# Update on my 55 Gallon Planted Tank



## Chrisfrey007 (Oct 5, 2011)

I've finally tackled the green water problem but now it looks like I have some string algae. I'm doing my best to scrape it off the glass at least twice a week but it just comes right back. I can't afford to get a CO2 tank right now so I'm planning on getting some snails and some other type of algae eaters. I've already got 2 Angel fish and a Spotted Sailfin Pleco in there. I've tried ghost shrimp just to see if they would survive but they were all eatin.


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## katanamasako (Jun 29, 2012)

I've used something called Algae-fix, and that got rid of a lot of the hair algae in my tank, and it's really good to getting rid of cloudy water FAST if it's caused by green algae.


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## Chrisfrey007 (Oct 5, 2011)

I have a canister filter with a built in UV sterilizer. The UV sterilizer got rid of the green water. I've also used API's Alga-fix in the past. I just ran out and haven't gotten around to getting more. I'd prefer to fight the algae naturally if possible by letting the fish and/or CO2 help out.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I would recommend NOT using a chemical to get rid of the algae. The best solution is to figure out why you have algae in the first place, and fix that. Try adjusting your lighting period, maybe shortening it for a couple of hours. If it gets bad, try a blackout for a couple days (make sure NO light gets in) and see if that helps. You might also want to try floaters like dwarf water lettuce, frogbit, red root floaters, ect. to help suck up excess nutrients.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

From the looks you may have a tad too much light for your tank. Try adjusting back to six hours and see if that helps. Excel will work on that type of algae. CO2 will definitely help.

IMO, never do with a chemical (an algaecide) what you can do naturally. Control the light, control your algae. Simple.


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## JoeBoo36 (Feb 15, 2011)

I have a 55 galon tank too and have been struggling to get plants to grow. Is it possible to have too few fish for there to be plant growth? I have two big angels, seven penguin tetras, two cats and an algae eater. Black algae grows well and am using something called flourish to help plants and hinder algae growth. Opposite appears to be happening. PH is 6.4, no phosphates, nitrates, ammonia, etc. Water very, very soft (0 to 1 degree GH and KH) Any advice?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

JoeBoo36 said:


> I have a 55 galon tank too and have been struggling to get plants to grow. Is it possible to have too few fish for there to be plant growth? I have two big angels, seven penguin tetras, two cats and an algae eater. Black algae grows well and am using something called flourish to help plants and hinder algae growth. Opposite appears to be happening. PH is 6.4, no phosphates, nitrates, ammonia, etc. Water very, very soft (0 to 1 degree GH and KH) Any advice?


What type of lighting, wattage, and kelvin? You may need to add gh and kh. Your plants need the gh and the kh will help keep your ph steady.


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## Chrisfrey007 (Oct 5, 2011)

JoeBoo36 said:


> I have a 55 galon tank too and have been struggling to get plants to grow. Is it possible to have too few fish for there to be plant growth? I have two big angels, seven penguin tetras, two cats and an algae eater. Black algae grows well and am using something called flourish to help plants and hinder algae growth. Opposite appears to be happening. PH is 6.4, no phosphates, nitrates, ammonia, etc. Water very, very soft (0 to 1 degree GH and KH) Any advice?


Well, you really don't need any fish for plants to grow. It is true that when fish breathe they turn the oxygen into CO2 and the plants create Oxygen for the fish. Some people inject CO2 into their aquariums but if you can't afford a CO2 tank there are a couple things you can do. 

First, is there any water surface agitation? For example, do you have a hang on the back filter? The flow of the water going into the tank may be causing alot of oxygen to be added to your tank. Oxygen is good for the fish but it lowers the amount of CO2 that is in your tank. You want very little to no water movement on the surface to maximize your overall CO2. 

On the other hand too much CO2 can kill your fish so be careful.

As for lighting my bulbs are T5 6700K. I keep them on a timer no more than 6 to 8 hours a day. I haven't been using flourish or anything and they are going crazy. My wisteria are literally taking over my tank now. 

Basic things needed for planted tanks:
1) Lighting- (I use 6700k)
2) Substrate- (I use carib sea's plant formula) Don't ever try to grow plants in sand! The roots will rot away. 
3) CO2- (It's not necessary but it helps)


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## JoeBoo36 (Feb 15, 2011)

Thank you both for the great advice. I have been using an additive for reverse osmosis water, but can't get the hardness to increase. Would you suggest using tap water from time to time instead of just the RO? My lighting is adequate...two bullbs. I don't remember the K but do remember doing research/asking around and have the most and second most recommended ones for plants. Light spectrum from 5,000 to 10,000. I have a homemade CO2 pump that certainly wil not provide too much CO2. I definitely have too much water agitation. I have a canister filter and a hang on filter for extra biological. When the water level gets a little low, there are tons of air bubbles going into the tank. I'll take care of that right away. Thanks again for your advice/continued advice.


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## cgskipper (Nov 15, 2010)

I have a 55 gal with an Eheim 2073 and a Turbo Twist 18w UV. That combo seems to work good for me in keeping the water clear. I do not have any CO2 system. On a daily basis, I used Seachem Flourish Excel. This does two things. It provides a source of organic carbon to help alleviate not having injected CO2. It also helps to keep algae levels down--the company does not advertise this, but local distributors will tell you "off the record" that Flourish Excel has some algae-cide qualities to it.


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## Chrisfrey007 (Oct 5, 2011)

cgskipper said:


> I have a 55 gal with an Eheim 2073 and a Turbo Twist 18w UV. That combo seems to work good for me in keeping the water clear. I do not have any CO2 system. On a daily basis, I used Seachem Flourish Excel. This does two things. It provides a source of organic carbon to help alleviate not having injected CO2. It also helps to keep algae levels down--the company does not advertise this, but local distributors will tell you "off the record" that Flourish Excel has some algae-cide qualities to it.


I also have a canister filter with a built in UV sterilizer. I used to have green water which is why I bought the filter in the first place but it only works on that type of algae. I have been minimizing the amount of time the lights are on to 6 hours and it seems to help a little. I also have Flourish but I wasn't sure if it was feeding the string algae or not. I will try dosing again and see what happens.

My wisteria is also taking over my tank so I need to figure something out fast. Better get on craigslist and start selling pieces of it I suppose.


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