Okay, so my plants are starting to get a bit of algae on them. I am now using a CO2 system and the plants are growing faster but so is the algae. running t5 108w setup on my 55 gal about 8 hours a day. I want the plants to grow super fast like they are but I want to keep the algae down, what should I do?? my fish try and eat the algae but it seems to grow too fast for them to keep up with. Ive been manually scraping the algae off the leaves to try and help. any help would be nice. thanks!

I have some oto catfish and they are amazing at eating algae. Cleared my 27 gallon tank in just a few days. They do not grow more than two inches long. Once they have finished tidying up and don't have much to graze on, they love blanched zucchini. Get more than one as they are stressed if kept alone.

I have 5 of them in my tank already, they look like the same thing at least. mine are called chinese algae eaters. they help but dont get it all and my leaves are still wilting in places from algae. thanks for the suggestion! any others? (I was actually thinking about going and getting another 2 or 3 chinese algae eaters anyway)

HI Joe,

Chinese algae eaters do look a bit similar, but otto's are different. Oto is the short name for Otocinclus affinis. They are actually part of the pleco family but they do not grow more than 2 inches long so will not take over your tank. I have never seen anything like them. They are also very docile and will not try to suck the slime coat off your other fish like chines algae eaters will when they grow. I do recommend you ask to see some at your fish store. If you have an algae problem, google the name and you will see glowing reviews. They do take some time to get used to new surroundings, but if they last the first month, apparently they can live up to ten years.

Cheers,

Grant

Fish or shrimp cannot be your primary means of controlling algae. I find it much easier to control algae by adjusting the lighting period lower.

this is the first time ive heard of this method. where do i get the ferts???
is this all i need?
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Leaf Zone Aquarium Fertilizer - Fish - Sale Category - PetSmart
if so i can swing by petsmart tomorrow and grab some

so Grant, more about my Chinese algae eaters. will they be harmful to my fish in the future? I was not advised of this when I bought them. Ill look into the otos they sound neat. thanks

2-T5HO lights over a 55g tank is in the high light category, assuming the light is 20" above the substrate. He definitely needs to be on some regular dosing regime, dosing micro and macro nutrients. More info: _Dosing Regime's_

okay so I purchased a large bottle of Flourish
.07% N
0.01% P2O3
0.37% K2O
0.14% Ca
0.11%Mg
0.2773% S
.009% B
1.15% Cl
.0004% Co
0.0001%Cu
0.32% Fe
0.0118% Mn
0.0009% Mo
0.13%Na
0.0007%Zn

this is the exact percentages of each element in the bottle. I used 5 ml which was the recommended dose for a 60 gal (i have a 55 so close enough)

is this all I need or am I missing any nutrients?
thanks =D

Flourish can provide most of your micros but will not do anything for macros, or N, P, K.

but i thought thats what P2O3 was for... and K2O...

the oxygen molecules make them dissoluble in water because its much easier to break a P2O3 bond than it is to break a P2 bond. same with the Potassium. so why is it not getting any N, P, or K because they are listed in the ingredients?

Edit: and on this site Aquarium plant fertilizer it says that macro nutrients are P, N, Cl, Ca, Mg, K, and S which are all in the fertilizer. do i need more than what is in a dose of the Flourish? Flourish seemed to be the most well balanced between macro and micro.

P.S I have the Co2 system up and running so its getting plenty of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. I run the bubble wall all night to make sure they get plenty of O2. so what more can I do to add macro nutrients AND is it necessary to add more macros? I just want steady growth and no browning on the leaves, so if this Flourish will keep my leaves nice and healthy than Im all set =D


Ive edited this post like 5 times lol, okay so the more I read the more its looking like I just needed the Flourish. It says Macros like H, O, C, and N are all a part of the natural cycle of the tank, H and O from H20, Nitrogen from nitrites and nitrates from ammonia, and C from my CO2 system. all the other elements are in the Flourish and I think they are just trace amounts because not a lot of these elements are needed for plant growth, just mainly N, H, O, and C for photosynthesis so they can make glucose (C6H12O6) and grow nice and big =D. if i am wrong would someone more experienced please point out what part I have made a mistake on? thanks!!!

ALSO (lolz)
I dont want too many macro nutrients because they cause algae, so dosing with micros will keep plant growth up and algae growth down? <--- (assumption)

Florish may have trace amounts of many things, but it is not a source for macro nutrients. Some people have dosed in place of micro nutrients but most will dose CSM+Boron.

That may be a full list of macros, but the main needed ones are N (usually dosed as KNO3), P (usually dosed as KH2PSO4) and K (covered sufficiently in the previous two). Mg and Ca are in tap water or dosed in GH Booster - where the sulfates are covered and more K.

If I were you, I would get the Micro Macro Mix and dose that. Start out with dosing 1-2 times a week and see how you plants do on that - adjust from there. It will be light years ahead of Flourish and will last you a couple of years - all for the same price as 1 bottle of Flourish. Liquid ferts just aren't suited for high-tech tanks - too costly.

The whole methodology of EI is to have no limiting factors for plant growth or overdose to some extent. That is why you do a 50% weekly water change.

okay so the only element I am missing is K, because I have a pretty stocked tank (28 fish) and I think they make plenty of nitrogen through nitrites and nitrates, and if i need more cant I just... feed my fish more..? I have access to plenty of potassium at my school, would it be okay to add solid K in powder form? =D

Also, should I add an extra bit of the micro nutrients to my tank since this is the first time ive ever added micro nutrients and my plants have been kind of deprived?

Hi Joe,

As you have already got the chinese algae eaters on your tank, I would not add any otos at this time, as they would be competing for the same food. In my experience, CAE's were the only fish of its type in the UK, so that is what I used to keep. They only became a problem when they got very large, and that was only with smaller, timid fish.

It sounds like you will be going the chemical route, so I am sure that your problem will be resolved soon anyway - keep us informed!

Grant

You can try to piece things together if you want. The mixture I mentioned is $12, same price as a bottle of Flourish, but will do much more. I would just do it right and get it. You would have to play around with dosing amounts if you tried to piece together. Too much of a hassle to me. That mixture will have you mix an amount of water with the mix and then dose drops. Can't beat the ease of it.