New Aquascaping aquarium establishment

[Fishfur]

Hi, I'm baffeld whether to increase light duration from a solid 8 hr to 9 hrs.
I notice photosynthesis is still taking place, the tank is mature with a relatively pretty good plant load.

Have you heard the saying, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”?

You clearly like to tinker with with details but if l is well, why risk the potential for algae growth to be triggered by extra light?

Just a thought.

 

[Sagi]

Have you heard the saying, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”?

You clearly like to tinker with with details but if l is well, why risk the potential for algae growth to be triggered by extra light?

Just a thought.

Yes, you're right. The 8hr wasn't giving algae blooms, classic light duration.
I do like getting into details in this hobby, this way I get to understand what is going on in the tank, and proved itself by the ability to Get over the infestations completely

Essentially, once you have balanced your tank, unless you really mess up something, there's no much left to do.

Then one can have time to mix salts ingredients for a diy fertilize

Though there is this plant I still can't manage, eleocharis parvula

 

[Fishfur]

Yes, you're right. The 8hr wasn't giving algae blooms, classic light duration.
I do like getting into details in this hobby, this way I get to understand what is going on in the tank, and proved itself by the ability to Get over the infestations completely

Essentially, once you have balanced your tank, unless you really mess up something, there's no much left to do.

Then one can have time to mix salts ingredients for a diy fertilize

Though there is this plant I still can't manage, eleocharis parvula

I think anyone growing plants in tanks has a plant or plants that fall in that category .

 

[Sagi]

It's like a blog
Anyway, just performed a wc after two weeks of not doing, and just after a couple of days of increasing the light intensity from (a solid) 40% to 50%,
you can’t see it likethat, but on Strict examination there are very separate very very sporadic string algae. Reduced the intensity to 40%.
This is indeed a very powerful lighting, it looks like I won't go over the 50% with that lighting.

What would be the conditions of a tank needing more intense lightning ?
That is, who uses those extreme light intensities, those high techs?

 

[Sagi]

If I have this main cryptocoryne plus these runners and also vallisneria producing runners, then a lot of nutrients are being consumed from the soil..

 

[Sagi]

Deleted post, will find something to post

 

[Sagi]

What's with this forum with the forbidden ?
Anyway, the cryptocoryne runner plus another one, were severed and moved near the main plant. The whole been divided and constrained by two lego sheets that was precisely cut to fit for entire substrate level plus a bit above, I guess no cryptocoryne runners can overcome the partition..

 

[Sagi]

Some of the cryptocoryne leaves are shading the Hemianthus glomeratus, preventing it from receiving adequate amount of light, and I don't want to prune those, any special apparatus for hanging them? I thought about some sort of delicate net

It is known that when space is available, cryptocoryne leaves are lying around

I have this thing with the pogostemon erectus, it develops aerial roots extremely long, I haven't measured but roughly up to 20 cm, however the supposedly vigorous roots inside substrate is shallow.
I suppose this is due to not enough substrate particularly in that section, so it develops aerial roots to consume nutrients from the water cullomn.

Another possible reason is that plants do this when the substrate is depleted of nutrients, ..for more like root feeders like pogostemon erectus.

Any recommendations?

 

[Sagi]

Just strict trimmed most of the tank, from not understandable layout towards what is intending to be, dutch style tank.

 

[Sagi]

The plants thickness is not satisfying, something is missing
Must be light intensity. Light is week aqua 50w, fixture is set 20 cm from the water surface and currently operating on 50%.

 

[Bearcore]

It really doesn’t matter what kind it is so long as it isn’t cyanobacteria, and since that comes off with ease so it can’t be cyano’.

There is no point to attempting to clean off affected leaves - they’re going to die anyway.

Best to remove all plant parts that are affected by the algae and keep only the clean new top growth - virtually always the top growth remains clear of algae but unfortunately, the rest of the plants that are infested are feeding the algae.

So it helps a lot to remove that food resource along with all the algae itself.

Scrub it off any other surface it may have attached to and if it’s on wood or rock, remove those to scrub if at all possible

Before you start the clean up, fill a filter, a spare one (or the main one temporarily), with just plain filter floss and start it running. The floss will catch just about every trace of algae that floats free in the water column while you clean up.

Leave it running for a few hours after you’re done and then you can toss the floss or pick most of the algae out that you can & boil it to use again. The boiling is to kill the algae you can’t get off because you won’t get it all off.

Next steps are to correct the underlying cause of the algae growth - so often this is excess light. Either too intense a light or too many hours of light per day or both. Add a lot of floating cover, or reduce hours or dim the light - or do all those things. Find a happy medium.

With a little luck this intensive cleanup plus managing light (also avoid using fertilizer for a little while and don’t overfeed the fish) will solve most of the problem.

Personally I use algae eating beasties (mostly snails) to help also, because total eradication of algae isn’t really possible.

Algae is a part of nature and next to impossible to eliminate without using a lot of ‘chemical warfare’ , which I think is a terrible idea. Just my opinion - I figure so long as it isn’t taking over the tank, it’s all good.

Well said.

H2O2 is much safer & usually also much cheaper.

I’ve been wanting to try this since stag took over a corner of my last setup. I’ve got peroxide, but scared to spot test with it on some black beard in my current setup because of concern for nearby fish…