Re: [APD] Tom Barr's Estimative Index

[Vaughn Hopkins <hoppycalif at yahoo_com>]

My understanding is that nitrate and phosphate can be pretty high with 
no adverse effect on plants, and no algae bloom, but ammonia is another 
story.  Even small amounts of ammonia suddenly added by, for example, 
uprooting a plant tab that uses ammonia, will start an algae bloom.  
Otherwise, algae can start from unstable nutrient conditions, such as 
wildly varying CO2 levels or widely spaced and large additions of other 
nutrients.  Perhaps I am misstating the latest theories, but that is 
how I understood it.

On a side note, today, after almost two years without an operating 
aquarium, I will be setting up and planting my 29 gallon tank!  It is 
raining outside now, but I feel like it's midsummer!!  The drinks are 
on me!

Vaughn H.

On Thursday, December 1, 2005, at 08:42 AM, Andrew McLeod wrote:

> On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 15:18:34 -0000, S. Hieber <shieber at yahoo_com> 
> wrote:
>
>>> The UK magazine Practical Fishkeeping is currently
>>> running a series of articles on planted tanks. They say
>>> that for a healthy planted tank everything must 'in
>>> balance', and they have just had a section on algae,
>>> which says that excessive nitrate and phosphate cause
>>> algae. I do wish some people would keep up... (shakes
>>> head in mild anger at stupidity of magazine writers)
>>>
>>> I think Tom probably is out of the mainstream, at least
>>> here in the UK (Europe maybe?). Of course, it is the
>>> 'right' stream...
>>>
>>
>>
>> If you put in enough nitrate, you can get lots of algae. If
>> you avoid nitrate, you'll get algae. I don't think anyone
>> disagrees with that general point. How much of each of the
>> nutrients does the Practical Fishkeeping series recommend
>> for planted aquaria?
>>
>> I wonder jsut what the diffs, if any boil down to.
>>
>> sh
>
> They seem to imply as little as possible/none. I read one answer to 
> someone having algae problems; part of the answer was to reduce 
> phosphate levels; the suggested maximum was 0.15ppm of phosphate, 
> supposedly because even 1ppm of phosphate caused problems.
> Basically they are of the 'nitrate and phosphate is evil' brigade; I'm 
> sure they would probably recommend phosphate removers etc.
> i.e. pre-PMDD day thinking? (please note also that I was only shaking 
> my head in 'mild' anger :p )
> What I meant was that when they said 'excessive' they would be talking 
> in the >10ppm & >1ppm levels...
>
> PS how much nitrate do you need to add to get algae? I'm sure Tom Barr 
> said he once added 70ppm+ and got none...
>
> -- 
> Andrew McLeod
> thefish at theabyssalplain_freeserve.co.uk
>
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