Re: NANFA-- [Fwd: The Algae Wars] Corrected Links

Todd Crail (farmertodd_at_buckeye-express.com)
Mon, 3 Mar 2003 23:14:47 -0500

I've been thinking about this a bit John....

I have no idea what the algae is... I've seen it before when I let hornwort
or anacharis get too thick, and food and detritus gets kinda stuck
inbetween, and even more so in the hairs. It seems to fertilize itself that
way and only gets worse as it goes along. Perhaps it would be best to do a
heavy duty trim? When I see that type of algae show up, I do a trim,
significant water change, and then refertilize like it was brand new with
Florena or Flourish... whatever. Seems to get the system back in the right
general direction.

The other thought I've had is... Perhaps all the ions and nitrification
products are unmeasurable because they're getting converted so quickly by
the plants and algae? A lot of people who, as an example, use tap water in
their marine tanks, have hair algae as thick as a fine maidens head, and
swear up and down they can't measure any PO4 until they actually test it
*before* it goes into the tank :) You've *obviously* removed it with the DI
(might also want to check the conductivity of your output water to see if
the DI is getting old)...

However, if there's that much detritus rotting down inbetween the plants...
That's a great source of PO4. Something to chew on.

Todd

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Bongiovanni" <bongi_at_cox-internet.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2003 6:01 PM
Subject: NANFA-- [Fwd: The Algae Wars] Corrected Links

> Today begins my second battle of the Algae War. Approximately a year
> ago I fought a battle against a similar opponent soundly defeating it.
> But today, I begin the second great battle of the Algae wars.
>
> A little backround: Back during Christmas, on my trip up to Ohio to
> visit the folks, I left the care of my native planted tank in the hands
> of a trusted neighbor. She fed the fish and they survived without
> issue. The plants were another story. In the space of 12 days I came
> back to an absolute jungle; Rotalla, Riccia, Bacopa, Ludwigia were
> entwined in a network that confounded all my attempts to untangle. I
> also fixed a bank of flourescents (the rear pair of 40Ws) that had had
> not been starting with the fronts. It was a grounding issue which was
> fixed. My madtoms had tunneled underneath the java moss thus dislodging
> the strands causing half the bundle of moss to float towards the surface
> of the tank resembling a huge green wall. I removed the driftwood that
> the java moss was attached wrap a hairnet around it and rearrange it it
> the tank. This of course unsettled alot of organic matter that had
> settled on the bottom. I did a 20% water change with DI.
>
> The madtoms were not finished. Seeing the driftwood java moss secured
> they moved to the moss on a rock and did the same. I repeated my
> efforts on the rock to get control. Almost immediately a nasty looking
> green algae took over the tank.. Fine 1cm hairs are drifting all over
> tank like snow, attaching themselves to the plants like persistant green
> cobwebs. Photos are
>
<http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/maxx8/lst?.dir=/Aquarium+Photos/Algae&.src=ph&.o
rder=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/>here
>
<http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/maxx8/lst?.dir=/Aquarium+Photos/Algae&.src=ph&.o
rder=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/>.
>
<http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/maxx8/lst?.dir=/Aquarium+Photos/Algae&.src=ph&.o
rder=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/>
>
> I checked the nutrient levels in the tank. Phosphate, Nitrate, Fe,
> ammonia, nitite is not detectable chelated and non; pH is 6.8, GH is
> 20dGH and KH is 70dKH. All the time I had been injecting CO2 to
> maintain ph and plants. Seeing no measurable nutrients i began adding
> fertilizer (flourish micronutrient suppliment). Thing just got worse.
> Now it is early Feb and my folks are coming to visit Texas from Ohioand
> I wanted to make sure that the tank looked presentable. I reduced the
> light to 8-hours and just one bank of lights and stopped CO2 injection.
> The algae nearly disappeared just as my folks arrived but now the stems
> are stretching with the innernode length getting long making the plants
> look somewhat stringy. I cut them back increased the light and whamo,
> the algae takes off again.
>
> So now I've decided to turn on the lights on fullblast, CO2 inject,
> fertilize like crazy and just sit back and watch the battle and see who
> comes out on top.
>
> Anyone know what kind of algae that I'm battling?
>
>
> John
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