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Re: Phosphurous and algea?
>Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 16:24:51 -0400
>From: "Guangyan Wang" <lesenw-2 at idt_net>
>Subject: Phosphurous and algea?
>
>Hello, I have several questions to ake every about algea. As I have read
>many articles about planted aqurium, I noticed that phosphate in water is
>undesirable. Phosphate can cause algea blooms. However, in all the
>fertilizers for land plants, the phosphate containt is very high. It's
>around 10.
That's less high than you think, you must suppose there is a slow release
of that "10" P.
>Does aquatic plants evolved in a way that it no longer needs
>abandant amount of phospahte to do well?
I think all aquatic plants needs very low concentration of ALL the
nutrients cuz they come from places where the water is very very similar to
osmotic water. The total conductivity of that water is extremely low if
compared with our tap water.
> Why does high concentration of
>phosphate in water is associated with algea? I understand algea need all the
>nutrients that the plants does. Why is phosphate a major nutrient
>requirement for algea? Doesn't high concentrate of other nutrients also
>cause algea booms?
Yes. If ALL the nutrients are present in a relatively HIGH concentration,
you should have an algae bloom.
> Does algea utilisize Phosphate better than the plants?
I suppose not. PLants have two major advantages on algae:
1) they can uptake nutrients from the substrate by roots, which algae can't
2) They can store and mobilize later many nutrients in a better way algae
can.
>put
>phosphate into our subtrates and water colum to boost the growth of the
>plants?
It's better if you put the phosphate in the substrate of course. Where it's
relatively unavailable to algae.
>nutrients are in the water column. People are deliberate to take out
>phosphate in thier water. Would this action stop the growth of algea? Would
>is slow down the growth of the plants?
Yes, indeed. No way! Plants NEED phosphorus for their growth.
> I have algea again in my tank. I want
>to use phosphate absorbent materials, thus I want your opion.
That would be a BIG mistake. You must find a balance. Your tank should be
pout in the condition to be phosphate LIMITED and NOT phosphate ABSENT !:-)
LIMITED means that almost all the phosphate available is taken by plants
and so little is still available for algae that they can barely survive or
even die. So you won;t have any algae bloom but maybe just a little
presence of them.
Best wishes,
Luca Specchio