Re: [APD] Hair algae

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at yahoo_com>]

I think it's a mix of CO2 and the trace dosing, you make
reference to 10 drops, is that the trace dosing?
That's only 1/2 ml.

You need more like 15mls 2-3x a week.

That and good cleaning, followed by a water change, maybe add a
full dose of Excel, then another 2 days later and bump up the
CO2 some.

You can read the more agressive approach and do the 50-80% water
changes 3x days in a row+ blackout + Excel dosing, plus manual
removal.

That will certainly kill any green algae and beat it way back
with very little, if any damage to plants.

Then you still need to address trace and CO2 dosing so it does
not come back.

If you have good nutrients/CO2, no lagae should reappear, if it
does, you are still not getting those right, generally CO2.

The drop checker Vaughn mentions is a wise idea. It's not
particular narrow in accuracy, but it's more accurate in many
cases and gets around any non bicarbonate buffer issues.

I'm not sure the optimal range of the solution (turns green) is
set at 30-35ppm though..............it might be set at 15ppm or
20ppm etc.

Different brands are set at different levels, who knows........

I like making the tank a ref solution(generally a large water
change, or you can sometimes measure a standing ambient glass of
water and measuring that's pH/KH etc and from there dropping the
pH w/CO2 1.2 pH units basically) and then the rest of the week
keeping the CO2 rate being dosed the same.

CO2 is the one thing folks likely should most focus on.
Instead folks end up worry about algae, NO3, Fe and siesta
lighting routines and minor issues while missing the big one.

CO2 accounts for at least 90-95% of every algae issues I deal
with and help folks with.

Good CO2 will make the plants pearl, improve water clarity beat
algae back and turn a tank around very fast.

Regards, 
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com
Public Aquatic Macrophyte Forum
 
 


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