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Nuisance Algae
>Roger S. Miller wrote:
>
>
>> I'll restate the question as I see it. If all the macronutrients are
>> present in measurable quantities, and micronutrients are dosed regularly
>> to keep them balanced, then what is it that keeps the algae from becoming
>> a nuisance?
James wrote:
>The answer to that is easy - it's the attitude of the aquarist towards
>algae. Change the attitude, no more nuisance.
I _think_ you were joking when you said this, James, weren't you?
I don'r know the answer to Roger's question in full, though I'm sure that
that elusive "balance" is part of the answer. But It's certainly _not_
just an attitude change. I really _don't_ have nuisance algae in my tanks,
and the only thing that I can measure that I _let_ get unmeasureable is
PO4. Then I add more with water changes, though not much.
When I say I don't have nuisance algae, I have no visible filamentous
algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria or suspended algae. There is a _small_
amount of dot algae on the oldest Anubias leaves, and at the end of two
weeks, there is enough algae on the glass that you can feel it, and see a
green tinge on the algae mit when you wipe it down. You can't see it from
across the room.
If people are calling this much algae a "problem", then you're right, they
mostly need an attitude adjustment. But it is _certainly_ possible to
amintain a planted tank with no more than this amount of algae. And it
doesn't take that much experience. All of our school tanks have similar
algae levels, some less, since many run on less light than mine.
Karen