Re: [APD] CO2 and Algae

[Stuart Halliday <stuart at mytriops_com>]

I believe Bill wrote this email section below:
> Standard advice to people whose aquariuims are plagued with algae is 
> often, "Add more CO2."
>
> That seems to work in many cases.  My question is, Why?
>
> Does CO2 directly kill algae or stop it from multiplying?  I think not; 
> as a plant, algae should benefit from CO2.

Yes. I agree too.

> Does CO2 enable plants to grow faster?  Yes.  But how does that affect 
> algae?

Algae is a plant also so they can grow faster too.

But it is believed that (if no other nutrient is in short supply) then higher
plants can absorb nitrogen quicker using the carbon to build internal
structures and so there is less available for the algae to use.

Maybe it's partly because algae is often seen in abundance on the glass walls
which is at right angles to the overhead light and so has less
photosynthesising power going on when CO2 is turned on?

You'd need to ask Tom Barr at the Barr Report web site for a better answer!
:-)


--
Stuart Halliday
http://mytriops.com/
200 Million years in the making...
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