Thanks Dennis. You're the only consistently high quality source of information for keeping aquariums that I have come across. I really appreciate the effort you put into the videos, and just how much better the information you give is compared to other channels.
As everyone else has said, thank you for all the work you do to keep all of us well educated. Your channel has helped me a lot and has helped my knowledge increase as I learn more about this hobby!
I recommend this video to all who desperately search for help with algae!!! All mentioned there complies with my experience or at least with my belief. And there are not many other sources of information on the web as good as this one about algae. That is why I am writing this comment as my first comment on UA-cam! I also recommend Mr. Wong's website! Very good one! Thank you!
What a great video bro. I just got back into the aquarium hobby and I'm enjoying the successes and the challenges of a planted aquarium. Your video was presented in a well thought out manner. It made sense to me. I'm currently working thru a algae bloom of green hair and I eventually came to the final three points at the end of your video in managing my GA bloom. I just wanted to say you did a great job in your presentation. I've liked, subscribed and will be viewing more of your videos. Have a good one bud.
Dennis, I’m just getting back into the hobby & planted aquascape is my focus. I’m having a lot of success but do have some algae, mainly on my slower growing plants. Thank you so much, I think I have learnt & understood more from this one video than the many others I have watched (from other UA-camrs). I know I’m commenting after this video has been out for a few years, but thank you so much, Brilliant!
Fantastic video. Seen it several times, the details are excellent and the examples are practical. Have read most of your articles. Your website is a class apart. Keep up the good work!!! Thanks!!
I've watched other planted tank videos, and I'd have to say that your videos are the most informative and entertaining to watch. Not to mention, your tanks are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Dennis, you did a spectacular job in this video! I appreciate the time you put into making this video and the willingness to share your extensive knowledge with all who are fortunate in coming across your channel!
Once again Dennis you generously share your seasoned knowledge, clearly and easy to follow, with us. This video is spot on as most of us struggle with algae at some point.
Awsome just Awsome. Thank you for your knowledge and willingness to show us. I have been watching and learning from you for years from rotalas to cuspidatums... God bless and tank on
Dennis, you rock! Agree with all, you know your stuff, this is the best algae advice for planted tanks on UA-cam. Look forward to see more of your videos. In my case the green dust algae you mentioned is more back in colour when on rocks, I assume it is the same - so I need to adjust lighting a bit. Thank you.
This video is so incredibly full of valuable information, it is unbelievable. It totally helped me controlling algae in my tank. Thank you Dennis! In the middle of the video you say you are planning to make a separate vid about growing red plants. Would love to hear your insights on this! Thanks again!
thank you very much for this informative video i learned quite a bit from this pls continue to display more in the future.We all battle with algae issues and more knowledge we have the easier it will be to control it
yes, but UV also strips the water of chelated iron, so from the fert dosing angle that's something to consider. It's effect isn't as strong as people think - badly run tanks would still get algae
My tank was a 30x30x30 tank which I woefully neglected after my initial attempts to grow utricularia graminifolia always failed. Any attempt I tried to adjust dosing/CO2/lighting up or down would inevitably lead to algae and yet utricularia graminifolia just refused to flourish in any of my tanks. So this tank was my last attempt and I eventually gave up on properly keeping a planted tank. I relegated it as a low tech shrimp tank with only a small hang on filter and about LED light dimmed to around 10W. The timer and/or plugs and/or me would occasionally cock up in some way, leading to days of no lighting or 24hr lighting. Or else, the filter would clog to a trickle for weeks, or the plug would loosen somehow so it wasn't running for many days before I found out after my tenant told me he saw mosquito larvae in my tank. I only fed my shrimp occasionally when I remembered, never changed water, only topped up the water, and never dosed anything other than occasional guilt triggered sparse dosing of seachem excel and fluorish. My substrate was bare gravel about 2 inches thick. The plants were petite nanas, hornworts, some fissidens, very unhealthy mini pellia, and all sorts of algae including diatoms, cladophora, and BBA. I think I also had BGA.... It was so bad that I could hardly see anything in the tank. But despite this, my only fauna, cherry shrimp, were thriving. Their redness had faded to brown and very pale shades after generations of inbreeding. I didn't have any snails as they were eradicated from my last failed attempt with overboard excel dosing to get rid of algae when this tank was first set up. Then came the interesting thing. I recently had more spare time, so I decided to do some intensive spot treatment of my algae with excel, however, I went overboard and added 5ml or more in total. Then I forgot about my tank again for some time (I can't remember how long, it could be weeks) When I eventually remmebered to look at my tank again. I found that almost all the algae had disappeared. There was only some diatoms around. However, all the plants except nana had died, and all the shrimp and snails had disappeared as well. No corpses O_o, so I must have forgotten about the tank for pretty long.... Feeling quite ecstatic at my new found tank visibility nevertheless, I decided to give utricularia graminifolia another go. I did a 80% water change and sucked out a lot of the organic detritus, got a teams of 10 otos (but 3 died), 20 bloody mary shrimp (I love C328), and some fast growing stem plants, hornworts, and utricularia graminifolia. I kept lighting at 10W 7hrs daily , but maintained regular daily dosing of 0.5ml seachem excel and flourish. Nothing very different from what I had been doing long ago when I was still quite vigilant with my upkeep actually, but this time it felt like my tank had become blessed by the ghosts of all the shrimp who died. The remaining algae are getting lesser and lesser all by itself, there is little if any organic detritus from decaying plants which I always experienced in the past, my utricularia graminifolia is starting to spread quite nicely, and water clarity is excellent. After seeing your website and youtube videos this week, I feel I have the confidence to slowly scale up my current tank to a high tech tank with CO2 gas dosing, and ferts via dosing pump from taobao. Many thanks for the valuable info
Very basic rules to success growing pretty much any aquatic plant: 1) Have the proper equipment (wrgb light, co2, strong filtration, good substrate, fertilizers) 2) use fast growing, dense plant mass from the start and trim frequently to promote faster growth 3) Lights on for 8 hours, use a timer 4) 60-80% water change weekly 5) stock a few algae eaters (snails, fish etc)
I don't think it applies any differently, except that smaller tanks are generally easier to manage (trimming, water changes etc) and they benefit from better gaseous exchange generally
Very interesting!! I learned alot from this video, I have a started my new planted Aquarium ... Having a few algae problems but it's weird it only grows on my anubias? Little green spots and it won't come off I tried rubbing it with my finger, very strange¿?¿
my aquarium with Iwagumi setup broke last week as a result of deteriorating silicone edges... I now move on with a new tank, still using the same rocks, but this time, I really practised Dennis's method now. 1. 60cm (60L,30W, 35H), Chihiros WRGB paired with Commander, Hailea 1/10HP Chiller, Timer-based solenoid CO2 injection (6 seconds 1 bubble) 2. Full black soil-based (Fluval Stratum) 3. Increased the plant mass of the tank to 70% (the back of the tank is fully covered, leaving the front with carpet Mini HC) 4. Dosing APT Complete 4 times per week (5ml each time) Now the algae slowly kicking in as the tank's overall system is still yet to settle down, now all I can do is just keep WC to help my plants to fight for their survival against the algae. Hopefully, the plants would settle down and starts to absorb the excess nutrient in the water.
@@derekw9358 watch your livestock and tune it up. My 60L tank uses about 1 bubble per second. However, different bubble counter have different bubble sizes, so its a very rough gauge
once again another very informative and detailed video. i have more surface agitation than your tank, more movement per se but it does not break the water. is that too much movement you think?
Dennis - I love your vids. Very informative and great from a scientific point of view! A question for you: Do you find that the bluer spectrum of light encourages brown algae/diatom growth? And - I just installed a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7. I have to imagine leaving it on 24/7 mode will be too much light, as cool as that feature looks. I can control the Red, White, Blue, Green colors. Is there a spectrum setting you would recommend?
Hey Dennis I have a ei dosing 30g tank but my No3 is super high even after waterchange. I stop dosing nitrogen and my new leaf are yellowing but no3 is still 80 ppm plus.Is this false reading from api kit?
Dennis- thank you so much for this excellent video. I do have a question: When reducing the light to control algae do you reduce the time of high wattage light or do you keep the time the same and reduce the wattage. For example, if I have 200 watts of light do I go from 12 hours to 8 hours per day, or do I keep the 12 hours and reduce the wattage to 100watts?
Both actually, but you probably won't want to go below 5 - 6 hours. I think 6 is short, 7-10 is medium and 11 hours or longer is considered quite long. Long hours are alright if the tank is very stable
All true. Many fish in a tank? Means plants will not do well. You can't fight that. Few fish and proper light= thriving plants. TOO MUCH light and fish?= Hair algae. The only way to fight that then is to grow algae resistant plants like Vals,Crypts,Java ferns,Rotala. Other plants are plagued..like Bacopa in high light. Ludwigia seems to be another. Mosses are first to die to hair algae. I like what you said about the health of the plants define what you grow and what you keep in fish. You have to choose.
I have 20 gallon planted tank with fast growing stem plants.I do have some hair, and GSA. Is 50% weekly water change necessary or do I need to reduce to smaller amount of water change? Is 50% weekly water change bad idea for any established planted tank setup?
Outstanding video! It is thorough and well thought out. Thanks a lot for putting this together. Quick question, did you use dechlorinator on the tap water bottles in your experiment? I'm assuming you did.
I think you were thorough enough to not get tripped up by something like that...but it would be wrong of me to assume something that was not mentioned in the methods. So..yes you used dechlorinator. I stickied this video on Aquascaping World's Algae subforum.
Hi Dennis. What is your view om using uv filters. You point out, that keeping the amount of algae spores in check, is a component in reducing the amount of algae growth. A uv filter would kill spores in the water column. Some claim that uv light destroys micro nutirents added to the water column. Others claim it isn't so. Do you see any downsides of using uv filtration?
UV breaks the chelator in some iron fertilizers, the iron may then bond with other elements or precipitate onto the substrate, where it may be used later on - so if you're dosing regularly, it's not a huge concern. It's a 100% cure if done properly for green water. However, in tanks that I've seen it run on, plenty of other algae types can still exist happily if tank variables are not done well. Water changes also do something that UV can't - it removes dissolved organics & other waste, in addition to algae spores. I think the only downside for running UV is the cost
hi Dennis, nice to find u here,, i come from Indonesia, your neighborhood. LOL,, i had a stressfull issue with my AR , i seen your last video about AR maintenance, but i still confused about my case, i planted AR 2 weeks ago, at first week they looked very brighty and seems like no bad things will be happen, but after 2 weeks running, they became pale in some leaves, fyi i used DIY LED 28 watt in my gex600 slim, i planted in dense space because i want instantly "bushing look" at my AR. LOL, can i message you for a further sharing maybe? thx dennis, i am your big fans,, ha
Hey, a lot of good aquascapers from Indonesia ~ ARs can take awhile to acclimatize, just make sure they are not shaded by surrounding plants, and try to keep a clean tank as they are vulnerable to algae. They grow faster once their roots get established, may take awhile
Hey Dennis, great video and information as always, I have a question I know you like to use dirt, when you use dirt why do you dose if the the dirt provides the nutrients your plants need? ive red the that dirt for example can provide enough iron up to 6 years, do you dose to increase plant rate growth to help fight algea? In my nano tank that I had dirted for 2 years I was able to grow all the plants with co2, with out ei method, but in my ada tank I had to dose to 6et the same result, so I was wondering why do you dose your planted tanks, I my opion if you start your new tank with good substrate ie dirt, and allow your scape to acclimatize to the conditions you provide and keep good husbentry you dont have to dose at all, thanks for time a d have a great weekend. Sincerely Jeremie
It depends on how wholesome the soil is ? Many soils can grow plants fine for a period of time; how long depends on the exact soil used, speed of growth, density of plant mass etc. In the short run, on a higher growth speed tank (i.e. CO2 injected), I find regular dosing gives better quality growth; deeper reds, better colors etc. There are other subtle nuances, such as plants preferring shoot up-take of potassium, while preferring root up-take of iron. There are many plants not rooted to the substrate to consider; Buceps, mosses, etc. Water column dosing covers all bases
hey dennis im setting up a nano aquarium its 25liters im thinking of just using montecarlo in the tank. i have tropica aquarium soil but would i get less of a algea bloom if i use the dsm? im thinking of growing it for 1 month without adding water. i have co2 and im getting a bonsai driftwood thats going in later i want moss on the tree.
One advantage is that you will have more plant mass to start with when you eventually flood the tank. Downside is that one will start the tank with a large portion of emersed form growth. I'm not an expert on dsm though, never had the patience for it
My tank has the 24/7 with pressurized co2 - typically 3-4 drops/sec. The growth is ok, Dust algae has been a problem. The tank cycled a month ago. Heavy fish load. I dose flourish excel 3 times a week. My plants are alt reineiki, ar mini, amazon sword, java fern, and plenty of dwarf sag. I have a bunch of rock. My nitrates are usually low which I guess is good. 8-10 hours light/day.
Thanks Dennis. You're the only consistently high quality source of information for keeping aquariums that I have come across. I really appreciate the effort you put into the videos, and just how much better the information you give is compared to other channels.
ha, Thanks man... A lot of the information comes from the barr report.com / so indirectly we have barr to thank for the background research
im so Sad ;-;
I dont undestand spoken english ;-;
4 years later, this video still rocks! on the detail information and missing gaps which makes your brain tickle. Dennis - awesome job mate!
Clear and accessible discussion of a complex topic. Best algae video I've seen. Thanks so much.
Most informative video on aquarium algae. Thanks for taking your time to make this brother.
Probably the most informative video i have ever seen regarding algae. This should be required viewing FOR ALL planted tank aquarists.
Why doesn’t this video have a million views? It should. Thank you Dennis Wong.
This is the best presentation for Algae as it pertains to Aquascaping.
Thank you so much for your tests and research. You've earned my SUB for life.
This video is legendary, no one else explains these stuff on youtube better than Kevin.
As everyone else has said, thank you for all the work you do to keep all of us well educated. Your channel has helped me a lot and has helped my knowledge increase as I learn more about this hobby!
I recommend this video to all who desperately search for help with algae!!! All mentioned there complies with my experience or at least with my belief. And there are not many other sources of information on the web as good as this one about algae. That is why I am writing this comment as my first comment on UA-cam! I also recommend Mr. Wong's website! Very good one! Thank you!
Dennis, thank God we have you helping this community! The amount of effort you spent on each topic is greatly appreciated!
What a great video bro. I just got back into the aquarium hobby and I'm enjoying the successes and the challenges of a planted aquarium. Your video was presented in a well thought out manner. It made sense to me. I'm currently working thru a algae bloom of green hair and I eventually came to the final three points at the end of your video in managing my GA bloom. I just wanted to say you did a great job in your presentation. I've liked, subscribed and will be viewing more of your videos. Have a good one bud.
Thanks man ~
Dennis, I’m just getting back into the hobby & planted aquascape is my focus. I’m having a lot of success but do have some algae, mainly on my slower growing plants. Thank you so much, I think I have learnt & understood more from this one video than the many others I have watched (from other UA-camrs). I know I’m commenting after this video has been out for a few years, but thank you so much, Brilliant!
Fantastic video. Seen it several times, the details are excellent and the examples are practical. Have read most of your articles. Your website is a class apart. Keep up the good work!!! Thanks!!
I've watched other planted tank videos, and I'd have to say that your videos are the most informative and entertaining to watch. Not to mention, your tanks are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Dennis! That was an awesomely informative and really well put together presentation. I learned more in the last 14 minutes then in years. Thank you.
ha thanks...
Great video Dennis. Your straightforward and informative manner is appreciated.
Dennis, you did a spectacular job in this video! I appreciate the time you put into making this video and the willingness to share your extensive knowledge with all who are fortunate in coming across your channel!
Dennis, I love your videos and your tanks are truly beautiful
Once again Dennis you generously share your seasoned knowledge, clearly and easy to follow, with us. This video is spot on as most of us struggle with algae at some point.
Thanks ! Glad you found it useful
Cheers Dennis.... Have got the bug and find myself gravitating to your tuition... Many thanks... Joe
Thank you for putting in the time to make these videos!!! You answer so many of my questions in all of them. Keep it up!
Awsome just Awsome. Thank you for your knowledge and willingness to show us. I have been watching and learning from you for years from rotalas to cuspidatums... God bless and tank on
Dennis, you rock! Agree with all, you know your stuff, this is the best algae advice for planted tanks on UA-cam. Look forward to see more of your videos. In my case the green dust algae you mentioned is more back in colour when on rocks, I assume it is the same - so I need to adjust lighting a bit. Thank you.
You're welcome; can try nerites snails & bristlenose plecos as well
Your videos have the best content off it's kind on youtube hat's off to you sir
This video is so incredibly full of valuable information, it is unbelievable. It totally helped me controlling algae in my tank. Thank you Dennis!
In the middle of the video you say you are planning to make a separate vid about growing red plants. Would love to hear your insights on this! Thanks again!
Thanks man `
nice job of using the scientific approach to analyse the Algae Problem!
thank you very much for this informative video i learned quite a bit from this pls continue to display more in the future.We all battle with algae issues and more knowledge we have the easier it will be to control it
By far best algae vid on youtube from what I'v seen! Really solid.
Thanks man
very good learning experience! keep it coming, Dennis!
It's been awhile since your last video. Good to see a new one. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for coming by ~ good luck with your tanks too
Love your videos, exactly what this hobby needs more of!
thank you for this. you mentioned spores, so would it be advisable to use UV filters, like they do in marine tanks , to eliminate algal spores?
yes, but UV also strips the water of chelated iron, so from the fert dosing angle that's something to consider. It's effect isn't as strong as people think - badly run tanks would still get algae
thank you for your videos. I have watched them all and have learned so much from you. I hope you continue providing your advice through these videos.
Thank you~
for me circulation and proper pruning technique helped the most
Really good content , more time devoted to experiment than I could dream of. Thanks and very much appreciated!
First time I've heard about type 1 and type 2 tanks, great stuff!
Another Must watch video from Dennis.
yep Dennis you rock dude... knowledgeable but never too complicated, lifesaver... recent subscriber
ha thanks man
Best planted tank videos on the internet
haa thanks man
Dennis love your videos. Super informative and technical, keep it up!
what a awesome well inform video the best I've ever seen on UA-cam thank you so much for your time
by far the best video on algae !!!
Excellent video with a lot of great info. Thank you so much! Please keep them coming!
thanks ~ you're welcome
So far I have enjoyed every video of yours that I have watched. I am waiting for the second part of the video on dirting a tank. Thanks!
Love your videos. Thanks for the detailed and informative advice.
Very organized presentation. Thank you.
Wow super good info nicely planed out and presented
Thanks man ~
Very good video, full of relevant informations. Thanks for share it.
Fantastic content and organization. Subscribed and looking forward to more!
Thanks man~
My tank was a 30x30x30 tank which I woefully neglected after my initial attempts to grow utricularia graminifolia always failed. Any attempt I tried to adjust dosing/CO2/lighting up or down would inevitably lead to algae and yet utricularia graminifolia just refused to flourish in any of my tanks. So this tank was my last attempt and I eventually gave up on properly keeping a planted tank. I relegated it as a low tech shrimp tank with only a small hang on filter and about LED light dimmed to around 10W. The timer and/or plugs and/or me would occasionally cock up in some way, leading to days of no lighting or 24hr lighting. Or else, the filter would clog to a trickle for weeks, or the plug would loosen somehow so it wasn't running for many days before I found out after my tenant told me he saw mosquito larvae in my tank.
I only fed my shrimp occasionally when I remembered, never changed water, only topped up the water, and never dosed anything other than occasional guilt triggered sparse dosing of seachem excel and fluorish. My substrate was bare gravel about 2 inches thick. The plants were petite nanas, hornworts, some fissidens, very unhealthy mini pellia, and all sorts of algae including diatoms, cladophora, and BBA. I think I also had BGA.... It was so bad that I could hardly see anything in the tank. But despite this, my only fauna, cherry shrimp, were thriving. Their redness had faded to brown and very pale shades after generations of inbreeding. I didn't have any snails as they were eradicated from my last failed attempt with overboard excel dosing to get rid of algae when this tank was first set up.
Then came the interesting thing. I recently had more spare time, so I decided to do some intensive spot treatment of my algae with excel, however, I went overboard and added 5ml or more in total. Then I forgot about my tank again for some time (I can't remember how long, it could be weeks) When I eventually remmebered to look at my tank again. I found that almost all the algae had disappeared. There was only some diatoms around. However, all the plants except nana had died, and all the shrimp and snails had disappeared as well. No corpses O_o, so I must have forgotten about the tank for pretty long....
Feeling quite ecstatic at my new found tank visibility nevertheless, I decided to give utricularia graminifolia another go. I did a 80% water change and sucked out a lot of the organic detritus, got a teams of 10 otos (but 3 died), 20 bloody mary shrimp (I love C328), and some fast growing stem plants, hornworts, and utricularia graminifolia. I kept lighting at 10W 7hrs daily , but maintained regular daily dosing of 0.5ml seachem excel and flourish. Nothing very different from what I had been doing long ago when I was still quite vigilant with my upkeep actually, but this time it felt like my tank had become blessed by the ghosts of all the shrimp who died. The remaining algae are getting lesser and lesser all by itself, there is little if any organic detritus from decaying plants which I always experienced in the past, my utricularia graminifolia is starting to spread quite nicely, and water clarity is excellent.
After seeing your website and youtube videos this week, I feel I have the confidence to slowly scale up my current tank to a high tech tank with CO2 gas dosing, and ferts via dosing pump from taobao. Many thanks for the valuable info
sir, this video is pure gold.
How so? What exactly did you learn from this video? It’s not very informative
Best information around youtube!! Thank you sooo much!!!!!!
Very basic rules to success growing pretty much any aquatic plant:
1) Have the proper equipment (wrgb light, co2, strong filtration, good substrate, fertilizers)
2) use fast growing, dense plant mass from the start and trim frequently to promote faster growth
3) Lights on for 8 hours, use a timer
4) 60-80% water change weekly
5) stock a few algae eaters (snails, fish etc)
Very usefull, thx : -) You should write a book on the biology of aquascaping tank !
i would love to see your findings on small planted tanks and algae.
I don't think it applies any differently, except that smaller tanks are generally easier to manage (trimming, water changes etc) and they benefit from better gaseous exchange generally
i agree , But the Algae is out of controll.... in my case
There is more information on the website , you can check there for more information~
Very interesting!! I learned alot from this video, I have a started my new planted Aquarium ... Having a few algae problems but it's weird it only grows on my anubias? Little green spots and it won't come off I tried rubbing it with my finger, very strange¿?¿
thanks for this video, i will follow it thoroughly.
Brilliant! Finally .... advice that actually works with my kind of tank!
Good one, really helpfull. Thanks for all those precious info
You made my research simple! Thank you so much!
Thank you Dennis for such a good video!
Another great vid Xiaozhuang!
my aquarium with Iwagumi setup broke last week as a result of deteriorating silicone edges... I now move on with a new tank, still using the same rocks, but this time, I really practised Dennis's method now.
1. 60cm (60L,30W, 35H), Chihiros WRGB paired with Commander, Hailea 1/10HP Chiller, Timer-based solenoid CO2 injection (6 seconds 1 bubble)
2. Full black soil-based (Fluval Stratum)
3. Increased the plant mass of the tank to 70% (the back of the tank is fully covered, leaving the front with carpet Mini HC)
4. Dosing APT Complete 4 times per week (5ml each time)
Now the algae slowly kicking in as the tank's overall system is still yet to settle down, now all I can do is just keep WC to help my plants to fight for their survival against the algae. Hopefully, the plants would settle down and starts to absorb the excess nutrient in the water.
Your co2 injection rate may be low
@@2hrAquarist oh, then may I try adjusting it to 3 seconds 1 bubble?
@@derekw9358 watch your livestock and tune it up. My 60L tank uses about 1 bubble per second. However, different bubble counter have different bubble sizes, so its a very rough gauge
@@2hrAquarist oh.. Yaya I recalled some of your videos did mentioned that. Okay, I'll put that in my note and test it out.
very good,thank you dennis
excellently explained
Another amazing and informative video. Thanks!
You're welcome ~
once again another very informative and detailed video. i have more surface agitation than your tank, more movement per se but it does not break the water. is that too much movement you think?
Should not be unless you realize that you have to inject a tremendous amount of CO2 just to hit your target CO2 levels ?
Great information. Thanks
What about other factors; O2 vs CO2 ppm; also PH; temperature must play a role; also lighting spectrum? How do these factor? Very interesting.
Hi Dennis, can you do a video on glossostigma if possible? Thank you
Dennis - I love your vids. Very informative and great from a scientific point of view! A question for you: Do you find that the bluer spectrum of light encourages brown algae/diatom growth? And - I just installed a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7. I have to imagine leaving it on 24/7 mode will be too much light, as cool as that feature looks. I can control the Red, White, Blue, Green colors. Is there a spectrum setting you would recommend?
I don't see a correlation at all.... I prefer a stronger red spectrum selection myself, and some blues, and less green
Hey Dennis I was wondering if you had any tips on controlling hair algae
This is gold! Thank you!
Thanks for the Informative video.
Excellent. Thank you for this
hallo Dennis i have hemianthus micrantemoides planted in ada amazonia. it grows well, but I'm noticing spots on the leaves, which could be ..
high quality work! simple.
Great video man! I love this kind of stuff.
Thanks Dave; love your recent small low tech scape with the overhanging large rock ~
Your videos are really helpful :) Short and informative!
Would you mind writing/ submitting a few articles for a magazine website?
how often is water change recommended?
thank you! Very well explained.
for the green dust algae, u say lower light n higher co2. lowering the height of the light or lower the intensity of the light?
Lower intensity, lower NO3, higher CO2 generally works every time
Hey Dennis I have a ei dosing 30g tank but my No3 is super high even after waterchange. I stop dosing nitrogen and my new leaf are yellowing but no3 is still 80 ppm plus.Is this false reading from api kit?
Hi Dennis, what do think about using a sump on a planted aquarium? are sumps ok or should I just use a canister filter? great videos thank you!
Tom barr uses sumps
Dennis- thank you so much for this excellent video. I do have a question: When reducing the light to control algae do you reduce the time of high wattage light or do you keep the time the same and reduce the wattage. For example, if I have 200 watts of light do I go from 12 hours to 8 hours per day, or do I keep the 12 hours and reduce the wattage to 100watts?
Both actually, but you probably won't want to go below 5 - 6 hours. I think 6 is short, 7-10 is medium and 11 hours or longer is considered quite long. Long hours are alright if the tank is very stable
Thanks!
All true. Many fish in a tank? Means plants will not do well. You can't fight that. Few fish and proper light= thriving plants.
TOO MUCH light and fish?= Hair algae. The only way to fight that then is to grow algae resistant plants like Vals,Crypts,Java ferns,Rotala. Other plants are plagued..like Bacopa in high light. Ludwigia seems to be another. Mosses are first to die to hair algae.
I like what you said about the health of the plants define what you grow and what you keep in fish. You have to choose.
I have 20 gallon planted tank with fast growing stem plants.I do have some hair, and GSA. Is 50% weekly water change necessary or do I need to reduce to smaller amount of water change? Is 50% weekly water change bad idea for any established planted tank setup?
Outstanding video! It is thorough and well thought out. Thanks a lot for putting this together.
Quick question, did you use dechlorinator on the tap water bottles in your experiment? I'm assuming you did.
I was wondering about this info too. I hope he answers you.
ha, what do you think...
I think you were thorough enough to not get tripped up by something like that...but it would be wrong of me to assume something that was not mentioned in the methods. So..yes you used dechlorinator.
I stickied this video on Aquascaping World's Algae subforum.
Hmm yeah, I skipped over many details to keep the vids short. But yeah I did use dechlorinated water ~ Thanks man
awesome video
hello dennis you are amazing ..i want to kno which ferts you use and can you tell me proprtion of each compound in grams/gallon
hey, check out the nutrient dosing vid
my h.c and Monte Carlo start to turn black very quickly if I don't use my airstone turned on high. it is my only device used for agitation.
Have you tried using UV light on controlling the green dust algae?
May alleviate but the spores exists within the tank itself; doesn't provide holistic cure for severe cases
Great video! Thanks Dennis! :)
Hi Dennis. What is your view om using uv filters. You point out, that keeping the amount of algae spores in check, is a component in reducing the amount of algae growth. A uv filter would kill spores in the water column. Some claim that uv light destroys micro nutirents added to the water column. Others claim it isn't so. Do you see any downsides of using uv filtration?
UV breaks the chelator in some iron fertilizers, the iron may then bond with other elements or precipitate onto the substrate, where it may be used later on - so if you're dosing regularly, it's not a huge concern. It's a 100% cure if done properly for green water. However, in tanks that I've seen it run on, plenty of other algae types can still exist happily if tank variables are not done well. Water changes also do something that UV can't - it removes dissolved organics & other waste, in addition to algae spores. I think the only downside for running UV is the cost
Thx Dennis
good video,very nice soundtrack to what was playing?
Thanks ~ It should be in the vid description
hi Dennis, nice to find u here,, i come from Indonesia, your neighborhood. LOL,, i had a stressfull issue with my AR , i seen your last video about AR maintenance, but i still confused about my case, i planted AR 2 weeks ago, at first week they looked very brighty and seems like no bad things will be happen, but after 2 weeks running, they became pale in some leaves, fyi i used DIY LED 28 watt in my gex600 slim, i planted in dense space because i want instantly "bushing look" at my AR. LOL, can i message you for a further sharing maybe? thx dennis, i am your big fans,, ha
Hey, a lot of good aquascapers from Indonesia ~ ARs can take awhile to acclimatize, just make sure they are not shaded by surrounding plants, and try to keep a clean tank as they are vulnerable to algae. They grow faster once their roots get established, may take awhile
Hey Dennis, great video and information as always, I have a question I know you like to use dirt, when you use dirt why do you dose if the the dirt provides the nutrients your plants need? ive red the that dirt for example can provide enough iron up to 6 years, do you dose to increase plant rate growth to help fight algea? In my nano tank that I had dirted for 2 years I was able to grow all the plants with co2, with out ei method, but in my ada tank I had to dose to 6et the same result, so I was wondering why do you dose your planted tanks, I my opion if you start your new tank with good substrate ie dirt, and allow your scape to acclimatize to the conditions you provide and keep good husbentry you dont have to dose at all, thanks for time a d have a great weekend. Sincerely Jeremie
It depends on how wholesome the soil is ? Many soils can grow plants fine for a period of time; how long depends on the exact soil used, speed of growth, density of plant mass etc. In the short run, on a higher growth speed tank (i.e. CO2 injected), I find regular dosing gives better quality growth; deeper reds, better colors etc. There are other subtle nuances, such as plants preferring shoot up-take of potassium, while preferring root up-take of iron. There are many plants not rooted to the substrate to consider; Buceps, mosses, etc. Water column dosing covers all bases
hey dennis im setting up a nano aquarium its 25liters im thinking of just using montecarlo in the tank. i have tropica aquarium soil but would i get less of a algea bloom if i use the dsm? im thinking of growing it for 1 month without adding water. i have co2 and im getting a bonsai driftwood thats going in later i want moss on the tree.
One advantage is that you will have more plant mass to start with when you eventually flood the tank. Downside is that one will start the tank with a large portion of emersed form growth. I'm not an expert on dsm though, never had the patience for it
Dennis Wong thx
Very good and easy to follow video thanks mate .from !oz! Land
thanks ! you're welcome~
What lighting are you using @ 14:38?
Those are custom BML leds; but the company no longer exists, they now sell lights for horticulture use instead
Do you think planted plus 24/7 on max are adequate for good growth in a standard 55 gallon with 2 dirt capped by gravel?
Adequate, but not out-standing
My tank has the 24/7 with pressurized co2 - typically 3-4 drops/sec. The growth is ok, Dust algae has been a problem. The tank cycled a month ago. Heavy fish load. I dose flourish excel 3 times a week. My plants are alt reineiki, ar mini, amazon sword, java fern, and plenty of dwarf sag. I have a bunch of rock. My nitrates are usually low which I guess is good. 8-10 hours light/day.