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Re: algae (adding N and P)
>>Use the N and P as rulers as a comparison. They are
better overall yardsticks than some of the anecdotal
notions. If your tank is not using the NO3 etc, well
why not? Go in and add nutrient A, then B etc on down
the line till you get the response your looking for(N
and/or P usage). You will see a direct correlation
between N and/or P usage and algae presence I would
say. Why? I've had tanks that have no P etc. I've had
tanks that have no NO3 etc. Excess everything else.
Poor plant growth and some algae presence. Add some
KNO3 to the low NO3 and suddenly the P starts getting
used. Add some KH2PO4 to another tank that has low PO4
and then the NO3 level falls much faster suddenly.<<
With regard to adding N and P. I don't do it. For a
while, way back when, I added Potassium Nitrate. I
was trying to dose to 5mg/L. My test kit was aquarium
pharm. I was finding that I had to add A LOT of
nitrates just to get the indicator to budge. I even
tested my reagents on a saturated solution of KNO3
just to make sure they could budge. And what did I
get for this effort? Cyanobacteria. My plants were
growing fine before I added N. Then disaster after
adding N. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I find
that the discus food provides sufficient N and P for
my plants. I have yet to find the need to go down the
Lamotte-dose-your-own-N-and-P road, and am not sure if
it is necessary. But then again, I've had 2 dark
hair-algae and 1 green hair-algae outbreak in the
tank's 1 year history. Maybe the odds I am playing
aren't so great.
Arthur
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