About a month ago I started new 20 gallon tank with no CO2. I have 36 watts of lighting, Acuaclear 50 HOB filter, substrate is 0.75" layer of peat with 2" of eco complete on top. I am using EI method for dosing: 1/8 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2PO4, 1/4 tsp Seachem Equilibrium, and no water changes.

I have planted about 70% of the tank, and have just a few fish: one small molly, 2 mickey mouse plattys, and recently added 4 small ottocinclus.


Just about 2 weeks ago I started getting brown algae on the leaves of plants, and yesterday I noticed also BBA starting to grow on corkscrew vals and ludwigia repens. Also, some plants are not growing too well. They are loosing leaves, some leaves are melting, others turning yellow, then brown, and then fall off.

I have no idea, is this just because it's a new tank, or am I missing some nutrients? I thought I should have enough, since I am dosing once a week. Should I do a water change? I am at a loss, and don't want to loose my tank to algae.

I would be gratefull if you have some suggestions.

I think you may have a bit too much light for not having any form of carbon for the plants. You could add Flourish Excel to the fertilizing routine and that would probably be adequate. But, you can't do EI without water changes. You will slowly build up too much of the fertilizers in the water that way. If you dose once a week you will probably avoid that too.

Ramis,

You have what I would call a low light tank. Such a tank does not use nutrients very fast. In fact, it might need dosing once a month, if that often. The excess nutrients can cause algae to grow.

I would suggest that you add fast growing plants to absorb the nutrients that are in the water. I also suggest that you get at least a nitrate and a phosphate test kit (although test kits are anathema here.) The kits should be checked for accuracy. Some have validation solutions enclosed, Seachem being one such vendor.

Newly set-up aquariums often have algae problems. Over time these go away as the aquarium stabilizes.

Good luck!

Bill

Here is a tank currently running that is a NON carbon setup.



I am using the non CO2 method(modified for my conditions) for dosing: 1/8 tsp KNO3(weekly), 3/64 tsp KH2PO4(weekly), 1/4 tsp Seachem Equilibrium(Monthly), and no water changes. Lighting is one T8 17W 24" under AH reflector. Last WC was 12/07 and before that 6/07. Just water top off.



Hand remove what you can and stay on it until you get the upper hand


As said by VaughnH, your lighting is better suited for a carbon tank.

Thank you all for your replies.

Mooner, your tank looks very clean and healthy.

I was thinking that I could just take Tom Barrs EI method for non CO2 tank and use it directly. It looks like I need some adjustments. I thought algae is brought on by nutrient deficiencies, not surplus?

I probably have to give up non CO2 and start dosing excel with 50% water changes weekly. If I do that, should I dose less than I do now?

Some of us, not including me, still believe that excess nutrients or an "unbalanced" tank will cause algae. I used to want to pipe up and say "NO" everytime someone says that, but I don't do that so much now. Algae are also often said to compete with plants for nutrients. And, I don't think that is correct either. (Logically it is certainly incorrect because algae don't have the mass to use anything close to the amount of nutrients even our smallest plants use.)

But, back to your tank: As I understand it, all non-CO2, non-Excel methods start with a nutrient rich substrate. Walstad's method uses ordinary garden soil for the lower level of the substrate. The Barr method says to use one of several substances to give a nutrient rich layer below the top substrate. Then, both methods say to use low light intensity, and rarely change any tank water. Of course there is always a debate over what low light intensity means, but it is less than 2 watts per gallon of AH Supply light kits, for sure.

This tank looks dark due to tannins. Substrate is Leonardite caped with crushed granite. Also used mulm and lite dusting of peat. I started this shortly after my join date to this forum. I started off with an AH 36W CF, waaay to much light. Then backed it off to two T8's. Still to much for this tank. Finally settled on current lighting and it does quite well. Also started way back with less fertz and slowly built up to what it is now. Until two weeks ago, had 8 Precox Rainbows but removed them to add shrimp. Now just shrimp and dwarf cory's.

If this method/tank taught me anything it was how to read plants. I was then able to apply this to Excel tanks, then finally on to CO2. Point is every tank is a little different, and the sooner you learn how to read the tank and be willing to try different approaches the sooner you will succeed. I'm no expert by far, but thanks to Tom and others I'm light years ahead of where I would be otherwise. My advise, read all you can(Barr Report) and ask specific questions. Be willing to try what you are given. No need to re-invent the wheel

The "EI method" applies to CO2. The article for the "non-CO2" is a starting point to provide nutrients to a slow growth system. If you recall in the non-CO2 article the suggested dosing could be weekly or bi-monthly. It depends on how the tank responds. Your tap/well water is different than mine, so you may have to tweak your dosing.


I know the is true because I did it myself. I've added more of certain macros or micros(slowly)and have corrected the issue.


Start with about one third of the "EI method for CO2" for Excel. If you don't see growth after a week or two something is missing. Be willing to adjust and observe and make changes accordingly. Give it a few weeks, maybe less to see what affects the changes made. If you have the patients, the payoff will be big

If the tank has a good number of healthy, growing plants, it is correct that algae will occur if there are insufficent nutrients available. That's why the addition of nutrients will often correct that problem.

But if there are only a few plants and a lot of nutrients, the plants will take only what they can and algae will rise up to take the rest. Why do you think that wouldn't happen?

It is strongly suggested that new aquariums be very heavily planted with rapidly growing plants. The reason for that is that the plants will take up the nutrients, mainly nitrates, that often spike in such environments.

Note that a proven recipe for creating green water for daphnia is to add plant food to a jar of aquarium water.

Bill

thanks Mooner,
I am really not really good in reading the plant symptoms. I had a 10 gal planted tank for a few years before, but never figured out how to keep it in good condition. I'll try to work more methodically with this one.

What confused me most, actually, I was thinking that I don't have enough nutrients, not too many, because some plants are loosing leaves, turning yellow. So I thought they might be missing something. Then brown algae appeared. Some other plants (ludwigia repens, java fern, flame moss) are growing well.


I see that I made mistake describing my lighting. I have 28 watts total, not 36. So I don't have too much light for non CO2. Is it not too low for excel addition?



Bill, it does make sense, of course. I thought I planted enough plants, but maybe it's not enough. I will remove as much algae as possible and add more plants, so the nutrients get absorbed quicker.

I'll start dosing less often and see how it goes. I am tempted to do a water change, but really I don't have any green algae or mess, it looks clean except for brown algae and a bit of starting BBA. I don't want to unbalance CO2 levels too much if I am going for no water change mathod.

Thank you for all your replies.
I am determined to learn more about this.