W Churchill
Member
Sl 1.0245
Ph. 8.2
NO2. 0
NO3. 1 mg/l
Ca. 430
PO4. 0
Mg. 1400
I'm still a noobie at this, my tank is only around 4 months old. It's 170 ltr with a marysis filter. I'd gotten into a fairly regular routine of changing around 10 ltr of water every 3rd day. I went on vacation for 2 weeks and left my young son to cope, but with everything else I left him to do I didn't want to burden him with water changes, since I figured 2 weeks wouldn't be an issue.
I'm guessin 10 ltrs every 3rd day is a little excessive but bacteria seems to have stabilised and has coped, hence my test readings. My son also didn't clean the tank for 2 weeks so there was a bit of algae on the glass and sand, but not really a great deal.
However upon returning from vacation my PO4 reading was 0.1 mg/l, so obviously my phosphate remover had expired while I was away. I've since changed it and now have a zero reading again, but the algae in the sand seems to return within 3 days. When I change water I use the syphon to clean the gravel, but 10 ltrs only lets me clean about 1/2 the gravel, so I stir up the remaining 1/2 to make it look cleaner. Algae isn't returning to the glass as it is the sand, but I seem to be fighting a constant battle now in the sand.
Don't get me wrong this isn't a major algae outbreak, indeed it's just the sand looks a little yellower than usual and it annoys me since my tank has been so clean. I've been back 2 weeks now and it's only got slightly better. I'm wondering if stirring up the half I can't clean is a bit of an issue, but I wondered if there is anything else I can do to get things back the way they were.
I also think my marisys doesn't help as it takes water from the top of the tank and not the bottom and likely hoovers up less algae that I have disturbed and is suspended in the water.
Any help appreciated.
Ph. 8.2
NO2. 0
NO3. 1 mg/l
Ca. 430
PO4. 0
Mg. 1400
I'm still a noobie at this, my tank is only around 4 months old. It's 170 ltr with a marysis filter. I'd gotten into a fairly regular routine of changing around 10 ltr of water every 3rd day. I went on vacation for 2 weeks and left my young son to cope, but with everything else I left him to do I didn't want to burden him with water changes, since I figured 2 weeks wouldn't be an issue.
I'm guessin 10 ltrs every 3rd day is a little excessive but bacteria seems to have stabilised and has coped, hence my test readings. My son also didn't clean the tank for 2 weeks so there was a bit of algae on the glass and sand, but not really a great deal.
However upon returning from vacation my PO4 reading was 0.1 mg/l, so obviously my phosphate remover had expired while I was away. I've since changed it and now have a zero reading again, but the algae in the sand seems to return within 3 days. When I change water I use the syphon to clean the gravel, but 10 ltrs only lets me clean about 1/2 the gravel, so I stir up the remaining 1/2 to make it look cleaner. Algae isn't returning to the glass as it is the sand, but I seem to be fighting a constant battle now in the sand.
Don't get me wrong this isn't a major algae outbreak, indeed it's just the sand looks a little yellower than usual and it annoys me since my tank has been so clean. I've been back 2 weeks now and it's only got slightly better. I'm wondering if stirring up the half I can't clean is a bit of an issue, but I wondered if there is anything else I can do to get things back the way they were.
I also think my marisys doesn't help as it takes water from the top of the tank and not the bottom and likely hoovers up less algae that I have disturbed and is suspended in the water.
Any help appreciated.