Flourish Advance > "Milky" Water

[Guest]

When I add the recommended dose of Advance to my tank, the water takes on a slight "milky" cast. This happens with or without CO2.

• 26 US gallon planted tank that I am just now building and experimenting with
• substrate, wood and rocks in place
• 4 plants so far, no fish as yet
• water is @ room temp (approx 20C), 2dKH and 50 ppm GH, no chlorine in our tap water
• CO2 @ approx 1.5 bps via in-tank ceramic diffuser
• no other additives to the water, Osmocote Plus in the substrate via gel caps

Advice please and thank you.

[Tech Support PE]

Hello Drew,

Due to the nature of the components of Flourish Advance, it's not unusual for there to be cloudiness after dosing. The duration will depend on the amount of your dose and how much circulation you've got in your tank. About how long does it usually last?

Welcome to the planted tank hobby! I've been keeping them since the late 90s and ultimately ended up here at Seachem because of my love of the hobby. I'll be happy to answer whatever questions I can regarding keeping planted tanks.

Regards,
PE

[Guest]

Thanks for the prompt reply. The "milky" cast persists pretty much throughout the day.
I have been dosing 6ml per day (accurate because I use a marked syringe from my dog's medication)
I know I have good circulation because I can see the CO2 micro bubbles moving throughout the tank

I just noticed that I have some grey/black beard algae just starting to develop on the wood. I have some Excel I could use for that. Recommended dose? Thank you.

[Tech Support PE]

Good day Drew,

Flourish Advance is most useful during the first two weeks after planting, after a significant uprooting and/or trimming, and after a major water change (40% or more). In my experience, doing a half-dose every three or four days is enough for regular maintenance. As far as the BBA goes, it's a result of insufficient carbon supplementation and high concentrations of dissolved organic compounds in your tank; using Purigen to remove those and thorough tank and filter cleaning when doing water changes will help a lot. If you're concerned about further decrease of pH by increasing CO2, I would recommend adding Excel as directed to provide extra carbon to your plants.

Regards,
PE

[Guest]

Thank you for that. It gives me a plan to work on for the next while and see how things progress.

[Tech Support PE]

You're welcome. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Regards,
PE

[ISHOUKI]

I just noticed that I have some grey/black snaptube word to pdf vidmate beard algae just starting to develop on the wood. I have some Excel I could use for that. Recommended dose? Thank you.