Re: NO3-

[Paul Sears <psears at nrn1_NRCan.gc.ca>]

> From: "Hopkins, Samuel" <Samuel.Hopkins at marconi_com>
> Subject: NO3
> 
> My plants are starting to turn black/brown/transparent and die and I thought
> I might be short on a trace or K2SO4. However I just read an article that
> stated if NO3 is 0 then trace and K2SO4 are fine because plants are
> consuming it. (I do have fish that provide plenty of NO3 so if I ripped out
> all of my plants my NO3 would sky rocket). My light is 3W/gallon and my NO3
> levels are now 0. 

	I operate with more or less that philosophy - if NO3- is being used
up then everything else is there.  If it isn't being used up, then I add
K2SO4, trace elements or K2HPO4 depending on what I think is running short.
My inclination, with your tank now would be actually to add some KNO3
and make sure it _is_ being used.  I would first check my NO3- kit with 
a known sample, just to make sure the concentration in the tank _is_ zero.

-- 
Paul Sears        Ottawa, Canada