My 55g <UPDATE 4/17/10 on pg 5>

[sirknight]

Jeremy,

I would remove all carbon and just let the tank cycle. Add the additional media after the cycle. I don't like using any lighting until cycle is complete. I guess if you have plants you have no choice. There are another ways of reducing light in the tank.

1) raise the light about 15 inches above the tank.

2) get some screening (not metal) and lay it under the light to deflect the light.

The options listed above IMO would be safer then my comment below.

For the ballast, the correct way to run one bulb is to rewire the ballast.

If I am not mistaken, it has yellow and red wires. you would only use the yellow side and just put the two reds together, but it has been a long time since I have done this so you may want to post the question fullham.

Joe

[jeremyh81]

The lighting is a retrofit kit where the lights are mounted the lid of a DIY canopy (pics in the DIY section here). Elevating the lights would take some additional wood work because the canopy is too heavy to suspend from the ceiling. My photoperiod is only 8 hours right now, BTW.

Installing black nylon mosquito screen would be an easier option, if that's what you're talking about. I can do that today in about 30 minutes after buying a roll of screen. Would it be safe to just cover the reflectors with this? I really don't have any other option, unless I put the screen in the frame, but that would limit my access to the water.

The ballast has 2 yellow (1 per bulb) and 4 red wires (2 per bulb). I can find Fullham's wiring diagrams and ballast/bulb charts to see if this ballast can support only 1 bulb w/ 2 reds and 1 yellow.

My salt water coworker just ordered a new MH lighting system for his 90g reef tank and will be generously giving me his old 4x65 PCF fixture w/ moon lights. He said it probably has a short in the wiring because he got a small shock the last time he touched it. I'm fairly handy when it comes to electrical work, so I could probably fix that, then suspend the fixture from the ceiling. Depending on what type and how many ballasts are used, I might be able toget away with only 2 bulbs running.

Water test results:
------------------------
Ammonia: barely detectable
Nitrites: barely detectable
Nitrates: 5-10ppm
pH: 7.4

[jeremyh81]

The stem plants are fine and plenty. I took a lot of wisteria cuttings from the 26 and put them in this tank last week. Those are starting to show new growth, as well as the narrow-leaf ludgwigias that I trimmed and replanted at the same time.

Because phosphates are the primary cause of the green water, I'm not dosing EI as recommended. I'm only dosing Fourish Excel, Comp, and Trace as recommended. There's still an air stone running near the filter intake. Not too close for it to pull air into the filter, but close enough to, hopefully, provide more O2 to the bacteria colony.

The plecos are helping with green algae on the glass: I've noticed that one is starting to grow very fast. It was 1-1/4" when I got it right after Thanksgiving and has grown almost 3/4" since I put it in this tank (early January)!

[sirknight]

mosquito screening is exactly what I am talking about. add enough to subdue the light. then you can take it away a little at a time to start increasing the light as needed.

When you get the new lighting if it is setup for saltwater you may have to replace the bulbs because they may not be the correct spectrum for a planted tank. With a little planning you should be able to get it inside the canopy. I would keep the retro just in case something goes wrong with the new lights.

IMO plants are not the cure all. After a tank has cycled and water is clean and stable then planting and fish. Fix the problem(s) first.

Joe

[jeremyh81]

Duly noted and appreciated, Joe!

I think the new fixture currently has 10,000K bulbs, but I will change them if they're the wrong spectrum.

Off to Home Depot!

[jeremyh81]

I found a pic that I took last week, after the rescape:



At first, I thought the cloudiness was from disturbing the substrate, but now I think it's just a bacterial bloom in this pic. The water change later last week, probably added some phosphates that are contributing to the algae bloom.

Joe, my current lighting setup isn't going to allow me to put the screen in without limiting access to the water (unless I remove the canopy completely). Plus, the screen would be so close to the lights that I'm afraid it would melt or start a fire.

The Fulham Workhorse 5 will support 1 55w PCF from 2 red wires and 1 yellow, but I would need to rearrange the lights to 1 in middle-front and one in middle-rear of the lid. This would allow me to run only 1 bulb and still have some even light distribution.

I'm trying my best to get the plants to out-compete the algae for nutrients.

[jeremyh81]

Here's a pic from tonight (2/8/10):

[jeremyh81]

My friend from work gave me the 4x65-watt PCF fixture today! He's not a member here, but THANK YOU, JASON!!!

The fixture is made by Jabo/Odyssea and needs a little TTLC. The reflector needs to be polished, the housing needs to be cleaned, and some of the wiring is bare and doesn't seem sufficient. Although it isn't in very good shape, beggars can't be choosers. Plus it will be a fun project to strip it down and bring it back to original condition with some modifications.

After maintenance, the I'll be adding water-resistant endcaps, a separate power cable for the moonlights to put them on a timer, and if there are 2 ballasts, I'm going to separate them from the main AC cable and put a pair of lights on separate timers to create a dusk/dawn/moonlight effect. I'm excited! ;D

[jeremyh81]

Joe, there are times when the lights are on that it seems like the "cloud" is more white than green, but looking at the picture and down the length of the tank, it's definitely pea soup.

Since the filter (Fluval 305) has an adjustable flow rate, would you recommend reducing the flow or keeping it at full speed?

Also, if you think I should do a blackout for a few days, I'm all ears. The longer this algae (and snails) stays, the more I'm leaning away from plants until the cycle is complete.

[sirknight]

That has to be the worst algae bloom I have seen in a long time.

I would not do anything with the filter flow rate.

I would definitely shut the lights off and add a good filter pad to an external filter if you have one (clean and replace every few days or when it is green). If it doesn't clear up in a few days (By the weekend), I would do a 100% water change, leave the lights off and would not add anything (chemicals) to the tank until it is 100% cycled. I may even remove all the plants and start over after the cycle. Most of the plant food chemicals will reek havoc in a new tank because it is not stable and in the beginning would really not need additives (just my opinion).

Does the tank smell and did you add grave or anything else to this tank besides a water change?

Is Jason a reef tank guy and does he spend his time on reef central, because If he is I think I know him ?

[jeremyh81]

There are polishing pads in the filter that were put in this weekend. I have been sniffing the water, and it usually either has no smell or smells like soil - nothing bad. Being in the living room, should I blackout the glass too?

Jason is a "reefer" that lives in Murfreesboro. I'm not sure what forum he's active in. Sometimes it's hard to talk to him about aquariums since he only likes to talk salt. I can say that he just added an MH lighting system to his 90-gallon reef tank, uses a high-tech controller for almost everything in the tank - from lighting to wave makers, etc. The first time I saw his tank and systems (months before I got into the FW hobby), I was overwhelmed and in awe. His reef is beautiful! He has been a valuable source of information.

[jeremyh81]

In a PM to angel, I dubbed this "The Great Green Water Invasion of 2010". ;D

Lights are unplugged, and I'll be putting black garbage bags around the tank when I get home tomorrow. No more ferts or CO2.

[sirknight]

I would say putting black bags around the tank would not be necessary. Just let it sit in the dark(No lights on).

[jeremyh81]

The aquarium lights are unplugged, and I can add a spare HOT Magnum w/ its water polishing insert to help out.

[jeremyh81]

So after 3 full days of no aquarium lights, no plant fertilizers/air pump/CO2, and feeding once a day, I can now start to see some of the plants in the back! No pictures yet because I'm keeping the lights off until I can get the new fixture up and running on a dawn-noon-dusk-night cycle.

(Joe can say "I told you so!" now.)

Since it looks like Joe isn't a forum member anymore, can anyone advise if I should remove the polishing cartridge from the Magnum and replace w/ carbon and foam?

I need to do a water test to see what's really going on since it's been a while since the last one.