank? I have a fair amount of both plants and fish. Do I use it on its own or in conjunction with the Seachem Excel and Comprehensive that I'm currently using? And then the most important question, will it be safe for my Cory?

Thanks a lot for the help, I really appreciate.

 

This is interesting , The diformes looks great, cant wait for mine to grow that big.. If I understand correct , wont dosing a bit more excel help for melting the algea ?

 

Personally, I would go with the NPK formulation. If you have a high fish load, Start with half doses. It has all the elements required for plant growth. Also, when you start using it, take the recommended weekly dosage and dose it over 5 days, rather than all in at once. This will prevent sudden spikes in nutrients, and prevent algae blooms.

The Specialized should do the trick for you, not the premium. I recommend the premium be used as a trace element source when dosing EI.