toughest battle yet - your suggestions, please

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Sorry for not having any positive advice to give to you Harley as i have never done a planted tank and haven't the slightest clue on how to help you...
Just wanted to say i hope you get this nasty algae bloom under control and identify the problem.
Your tank prior to the massive algae bloom was gorgeous.
GL

 

[HarleyK]

Thanks guys,

H2O2 will be on the tool shelf in case the algae come back. For now, I pretty much quantitatively removed them mechanically.

HarleyK

 

[HarleyK]

Update:

Just over two weeks later. I have been doing the following:

• tripled holes in spray bar to significantly reduce flow velocity in the affected side of my tank.
  Tank video --> HERE <-- You cannot tell the (nominal) 1800 gph turnover rate.
• daily addition of algicidal (Flourish Excel is exactly that, when you look at its selective toxicity) fertilizer
• daily addition of growth stimulant (Kent Pro Plant)
• doubled iron levels to almost 0.2 mg/L (Kent Iron and Manganese)

Result: Fish, shrimp, and plants are happy. No algae have returned.

I'll continue for another couple of weeks and then reduce/phase out Excel and Plant Pro.

Further updates to follow. Wish me luck.
HarleyK

 

[macclellan]

I don't see the drip water changes as necessarily a/the cause, nor the 'high phosphates' since they've been that way for months... Question for you: Is the affected side still high light, and the mass of pennywort going emmersed blocking most of the light on the right, like in the older FTS you posted? If so, it looks like the classic high light + high flow low co2 = BBA. Happens in my tank every time the plant mass gets too high and I don't bump up the pressurized. I suspect lower nitrates might play a role too, but I haven't tested to confirm or falsify that hunch.

Best,
Joel

 

[macclellan]

If you do try hydrogen peroxide, keep in mind H202 doesn't do much of anything dumped in the tank. With the pumps off, use a syringe with 2-3ml per gallon and spot-apply it to the affected areas. Give it ~5 mins to work. I usually follow this with a partial water change because, while it does oxidize pretty fast, it can irritate fish gills. This is much more cost-effective than Excel/glut., especially on larger tanks.

 

[jcardona1]

I don't see the drip water changes as necessarily a/the cause, nor the 'high phosphates' since they've been that way for months... Question for you: Is the affected side still high light, and the mass of pennywort going emmersed blocking most of the light on the right, like in the older FTS you posted? If so, it looks like the classic high light + high flow low co2 = BBA. Happens in my tank every time the plant mass gets too high and I don't bump up the pressurized. I suspect lower nitrates might play a role too, but I haven't tested to confirm or falsify that hunch.

Best,
Joel

he's not adding any co2 to this tank.

btw, glad to hear it's gone for now Harley. let's see if it stays gone

 

[macclellan]

Yeah, I got that, but that doesn't mean the co2 is not low relative to the amount of light.

 

[jcardona1]

Yeah, I got that, but that doesn't mean the co2 is not low relative to the amount of light.

oh gotcha. yeah, that was my suggestion back since this thread started, and why I suggested adding Excel. i think the lighting may be too intense, and it's showing now that the plants have grown and matured more. lighting drives the demand for ferts and co2. more light, more demand or co2/ferts. less light, less demand.

 

[macclellan]

Yeah, in this sort of case (where co2/carbon level can't be controlled, at least not cheaply due to the cost of excel), it's best to raise the lights a few inches if possible after manually removing as much as possible and/or oxidizing it with h202 or nuking it with excel.

Glad to hear the tank has cleared up though, may it stay that way!

 

[HarleyK]

Update:

5 weeks. I reduced Excel and Plant Pro from 20 ml per day to 10 ml per day to complete cessation. Algae have not come back except in one high-flow area: Small patches on the spray bar! I can live with that. Let's hope it stays that way.

HarleyK