My planted tank makes me want to throw-up

[Lady Hobbs]

I can't believe how much effort and money goes into planting a tank to have it look as mine does. I've never seen so many diatoms in my life.

I'm about 5 minutes from ripping the whole thing apart and tossing every plant in the thing but then I'm out the money for the lights.

grrrrrrr

[GouramiGal]

Sorry to hear you are frustrated Lady Hobbs. Just remember, even your tank on a bad day is a thousand times better than anything I could do. :ezpi_wink1:

Besides, don't they say, it's they journey, not the destination?:thumb:

[Lady Hobbs]

Any dummy can grow brown plants. LOL

[Tolley]

This is exactly why i don't want to spend lots of money on a planted tank. Let alone have the brains for worrying about ferts and co2.

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:thumb:

[Billythefish]

Im sorry to here your having trouble lady hobbs, im getting the imperssion from many people that planted tanks are harder to keep than (sw) tanks, i think i'll avoid them like the plague

[Incredulous_Ed]

Yep, and I have virtually no algae in my lanted tank and everything is growing great. Sorry, just had to rub it in.

[Fishalicious]

Make sure you don't throw up in the direction of the tank...just cause more work :ezpi_wink1:

Jokes aside..I think you are trying too hard!!! I am sorry to hear it is not going as you want though...

What plants have you got and how much...what's your NO3 and PO4? and your lighting?

Pretty sure we can work out where it is going wrong

[slogoat]

brown huh? My big anubias plant has one big leaf that has been turning yellow over the past few days. It started as a yellow spot and its taking over the whole leaf. I haven't noticed this on any of the other leaves, or any other plants in general in my tank. Any ideas?

[Fishalicious]

It's a sign of not enough Iron slogoat...put a iron root tab by the roots of the plant and it should pick up again

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Yeah Hobbs....my tank quickly got overrun with brown crap on everything. It's slowly recovering with me trying to do a few things about it.

Increased the lighting by 5-10%, just got my CO2 back up and running, trying to lower my PO4 and nitrates a little.

Over the past 2 weeks i've noticed new growth that isn't instantly covered in brown stuff so i think the worst is behind me.

Let us all know what your lighting, chemical readings and all that so we can figure it out for you.

[Sounguru]

My planted tank has some brown, some green, some squishy stuff, and oh yea some plants too.

Funny thing is I like it more than these perfect planted tanks. When I go out to the lake and look around everything I see in my tank I see in the lake. So I figure my tank is closer to nature and processes itself quite well since all my water conditions are spot on.

Plus my fish really like sifting thru the debris ....

Yes I do regular water changes and vaccum where I can...

[Lady Hobbs]

For one thing, I have naturally high phosphates and keeping them down has been a problem. I assume if I have high phosphates that I have high silicates? And I have planted in sand/gravel so no end to the silica.

Before people decide to plant in sand, they should really test their tap water for silicates. If it's already too high, adding sand is just adding to the problem.

What I need to do is remove all that substrate and put in a planting media and get a silica phosphate/silica decreaser. Already we're talking like $150 and I am so not wanting to put any more money into this tank. This stupid tank has delayed me getting my 75 gallon now for months.

The plants are growing well. It's just the ugliness of all that diatom.

Lights are 130 watt over a 55 gallon. Left on 12 hours a day. Dosing now with nothing but half doses of Flourish twice a week. Water changes of 50% weekly.

[fins_n_fur]

I so feel for you! I don't even want to add up what I have spent on plants and all that goes with it only to constantly have this brown algae problem. Don't give up hope...post your info, and we'll do what we can to help. My tank is just <crosses fingers and anyother bits of me that will cross> starting to come around now, I think, finally. The hard thing, I think, is that whatever change you make, you have to give it some time before making the next one. It is indeed frustrating when you think you have made one positive change, and you don't see any results for a while and then think, should I try another tack, or should I wait. Be darned helpful if the plants could talk or telepath what they are needing LOL.

Edit: Just saw your post. Can you take a picture of the algae to confirm exactly what kind of algae you have?

[Dave66]

Puke not, Hobbs my friend. If you can get your Co2 up to 30 ppm, the diatoms will fade away . . .
Marc Weiss's Phosphate/Silicate Magnet will help you with your Phosphate troubles, Lady. Just drop a bag of it into your filter.
Bag of Chemi-Pure will stabilize everything.

Dave

[Lady Hobbs]

Chemi-Pure and the Phosphate Silicate Magnet? I was just reading that Chemi-Pure constains silicate/phosphate remover so should I use both?

I wipe the plants and then my waters a mess because it's floating all over to just start up again somewhere else.

[Dave66]

The Chemi clarifies and stabilizes most, Hobbsy. It uses mixed bed resins to remove inorganic phosphate, which is what comes out of your tap, and the Weiss stuff removes the organic phosphate that your tank naturally produces and silicates with iron oxide pellets. Between the two of them you'll be diatom free and your tank will be clear and beautiful. Got to reduce both the organic and inorganic phosphate down to natural levels, dear, to solve your algae troubles.
I use Chemi-Pure in all my freshwater tanks and have for years as it keeps them crystal clear.

Dave

[krisco]

Dave makes it all seem so easy. I have been a lucky one and have not had any algae problems like this. I had a little hair algae, but the excel i put in took care of that. My co2 system is a little weak, so i supplement with the excel.

[smaug]

Maybe a good puke IN the tank is called for:c10: Could be there is a nutrient the plants are lacking,,,,,,,,,,,,,could help,,,,,,,,,,,,,if its as bad as you say it couldnt hurt ,huh?

[Fishguy2727]

Not to show off but I always thought planted was tough too. I don't know exactly what I am doing that is making it work right, I think it may be the balance concept.

My tank has a little over one watt per gallon and has a lot of plants that are supposedly high light. My cabomba is redder at the surface, a sign that the light is enough to not need the more efficient green pigment, but rather the red. Same with the red bacopa.

The thing that stands out to me is the lighting. With that much light on you have to balance it with carbon (usually with CO2), temperature, fertilizers, etc. Without that balance there will be issues. It sounds like between the excess nutrients that algae love and the excess light, the algae is just going nuts.

On a side note, Estes' Marine Sand is coated with a safe polymer making it completely chemically inert. I believe Hobbs uses sand from another source like a pool or hardware store (can't remember which so I can't say). This may be something people need to take into consideration when deciding on which sand to use.

[Evil Slimy]

Hobbs, have you tried the simpler things first?

Simpler setups are much easier to troubleshoot and you can't fix the problem until you know what is causing it. I know you tried a lot of things, but it might be time to be more systematic about it.

I would reset the tank with large daily water changes for a week, remove any/all chemical filtration. No carbon, no phosphate removers, no other oddities.

Then here are some things to try, preferably one at a time:

Change your water source (use DI/RO/bottled water) for two or three weeks and see if things improve. If they do, you'll know the problem is your water source.

Use E.I. dosing, keeping co2 (or excel) and fertilizers daily at the correct levels and again wait two or three weeks to see improvements. Don't need to test anything. Just dose the recommended amounts for your tank size and type daily.

Check your lights and make sure they are the correct color temperature (they degrade as they get older) and that they are on for 10 hours a day? Again it would take two to three weeks to see improvements.

[Lady Hobbs]

Everything says the phosphates/silicates have to be reduced. My phosphates come from the tap at 2 and I have no tester for the silicates so know that's got to be high as well. In addition, I am using Play Sand with gravel so the sand is also releasing silicates constantly.

I have tried dosing with dry ferts and not dosing with dry ferts. I have tried Flourish in full doses and half doses. I have left the lights on longer and for less time. I have used and not used CO2.

I believe I have got to get rid of that sand and get a new phosphate/silicate remover before I can even think of the other stuff. And about 1000 Otto's.

Plants are growing........just look like (can't say it here) holy heck!

[slogoat]

It's a sign of not enough Iron slogoat...put a iron root tab by the roots of the plant and it should pick up again

Thanks alot! I'll give that a try. Sorry Hobbs, didn't mean to take away from your thread, it just seemed all the plant gurus already made it here anyway so I may as well ask haha

[Evil Slimy]

Everything says the phosphates/silicates have to be reduced.
I thought you had tried phosphate removers already in the past.
Either way, keep in mind that if algae articles always worked, nobody would have algae problems. Most times the parameters, water source and maintenance routine in your tank are unique enough to create new or different situations so you are the only one that can find a solution that works for you and it can take a long time.

[fins_n_fur]

Most times the parameters, water source and maintenance routine in your tank are unique enough to create new or different situations so you are the only one that can find a solution that works for you and it can take a long time.
Well said!

[reef12]

For one thing, I have naturally high phosphates and keeping them down has been a problem. I assume if I have high phosphates that I have high silicates? And I have planted in sand/gravel so no end to the silica.

Before people decide to plant in sand, they should really test their tap water for silicates. If it's already too high, adding sand is just adding to the problem.

What I need to do is remove all that substrate and put in a planting media and get a silica phosphate/silica decreaser. Already we're talking like $150 and I am so not wanting to put any more money into this tank. This stupid tank has delayed me getting my 75 gallon now for months.

The plants are growing well. It's just the ugliness of all that diatom.

Lights are 130 watt over a 55 gallon. Left on 12 hours a day. Dosing now with nothing but half doses of Flourish twice a week. Water changes of 50% weekly.

Increase your Fert to once A day if heavy planted and use Co2.

Use Fert to first screw thread on cap.

Might have to change the sand,try Eco complete or along those lines you won't be sorry.

Hope this helps.