[APD] RE:BGA

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Thanks Scott and Tom for the advice.  At what levels
> should the N/P/K be
> kept at?

Enough to keep the plants actively growing.
I found the min levels at high light and CO2 etc required for good growth.

So everything below high light(5.5w/ PC lighting at 16" depth) is going to be satisfied nutrionally at those levels.

I think in terms of a rate(ppm/per day), not a static level or ratio.

The "levels" can be a range, they do not need to be a particular "ratio" although that helps some think about it better and reduce wasting the fertilizer(but fert's are very cheap).

I add:
NO3 from 5-30ppm depending
PO4 around 1ppm
Fe- dosing 5mls 20 gal/3x a week
CO2 30ppm
Lots of light(color temp etc does not matter except to our eyes)
  
> I still get caught up in some of the literature which
> generally assumes
> aquariums aren't planted tanks.  hence, "bga? get that
> phosphate out of
> there!"  I have to remember that it is a different game
> with flora.

Yes, you point out a non planted tank myth that's stretched over to this hobby from those Plastic fish people. Who can trust them?:)

It's embedded into many books, web sites and few are willing to figure it out and prove it wrong, but if folks want more to grow plants, they need to understand what causes plants to grow and what causes algae to grow.

This is confusing for newbies. Conflicting statements really make it tough. But good methods and research cure this type of thing after awhile has passed.

It takes time though. 

  It's
> the plants that do all the work in the end...just keep
> them happy. Besides,
> I hate antibiotics anyway.

Me too, gives me the runs.

> On a high note, I would say the BGA is gone, as the SAE
> has spent the last
> three days sitting amongst the java moss (where the BGA
> was) eating all the
> algae which had previously been a problem. Before, he
> wouldn't touch it
> since it was mixed in with the BGA.  Now the java moss
> looks like java moss,
> instead of fuzzy, hairy stringy green stuff.
> Thanks,
> B.

Good, now go tell 10 people that think using antibiotics is good and blackouts aren't.

The other thing, a nice example of a planted tank, lots of plants being sold, brough in for auctions etc, proves that PO4/NO3/CO2 rich tanks do work well and are very low in algae.
So if high PO4 causes algae, where's mine?

Regards, 
Tom Barr



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