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I started this tank about 6 weeks ago.
It's a 60p, with an Aquasky light using Tropica soil, Fluval 106 filter and pressurized co2.
Currently stocked with:
2 German Blue Rams
10 Rasbora Erythromicron
2 Otocilincus
1 Amano Shrimp
Last readings (and very typical for the last month)
pH: 6.6
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
dKH: 70ppm
Temp: 24.5
I used filter media from my shrimp tank, so it was instantly cycled.
Fish seem happy, and plants are growing like crazy.
I started off dosing no ferts, and an 8 hour light and co2 period.
Within a couple weeks algae was starting to grow, first is was a vivid green, fine stringy hair algae, it got worse
and worse and was growing on everything. Glass, diffuser, plants, substrate everything.
I started to fight it:
Started to dose excel everyday (3ml a day). Upon advice from my local aquarium store, I started to add alkaline buffers
to increase my dKH (it was basically 0) to try get it it up to around 4 dKH, and alter my co2 levels to get my pH to around 6.8.
Started dosing with Tropica Specialized Fertilizer. Also reduced the light period to 6 hours.
All of a sudden, the green algea turned brown/olive and I thought it may have died.
Alas no, the brown algae is now even worse.
Within a few days its clogging up my filter, and growing in huge hairy bushes everywhere in the tank.
With a bit of work, i can clean it up, get the tank looking reasonably clean,
but it will be back within a few days.
I thought perhaps it was getting too much light where it was outside of the lights being on, so
for the last few days I've had it covered. It wouldn't have been a total blackout, but close.
Still the same, huge clumps of algae.
I'm not sure what to do at this point, I was thinking about a total blackout, but not sure how long
I should do that before the fish started to suffer. Any help would be appreciated.
Some pictures below.
One cleaning effort.
It's a 60p, with an Aquasky light using Tropica soil, Fluval 106 filter and pressurized co2.
Currently stocked with:
2 German Blue Rams
10 Rasbora Erythromicron
2 Otocilincus
1 Amano Shrimp
Last readings (and very typical for the last month)
pH: 6.6
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
dKH: 70ppm
Temp: 24.5
I used filter media from my shrimp tank, so it was instantly cycled.
Fish seem happy, and plants are growing like crazy.
I started off dosing no ferts, and an 8 hour light and co2 period.
Within a couple weeks algae was starting to grow, first is was a vivid green, fine stringy hair algae, it got worse
and worse and was growing on everything. Glass, diffuser, plants, substrate everything.
I started to fight it:
Started to dose excel everyday (3ml a day). Upon advice from my local aquarium store, I started to add alkaline buffers
to increase my dKH (it was basically 0) to try get it it up to around 4 dKH, and alter my co2 levels to get my pH to around 6.8.
Started dosing with Tropica Specialized Fertilizer. Also reduced the light period to 6 hours.
All of a sudden, the green algea turned brown/olive and I thought it may have died.
Alas no, the brown algae is now even worse.
Within a few days its clogging up my filter, and growing in huge hairy bushes everywhere in the tank.
With a bit of work, i can clean it up, get the tank looking reasonably clean,
but it will be back within a few days.
I thought perhaps it was getting too much light where it was outside of the lights being on, so
for the last few days I've had it covered. It wouldn't have been a total blackout, but close.
Still the same, huge clumps of algae.
I'm not sure what to do at this point, I was thinking about a total blackout, but not sure how long
I should do that before the fish started to suffer. Any help would be appreciated.
Some pictures below.



One cleaning effort.
