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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #42
>>>>> LLPJ1 <LLPJ1 at aol_com> (here: "L"),
>>>>> on Fri, 23 Jan 1998 11:03:04 EST,
>>>>> pondered the meaning of life, then wrote down:
L> I have a question about the so called alage destroyer you see in the
L> fish stores. What is this all about? Does it work? Will it take away
L> the PH buffers in the aquarium? I guess another question is how do I
L> get rid of Alage Hair? I'ts making my plants look bad. My lights are
L> on for about 10-12 hours, I use DIY CO2, I've added propper PH 6.5 to
L> keep the ph steady. I'm not educated enough on this matter to take
L> care of the problem myself so I turn to the trusty aquatics list.
L> thanx in advance,
L> Patrick Wichert
L> LLPJ1 at aol_com
Patrick,
If you're adding a pH-adjuster, you're probably adding phosphate to the
tank, which hair algae loves. I don't know about the exact one you're using,
but I'd avoid anything that has more than just sodium bicarbonate. Use your
DIY CO2 to lower the pH of the water instead, and to keep it steady, make
sure your KH is at least 3 by adding sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) until
your KH test kit reads 3 (I prefer 5).
Make a couple of large water changes to get rid of the phosphate that's
currently in your tank, but don't stress too much about it...if you're NOT
nitrate limited (test to make sure it's around 10mg/L), the plants will
consume the phosphate you have left and starve the hair algae away.
Look up the chart in the Krib for references to pH control via CO2 injection.
There's a chart that shows the relationship between CO2, pH and KH. Don't
forget, though: the chart is NOT valid if you add any pH buffers to the tank
besides the natural bicarbonate. Let us know how you're doing.
-Carlos
--
Carlos E. Munoz <cmunoz at crystal_cirrus.com>