# Algae outbreak in 25-gallon planted Natural aquarium



## kheops (Aug 4, 2017)

Hello,

I started into aquascaping a month ago.

This is my setup:

1. 60H ADA tank (60cm x 45cm x 45cm)
2. Amazonia New substate, Amazonia powder on top, powersand
3. Seryu rocks
3. Satellite freshwater LED+ Pro --> http://current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/satellite-led-fixtures/satellite-led-pro/
4. Lights are on 12hours. Aquarium in sunny living room. No direct sun on it though.
5. CO2 injection 2 bps
6. Fertilizer Tropica Premium Fertilizer
7. Eheim filter 2213
8. inline 300 watts heater
9. KH is around 5dkh
10. Temp at 26 Celcius
11. Plants: utricularia graminifolia
vesicularia dubiana
fissidens fontanus
taxiphyllum spiky (not installed in the tank yet)

Fertilizer 6ml once a week when change 50%++ water.

Last week I had a total outbreak of algaes. I lost 75% of my tetra cardinals.

My ultricularia that was growing roots and seemed healthy started turning yellow.

I searched a bit on the net and I ended up buying Metricide 28.

I used 7.5 ml with a water change and now 1.5ml a day.

I also reduced lighting hours as well as I changed the lighting settings.

I was also contaminated with a few snails with the taxiphyllum which wasn't a 1-2 grow.

How do I deal with the algae?
How do I deal with the CO2, temp and lighting?
How do I deal with the snails ? I might buy clea helena snails (4 of them; assassin snails).

Share you experience. I'll be greatful!

These are pictures I just took. I changed the water yesterday and removed most algaes.

























Thanks


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## Redshrimp2709 (Mar 21, 2016)

Kheops, I empathize with your situation. 3 years ago I set up my 90 gallon planted tank. At the time I was rusty with aquascaping and new techniques that have just been developed within the past 10 years (I left the hobby more than 15 years ago). Within two months of the set up, I faced an algae bloom just like yours. This went on for another 1.5 months, with almost daily removal, by hand, of the same or similar algae that is shown in your photos. Unfortunately the algae bloom must take its course. It's a matter of complex factors, perhaps not yet discovered and understood that are in flux, struggling to achieve a balance in a new set up. 

Some factors however that we do know that make a new aquarium vulnerable are:

* plants have yet to full establish their root system and fully activate their leaves underwater, which prevents them to effectively compete against algae

* combinations of bacteria have yet to achieve a balance in their populations all over your aquarium. If your tank will have softer water, more acidic water, read up on nitrifying bacteria. You may see that there's no use in buying products to inoculate your tank, as the strains carried in liquid bacteria formulas may not be what is actually nitrifying species. 

* achieve a history of consistency with pH, lighting, and CO2 - which I'm sure you have a timer for the lights, not sure about your CO2 , and how's your pH in terms of fluctuations?

SUGGESTIONS:

Do you have too much light? I took out two T5 tubes out of the 4, and I had Kessils. With less light, my algae bloom disappeared almost immediately. Now, as mentioned above, it could be a coincidence and it was really my tank that happened to have achieved equilibrium at the same time as me reducing the lights. Who knows; try and see. 12 hours in duration is on the longer end of the recommended range. Since you have a new tank experiencing an algae bloom, how about reducing it instantly to 8 to 10 hours per day at least for the next two months?

Other than letting it run its course, you may have to plant more plants. I suggest buying or trading with other aquarists in the forum community. The reason being aside from the non-retail price, they are grown submerged in almost all cases. They are generally grown in better water and fertilization, than at a store. They do not need time to readjust to a submerged environment. Just looking at your photos, you need more plants to have a better chance against the algae. 

I ramble. That's it for now. Good luck!


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## Redshrimp2709 (Mar 21, 2016)

Oh, look up the dry-start and "ebb and flow" aquascaping set up methods. In the future, if you ever choose to set up a new tank or re-setup your current one, these methods are more effective than filling the tank from the start.


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## kheops (Aug 4, 2017)

Thank you for your replies. Very helpful insights.

I added today:

- 9w AA UV green killing machine because the water gets a bit cloudy.

- Ecotech Marine MP10QD/MP10wQD

- ITSA inline reactor (I replaced the CO2 diffuser)

- 4 assassin snails (clea helena) to get rid of all other snails.

- Tropica Specialized fertilizer. Dosing is the same at the Premium fertilizer


Tomorrow, I will get more plants as a temporary setup.

I will post back pictures within a few days.

Thank you again


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I agree with Redshrimp. New tank syndrome. Tanks take awhile to mature. There is products and ways out there to help speed up the process but in the end mother nature decides when the tank is full established.

You never posted Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia levels? Ada gives off a bunch of Ammonia when its new. If the biological system wasnt ready for that load you will see that with high ammonia levels. Test your Ammonia. If its high than thats what killed the cardinals.

Id also recommend cutting the hours back to 8 hrs or less. Once things balance out you can start increasing the lights hours on.

Ive never tried the dry start but lots of people have and say it works well. One thing to concider when buying plants is are they in the emersed state or submerged. If you buy the plants in the cups fish stores sell. You are taking a plant thats been growing emersed, sinking it (submerged) which stresses the plant in many ways. Even plants sold to you that are under water, may have been recently cut growing emersed. The store than Submerges them, unknown to you. You bring it home and within a few weeks the plant has melted away. This is why the dry start is more effective. Plants grow better emersed. Than slowly submerging them. Do the transition to fast the plants will suffer.

heres a link for people to understand that. Not saying you dont. Its for anyone reading this that doesnt know about plant transitions in water
Transitioning Aquarium Plants from Emersed to Submersed

Id also recommend to anyone with a planted tank to buy 1 or 2 Crossocheilus Reticulatus. They are algae eating machines. I even have a very large one in my African tank. He keeps it spotless


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Are you using a drop checker? Bubble counters aren't exactly reliable. Algae shouldn't be killing your fish. It's either a) new tank syndrome as the others above have mentioned, b) too much co2, or c) diseased fish.

Also, with new fertilizer rich substrate you want to be doing water changes fairly regularly. 1st week of setting up the new tank, I would do water changes x2-x3. 2nd and 3rd week: x2 per week. 4th week and on: x1 per week. This will minimize algae and also ammonia poisoning with your fish.

Good move on the UV - that will definitely help.


Ps, be patient. New tank syndrome will last at LEAST 3-4 months.


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