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Re: five o'clock shadow algae
On Sun, 20 Jun 1999, Craig David wrote:
[snip]
> More info on maintenance...have DIY CO2...use "Leaf Zone" for water
> changes,(mainly iron &K), Plant-tabs every two months or so, Flourish once a
> week....
This looks to me like too much fertilizer. Pick one of your fertilizers
and stick with it.
I've never used Planttabs, but from reading their content I'd never make
them my fertilizer of choice. I think that either of the other two might
be used alone, but I think the Flourish is more complete. Complete may or
may not be good.
You may need to do a 3-step clean up.
1) Big water changes - nearly a complete water replacement - to remove
excess nutrients. With fertilizer in the substrate water changes alone
won't be enough. Some gravel vaccuuming might help but there are no
guarantees. Also scrape the glass and clean any removable ornaments.
2) Moderate your methods - pick one fertilizer, stick with it and don't
overuse that fertilizer. Be careful to not overfeed your fish and while
you're at it make sure that the lights aren't on for more than 12-14
hours/day.
3) After 1 and 2 and you've given your cleaning crew some time to work,
remove and replace the most seriously affected plants, remove and trim
other plants and replant the least algae-infested parts.
You might see improvements quickly but more likely the whole cleanup
process will take several weeks to run its course.
Good luck,
Roger Miller