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Re: algae



> Subject: Re: severe algae
> 
> Add KNO3 at 1/8 th teaspoon 3 x a week
> 
> That's the really weird thing.  The Lamotte test that
> registered o was taken a day after I put in two
> Seachem scoops that I'm told measure about 1/8th
> teaspoon or .87 grams.  My cheap AP one also says
> zero.
> How can this be?

Cheap AP test kit. If you can assume you have no NO3(or some) in your water
and you add KNO3 at 1/8 th a teaspoon you will have least 3ppm of NO3 at a
minimum...........you can make your own dosing estimates and volume of your
tank etc and see about that tap water level or use reconstituted RO and
forget the kits and just do it by estimation and big weekly water changes to
correct for errors. This method works better than using cheap kits.

> 
>> Add K2PO4 at a BB or two size 2 x a week.
> 
> I have discus buffer for that.  My Red Sea kit is crap
> I know.  Is the Seachem one good enough for me?  I
> could afford that one... Steve Dixon seemed to like
> it.
> Is it easy to read?

Yes. Hach also makes one.

> 
>> flourish/TMG at 5 mls 3 x a week.
> 
> That's a lot of Flourish.  Twice what I'm adding now.
> That much? 

I have a tank that's a 20 gallon and I add that much to it. If you do the
water changes, it works. If your tank is low in CO2 etc or you don't like to
do water changes etc........I cannot say.
> 
>> I mentioned to use the tap. You don't want to for
>> some reason.
>> It has PO4 in it correct? And a decent KH?
> 
> I'm not quite sure how the PO4 is.  The Red Sea kit
> says about .5  Not bad if I can trust that kit.  But I
> probably can't.  The KH of tapwater is about
> 3.something.  If the GH is 10, I guess I could mix
> less tap with the distilled (6 gallons tap and 4
> distilled instead of 7-8 tap and 2-3 distilled)  and
> add calcium carbonate to get the KH where I want.

I'd just leave it if it's 3+. The PO4 can be figured out from the water
company along with NO3. Call and ask. They have good kits there. Sounds like
the tap is fine. I'd use it and adjust your pH to where ever the pH/Kh table
say to, about 6.4 or so off the top of my head.
> 
>> Good plan and it will hurt the algae good. Trim well
>> prior to doing this and
>> vac up all the leftover detritus, then do a big water
>> change.
> 
> Already have.  Day three of the blackout.

It'll knock out most greens/BGA. Red's and Entromorpha(staghorns) will hang
on. It goes away eventually but is work.
Regards, 
Tom Barr
> 
> Thanks, Cavan