I think my aqua soil is leeching nutrients into water column and causing algae bloom & discolouration - please help

[Steff]

Hi there, I have a new 10 gallon tank that I have been trying to cycle for a few weeks. The tank has aqua soil capped with sand, however I noticed ever since the moment I set up the tank and added water, the water becomes yellow-orange / brown over just a few hours and some sort of brown algae begins to grow onto the tubing of my air stone. The tank was heavily planted so at first I thought maybe there was ammonia caused by some decaying plant I wasn’t seeing, so I cleaned up the soil, and cut off any plant ends that looked remotely dead. I tried doing 25% water changes every day, and then switched to 50% water changes everyday. This only slowed down the discolouration and algae but never remedied it. I completely gave up at one point and did a 100% water change and that didn’t change anything. After some deep research , I’ve come to the possible conclusion that my aquasoil may be leeching excess nutrients into the water column, thus causing ammonia spikes, discolouration and algae blooms ? Is this correct ? Please help, I was super excited for this tank, but this has really let me down. I’ll post some photos when I get back home, as I’m currently at work. 

[Nathans_Reef]

Do you have any wood in the tank? If yes then that's gonna be the most probable cause of the brown water as wood, leaves and other botanicals will leech tannings into the water, sort of like tea! And if that is the case then this will stop over time, especially with the regularity of your water changes. And it's definitely possible that the aquasoil is the cause of this nutrient spike, but i'm afraid there's no super helpful tip I can give you to fix this as you're already doing the perfect thing! Water changes are the key to dealing with aquasoil, that and fast plant growth. You might just have to wait it out and keep doing what it is that you're doing unfortunately. 

 

Another thing to add, how long are your lights on for? The more light, the more algae you'll get (At least until the tank becomes established and balanced)

[Steff]

1 hour ago, Nathans_Reef said:

Do you have any wood in the tank? If yes then that's gonna be the most probable cause of the brown water as wood, leaves and other botanicals will leech tannings into the water, sort of like tea! And if that is the case then this will stop over time, especially with the regularity of your water changes. And it's definitely possible that the aquasoil is the cause of this nutrient spike, but i'm afraid there's no super helpful tip I can give you to fix this as you're already doing the perfect thing! Water changes are the key to dealing with aquasoil, that and fast plant growth. You might just have to wait it out and keep doing what it is that you're doing unfortunately. 

 

Another thing to add, how long are your lights on for? The more light, the more algae you'll get (At least until the tank becomes established and balanced)

Thank you for your reply ! I don’t use light for this tank because it gets natural window light, but even so it is never direct sunlight. My smaller 5 gallon tank is close by and receives the same amount of light and is doing well. I am very cautious with light due to the very reason of algae, as you suggested. I do have wood in my tank, I have two sorta chunky  pieces of Malaysian driftwood. But when I got them I made sure to soak them a couple times over, and I don’t remember seeing and colour in the water. I’ve heard of what tannins from such wood does, but the wood in my other tank hasn’t done this. Should I take the wood out and see how it goes ? Do I need to boil it again ? 

[Nathans_Reef]

3 hours ago, Steff said:

Thank you for your reply ! I don’t use light for this tank because it gets natural window light, but even so it is never direct sunlight. My smaller 5 gallon tank is close by and receives the same amount of light and is doing well. I am very cautious with light due to the very reason of algae, as you suggested. I do have wood in my tank, I have two sorta chunky  pieces of Malaysian driftwood. But when I got them I made sure to soak them a couple times over, and I don’t remember seeing and colour in the water. I’ve heard of what tannins from such wood does, but the wood in my other tank hasn’t done this. Should I take the wood out and see how it goes ? Do I need to boil it again ? 

You shouldn't need to remove the wood, the wood probably isn't the cause of the brown water because if it was, then you probably would have seen it when you pre soaked it. I guess it's still possible that it's from the wood however, if it is then there's no need to worry it doesn't do any harm, it will slowly go away through water changes. Also in terms of lighting, using only ambient light will definitely give you the best chances of keeping algae at bay, just keep an eye on your plants for any pale leaves and deficiencies. You're already doing everything right to fix the situation, unfortunately it might just be a case of waiting it out! 

[Steff]

Just now, Steff said:

This is the tank 

[Nathans_Reef]

Since the water is still clear, just tinted brown, I'd say it definitely looks like tannings from the wood. The tannings will disappear over time through water changes