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Sounds a lot like excel vs. bba. Always a temporary fix. It is better to attack the cause rather than the effect IMO. Good CO2 levels(30ppm and up) and proper levels of macronutrients will always win out over bba. I know, I had the problem too. I think everyone with plants eventually does. Sooner rather than later, often.

If you are going to use the spot treatment, I'd use it after correcting the problem first. This will speed up the disappearance of the problem algae and will not come back.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hi Matty

It came in on a val plant, potassium permanganate dip didn't kill it

FKJ opened up a new method for me.
For the hydrogen peroxide (hp) I like the idea of baths over spot treatments, hp can easily burn the gills out on a fish, which makes me very nervous on it's use in the tank. Outside the tank with driftwood or tank hardware I can up the concentration. I like using this stuff over bleach or potassium permanganate I think Definately hits the bba. A quick rinse after and throw it back in the tank, unlike bleach or pp which requires more thorough rinsing and dechloriminating.

I think it'd make a more effective snail dip then pp too, (I've watched pond snails swim in pp solution for 48 hours, I removed from the bowl still living and tossed in the trash) Maybe a 1ml dose hp into a bowl then throw the plants in for half an hour or more.

The bba is dying off and the fish are nibbling it. There's a bit here and there in the flourite I'm going to pick it out and toss it. I need to pick thru it to remove strands of moss before throwing the next type in anyway
(yes, I make more work for myself)

I'm dosing the following as of yesterday.
Flourish excel and comprehensive, plus 'roll your own'
potassium & trace elements. My gh/kh is high so not sure if I have to dose iron in addition to the above. My nitrates average 30ppm in both tanks.

Also my 10g was getting overstocked and I think the ammonium from the fish waste contributed to green algae in there. I've sold some endlers and snails from there to reduce bioload. That tank has diy co2 in a hagen unit. I'm going to change that a bit and feed the tube into a fine wood airstone and suction cup that under the ladder so that the bubbles going in are already tiny. Hoping it'll squeeze out a little more co2 absorption.

The Amazon Nut...

Made $70. selling excess endlers, plants and snails on the weekend. Lotsa najas grass and snails left to sell plus 'knicknacks'. More dwarf hairgrass plus some E tenellus will be coming in (trading for an endler trio)

Bought these so far, Ozelot sword with red in it, brazilian micro swords, Excel, Fert tabs 0-0-6 plus iron in it. I hope they're ok, they're still in their bags from yesterday. D'oh !



The Amazon Nut...

Stopped at the dollar store today, bought tweezers that had a 45 degree angle on the end, should help planting small stuff. Then to the pharmacy for an oral medication dispenser (basically a plastic syringe) for measuring hydrogen peroxide It's almost the weekend and I think I'm going plant shopping on saturday or sunday

The Amazon Nut...

I seem to be totally unable to do anything tank related this week. I'm lacking inspiration, or just missing someone methinks. Ah well, tomorrow's another day. I'll give myself a kick in the arse then and get some stuff done. In the meantime, the 'to do list' grows. At least I washed my dishes ? Mark that on the calendar people, it doesn't happen every day Still waiting on the e tenellus and more hairgrass trade, hopefully tomorrow.







The Amazon Nut...

Hi,
I personally would bin the plants on the left hand side (god, i cant remembe any names of plants, but i think they're called Elodea? or something silly) and replace then with something a bit neater looking all across the back, then infront of those plant some smaller plants, then in front of those some dwarf hairgrass or something to give it a bit of depth and cleanliness.
I'd also clean the sponge that is in the middle of the tank mate

Hey Mez

Bit of maintenance on the 10 tonight. Fighting a bit of green algae in there so wanted to make easier access, improve water movement, and more light to get down to the moss.

I binned 90% of my plant mass (mostly excess najas and amazon frogbit), thinned the snails, 40% water change, shallow vaccing half the gravel on the process. Dropped in more H zosterifolia that I bought from the fishstore. And cleaned the filter intake so now getting some water movement. Finished with a fresh batch of co2 mix.

The erect moss wasnt all gone like I feared, 2 or 3 very tiny strands still attached to it's wood bit. There might be hope ! The zipper moss has about 9 new shoots, which is surprising. The person that sold it to me had a very high tech tank, and couldn't grow it. I have a name to live up to ya know ! ROFL.

For the next little bit this tank will get no nutrients, a reduced light period, reduced feeding, and a couple water changes a week until the green algae is gone.

The 10g plant list.

01. Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium Laevigatum)
02. Najas Grass (Najas graminea)
03. Asian Ambulia (Limnophila sessiliflora)
04. Star Grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia)
05. Pearlgrass (Hemianthus micranthemoides)
06. S polyrhiza (a giant duckweed type, with purple underside)
07. Cardamine Lyrata
08. Moss - Erect
09. Moss - Christmas
10. Moss - Fissidens Zeppelianus (Zipper Moss)

I bought thin vals too like val nana but dropped those in the 40 for now.

I'll change the plants etc around once the algae is gone, good suggestions thanks for your input

Now that I think about it, a cap of excel wouldn't hurt either.



The Amazon Nut...

Hi,
Another page, another set of picture (hint), please

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I'll do that, after tai chi class, and cleaning the front glass a tad

The Amazon Nut...

A sneak preview, presenting Xmas Moss !





The Amazon Nut...

Wow MossMan......I wish I had your enthusiasm for my tanks!
If you lived a lot closer than Canada I would buy some of those Endlers off you! You lucky thing!
Good goin' on the tanks!
Hope you feel energetic again soon!

Hi Patty

"I wish I had your enthusiasm for my tanks!"
Me too !! ROFL.

"If you lived a lot closer than Canada I would buy some of those Endlers off you! You lucky thing!" - maybe one of these days I'll learn to ship fish. There's some nice ones on aquabid, lots of U.S. sellers. Are there any fish clubs near you ?

"Good goin' on the tanks!" - Thanks I appreciate it

"Hope you feel energetic again soon!"
So do I, lots of work to do in the 40g still, plus want to rig up a diy co2 setup. Considering a flourite black sand substrate change-over too but need $$$ ! Going to start throwing my change in a jar to save up. I might add some red cherry shrimp to the 10g as well.

The Amazon Nut...

lol i love my RCS! they are so cute and great... defiatley add them!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

"lol i love my RCS! they are so cute and great... defiatley add them!!!"

I had them when I lived in Aurora but the ph and gh were liquid rock. Should go better now I'm hoping !

I had my 5g hex up for sale for $15. or trade, someone's offered me 10 shrimp for it. So we'll see



The Amazon Nut...

10 shrimp is worth the asking price, but are you making enough on the asking price? ask for 15 shrimp as a fair trade or some plant clippings along with the 10...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I'm thinking keep the hex now I'm sure I'll find some use for it in the future again. I just want 5 shrimp to try in the 10. My neighbor may have some 10 min away

The other person might have german blue rams though so the mental hum and haw is whirring away...

The Amazon Nut...

You seem to have a lot of energy & enthusiasm for your tanks right now Looking forward to seeing your RCS. I have some glass shrimps in one of my tanks. RCS are much cuter, but are both really expensive & hard to find over here. Keep up the hard work.

Cheers
TW

Thanks Robyn

I spent over 4 hours cleaning the 40g last night. Picking out gravel that had bba on it and deep vaccing with a siphon that is too small lol. L dorsigera juvies coming soon, want to reduce tds. Half the tank left to vac then working on planting some microswords, thread-leaf vals and re-position others. The few crypts left might be pulled to start from scratch. The bba is 99 percent gone from the 40g. Some of the new plants in both tanks a bit more challenging so forcing my hand at paying attention to maintenance. Since the light upgrades I have a bit of algae in both tanks. (overdosing fert didn't help so wanting to 'reset' the water and reduce light for a bit)

40g plant list
01. Vallisneria natans var. Thread-Leaf
02. Jungle Val (Vallisneria americana)
03 Red Rubin Sword (Echinodorus Rubin)
04. Brazilian Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis Braziliensis)
05. Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula)
06. Hygrophila polysperma 'Sunset'
07. Downoi (Pogostemon helferi)
08. Ozelot Sword
09. Java Fern Wendelov (Lace)
10. Rotala indica ?
11. Crypt undulata copper
12. Crypt wendtti – bronze, mi-oya, tropica
13. Crypt becktti

Still to contact my neighbor on the shrimp, take pics of the 40 and want to work on some plant profiles for here too.




The Amazon Nut...