[APD] RE: NH4= algae, not NO3/PO4

["Beek, Graham" <Graham_Beek at ds-s.com>]

On Tue, 9 Dec 2003, Thomas Barr wrote:

> 
> NO3 should supply most of plant's N needs.High levels do not 
> seem to induce
> algae. Many people have stated this in the past.
> 
> I believe they are incorrect.
> I believe it is the NH4 they are missing that causes all the 
> algae and then
> this NH4 is converted by the nitrogen cycle bacteria into 
> NO3, and that is
> what they are measuring as the build up and correlating as 
> the cause for
> the algae.
> 
> The same thing can be said for PO4.  


I definitely concur with that. I have limited experience in growing plants
seriously, but one of my tanks has a high fish load and lots of plants
(admittedly easy growers) and no algae (apart from a little spot on my
anubias). I bought a PO4 test kit out of curiosity and it measured over 5,
nitrate was over 35-40! My water changes had definitely been a bit lax of
late due to work pressures and decorating, but I had supposedly two of the
worst components of rampant algae growth there is, but no algae.

As there's been talk of saltwater tanks recently can this also be said of
these? Many 'experts' state that high phosphate levels in a marine tank
equals rampant algae growth over your rocks and corals. Is that true?

Graham
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