10 months already since my last post!
10 months of misery in fact, I fight with filamentous algae (unicellular algae after giving " green water"). A proliferation point of obtaining handles each week ... And with consequences on my plants and my fish ...
I finally decided to do a great blow at the end of the summer, removing the fat root, thoroughly cleaning each other, removing the most affected plants and cleaning up all the others. I handed the sand, bought plants growing very fast put a little fertilizer, and the boat begins to look better ... but still very far from my original ambitions! ;)
October 7, 2005: a "new" bin
Again, I look for reasons to act.
We often talk too much nitrates and / or phosphates (but not my case: I bought a lot of testing to discover that my nitrate level is at 0 in fact, as my blood phosphate) or an imbalance between the two rates (the optimum ratio would be 10 against 1).
In my case, I think the lighting is concerned, its power and its duration. The establishment of an additional T5 seems to have been the source of algae in both cases (when he allowed me to reach the famous "rule" for the 1W 2L). I've gone from a light 12-T8-T5 +12 h +6 h 12pm-T8-T5 to counter the green water, and now only 10am-T8.
Furthermore, I express the assumption that the roots (some?) Encourage algae, without necessarily being the cause.
For now, the algae are still present but in small quantities and they no longer proliferate, even they subside. They are opposed by a weaker light, plants grow very fast, some are even known to produce substances anti-algae.
Note that plants grow very well with this lighting. It is also true that I use fertilizer, CO2, iron, whose impact on plant growth seems more important than that of light, without adverse effect, such as algae. To be continued to confirm ...
Some plants' anti-algae (site Tropica ):
- Ceratophyllum demersum
- Ceratopteris thalictroides
- Egeria densa (Elodea)
- Gymnocoronis spilanthoides (but do not grow very well in my tank)
However, I followed the advice of many hobbyists: Do not use so-called miracles cons algae! They are often ineffective ... or too efficient!
