Fighting the algae bloom

[DiscussDiscus]

I have a 110 planted with CO2, I fert it 1x weekly with Equilibrium and Flourish, established just for about 11 months.

I've started getting a photo-synthetic algae bloom (thats what I've been told it is). Water gets a greenish hue to it, can't see all the way through the tank, no algae on the glass or plants (ABN Pleco's are great..)

Ive tried upping my water change, and reducing the light period from 12 hour day to a 8 hour day but can't seem to keep it from coming back.

Any thoughts or quick fixes, its a beautiful show tank in the middle of my Kitchen and it is breaking my heart to see it cloudy..

Regards,
Lee

[KDodds]

Green water is usually indicative of high phosphate levels. Any chance you can back off on the ferts? Or, alternatively, use a different product so that N P & K can be dosed independently?

[DiscussDiscus]

Sure, ferts can be backed off, but that normally results in an algae bloom of another type (diatom , hard green, etc.)

I'd rather have ugly plants and clear viewing of discus though, so I'll try reducing the ferts for a while...

:)

Lee

[Wahter]

Sometimes that happens to me and no matter how much water changes I do, it comes right back, even when I stop fertilizing. Even after a blackout for several days (which will knock back the green water), it still comes back.

So I tried hooking up a UV sterilizer for a few days and it cleared that tank right up. A diatom filter works too (even faster in some cases).

For me, I think it's a seasonal thing - it only happens in the late winter/ early summer, so I think there's some run off changing what's in the local water.

I've posted a photo here:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showpost.php?p=497375&postcount=27


Walter

[KDodds]

^ Yup, what he said. ^

That was kind of what I was getting at, phosphate being higher than optimal, probably out of balance, which is why I suggested dosing N & K and then P independently.

[nickmcmechan]

green water is normally caused by excessive light levels, i'm guessing a lot of natural light gets to the tank

a uv steriliser will indeed make a big difference, as would a diatom filter

another alternative is to get a bunch of amazonian frogbit which i have seen used to combat this

i wouldn't cut back on ferts as this will cause a whole new set of algal problems...what are you using for a carbon source?

[DiscussDiscus]

I have CO2 hooked up if thats what you mean by carbon source?

The tank does get hit by indirect sunlight during the daylight hours, no direct light through a window but the room is mostly lit by sunlight on windows across the room.

[Wouter van Wielink]

Sunlight should be avoided, maybe close drapes during the day? UV will definately help, check phosphates too.

[Chad Hughes]

All good info! UV works well, so does diatom filtration. What are your CO2 levels? If you're not already at 30ppm, try that out. Are you operating a controller?

Best wishes!

[cc_woman]

UV is a much more inexpensive solution to diatoms, but diatoms do clear the problem up faster. If you get a UV you can also pair that up with using fine filter floss in your filter which will help to pick up the small algae particles better. I have had to do this with GDA after cleaning the glass the small particles float around much like with green water.

If you have CO2 going every day, I highly recommend dosing your ferts by the EI Tom Barr wrote. If you want the chart just ask and I can post it. You don't want to dose iron on the same day as your KNO3, KH2PO4, and K2SO4. I believe it can have a negative reaction with one of these, I just forget which one. Which is also why in the EI they tell you to dose those 3 on different days from your iron and trace. Dosing regularily will also help to keep algae at bay.

I also suggest trying to buy your ferts dry, they last longer and are much more inexpensive. You will want to find monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4), potassium nitrate (KNO3), and potassium sulfate (K2SO4). Plus you will want to get your trace (chelate) ferts on the side as well as iron. I have yet to find iron in dry, so I usually still buy the bottles of liquid seachem iron. You can try a home and garden center or go to a hydroponics store which usually specialize more in lighting and fertilizers. Hope this helps and good luck :)

[KDodds]

A diatom filter, agreed, would be preferable. The UV may kill the algae cells, but they'll stay in the system, releasing biomass-bound nutrients back into the water column, the real cause of the "problem" in the first place.

Algae blooms are not problems, but symptoms. All of the light in the world doesn't turn the ocean green if there are no nutrients present. Light, though, is the easiest for most of us to control and requires the least amount of work. BUT, limiting photoperiod and/or intensity does not eliminate nutrient build up. In fact, without light, nutrients may go unprocessed, leading to higher and higher concentrations and (see if this sounds familiar to anyone) once you try to get the lights back on, you're potentially plagued with a whole new set of "problems" (they're symptoms).

Anyway, using a diatom filter is essentially the same as growing out algae for nutrient removal. The algae absorb and bind nutrients, and then are removed from the system, removing nutrients as well. Just make sure to backwash or the trapped dead/dying algae can release nutrients back into the tank. As a treatment of the algal bloom symptom, either method is fine, but, managing nutrient balance should probably be the ultimate goal.

[DiscussDiscus]

Thanks for all the responses, I agree, the algae bloom is simply a symptom of some growing pains my tank is going through. I had to medicate for two weeks and stopped ferting during that period and cranked up aeration, which sent the nutrient balance into a spiral. Two 3 day blackout periods seems to have cut back the algae bloom, but I'm trying to get myself back to the crystal clear water w/ full ferts system that I was at a short month ago.

Regards,
Lee