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bluegreens and phosphate



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>Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 14:50:35 -0800 (PST)
>From: Roxanne Bittman <rbittman at spock_dfg.ca.gov>
>To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
>Subject: bluegreens and phosphate
>
>I have a minor but persistent BG algae growth in two tanks that both test
very 
>low for nitrate (less than 5ppm).  I realize that this means the higher
plants 
>may be limited by certain nutrients.  I have added Jobe's plant sticks (for 
>palms and ferns) to the substrate (there is Dupla laterite in there also),
which 
>has definitely helped. 
>
> However, after testing for phospate this weekend I think that the levels
are 
>still too high for me to expect the BGs to disappear completely (.1ppm in
one 
>tank; .2ppm in the other).  The tank with .1ppm has BGs scattered on the
Riccia 
>and the substrate; I disturb and remove it about every other day; it keeps 
>returning.  The tank with .2ppm has BGs only below the substrate level
against 
>the glass.
> 
>I use R/O water reconstituted using R/O Right, plus added potassium
sulfate and 
>occaisional additional CaCl and MgSO4, depending on the look of the
plants.  I 
>monitor the KH and GH of the water, but real testing on the concentrations
of K, 
>Mg, and Ca is not being done.
>
>Any ideas on what to try to rid the tanks completely of BGs; I assume
their very 
>presence indicates some slight deficiency I need to correct to help the
higher 
>plants outcompete the algae, right?
>
>P.S. There are snails in both tanks; they don't seem to help that much.  I
have 
>not tried turning out the lights for five days or adding Maracyn, both of
which 
>were suggested back in the summer of 1997 on the APD.