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SEVERE algae problem - HELP!



My tank:

30 gallons
1 96 watt AH PCF
2 Zoomed T8s    - 146 watts total

1 ml Flourish per day
9 ml Flourish Potassium per week
2 ml Flourish Iron per week

ph 6.8  -pressurized co2 fed into Duetto internal
filter
1 additional Duetto for circulation

GH 7 dGH
KH 6 (currently- usually 5)


Currently using reconstituted distilled, but will
probably switch to a tap/distilled mix.

Tap water recently tested at 10 dGH, 3ppm nitrates
(Lamotte kit), 3d KH, and .5 phosphate (Red Sea until
I get a Lamotte)

I had been using two yeast co2 bottles.  The yeast
stopped working for some reason and thread algae
started in, so I upgraded to a pressurized co2 system.
 I had not been adding kno3 or phosphate.  After I
hooked up the pressurized co2, things grew like crazy
and pearled heavily for a while before stopping. 
Longer internodes, more algae, and a stringy, greyish
green slime crap.  Erythromycin did not kill the slime
strands, which look kind of like bacteria.    

Adding two Seachem acid buffer scoops of kno3 (.87
grams each) three times a week produced a reading of
zero using a Lamotte kit a day after adding the dose. 


For now, I only have the Red Sea phosphate kit.  It
isn't the best, but it's not totally worthless.  Algae
continued with about 2-3ppm added once every 2-3 days.
 Tank water was .1ppm before adding about .4grams of
discuss buffer.  Yesterday I added a new dose but
added too much and got maybe 1-2 ppm.  By that
evening, it was down to .5ppm.  .1 by the next
morning.  Is that even possible?    

I don't know if it's a nitrate thing or what, but man,
the algae is BAD.  A foamy green hair algae covers
most plants in the top half of the tank.  I can't even
see what some of them are anymore.  Lots of leaves a
bit further down are covered with hair algae with the
slime covering individual strands. 

I'm not sure what to do about the macros.  Can my tank
really be using up that much?  Even if I do get them
set, I can't see how I'll be able to avoid trashing
many of my plants.  I tried a bleach dip on some hygro
but that killed it.  I tried a hydrogen peroxide dip
on some more of it but that didn't do anything.  Could
the stuff be too old?  

Anything else I can do?  The algae is pretty much
impossible to remove.  All the herbivores in the world
won't fix this mess.  @$$%!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can barely
even bring myself to look at the tank.  Today I shut
off the co2, unplugged the lights and covered the
tank.  How long?  Will that help?  

I'm really poor right now so I don't know if I'll be
able to afford Lamotte kits.  Thanks to Tom Connors
for testing my water with his Lamotte no3 kit.  The AP
kit I have shows zero if I look through the side of
the tube and 5 if I look down through the top.  Which?
 Based on Tom's testing, I think it's the former.  

Thanks, Cavan   


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