sari
Member
I think your tank is going to be awesome when it's grown in. If you get problems with hydro, you could try a low crypt there instead or eleocharis or a marsilea species.
Dan, I might be wrong here, but doesn't Barr rule #1 say that nutrients do not cause algae?Dan Crawford said:Hiya, i'd be careful about dosing full ferts this early on, you have a very small biomass, ie. not enough plants to take up the nutrients, algae will generally occur in this situation. I always start on half dosing unless it's packed out with plants from the start.
I truthfully do not know what levels of NO3 and PO4 (for example) cause problems for plants or induce algae in a fully planted tank. NO3 levels above 40ppm can cause fish health issues. PO4 at very high levels can influence alkalinity (KH) above 5ppm-10ppm.
Clearly these are far beyond the needs of plants and the range makes for a very large target to dose even if the aquarist is off by a factor of 2X.
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An important aspect of this method is the knowledge that excess nutrients do not cause algae blooms as so many authors in the past and many today still maintain without having tested this critically in aquariums with a healthy plant biomass. It is a welcomed relief knowing that “excess†phosphate, nitrate and iron do not cause algae blooms.
keymaker said:Howard, sorry to hijack your thread...