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Re: Iron and hair algae




 
> Can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive Iron (Fe) test kit? (And where to
> mail order it from.)
> The one from LaMott is $70, and currently outside my budget.
> I am currently dosing PMDD, and although the black beard algae has currently
> subsided, I now am producing lots of green hair algae.  (And some clumps of
> spiderwebby black hair algae.)
> I think I should be monitoring my Iron more closely.  Isn't the test kit
> necessary for this?

Why do you think iron and hair algae are related? Folks say this often but
is it true?

I've dosed very high levels of iron and conversely very low levels and have
not found any thing that suggest hair algae grows better/worse either way.
I've tried weekly dosing, daily and every 3 days. No difference between the
daily and the every 3 days and some difference in the every week dosing(more
algae less plant growth/color).

Also what do you hope to gain from a 70$ iron test kit? What does it really
measure? Will it solve the hair algae problem.
I think it won't.

Spend money on algae eaters etc. Maybe go through and make sure the CO2,PO4,
K, NO3 are all good before blaming iron etc. Lack or excess of a nutrient
are two different things also. You will get algae either direction there.
Less if the other things like the NPK are in good ranges and the CO2. I've
added lots of traces and found little effect above 5mls/20 gallon per 3
days. More didn't give me algae but it also didn't help the plant any I
could see.
Regards, 
Tom Barr
 
> I am pearling like mad, and my chain swords are growing quickly (and
> doubling in number.)
> 
> 34 Gallons
> Kh 3
> Ph 6.6
> PMDD - 6 drops daily
> ~90 watts light.
> 
> - -Jeremy White