OK...as of this morning Phosphate is at @ 0.1 mg/L and 'trates are at @ 10 mg/L. This is roughly at the 10:1 ratio that GG recommends. Yet, I can practically watch filamentatious algae growing. Every few days I try to rake out as much of it as I can (pulls right out) but I just don't get it. I've shortened my photo period to 5 hours a day, inject CO2 to keep my PH at around 6.5, and water hardness is around 5 ˚KH. I also dose PMDD+Plantex CSM every day, 6 drops. I've ceased dosing PMDD lately thinking it was an excess of micronutrients causing my problem? I don't test iron.
Something is definitely off here. I am giving serious thought to starting over! Now I think I understand why such a thick layer of substrate is recommended. I keep having to peel off layers of it to get rid of the algae which keep strying to blanket everything!
-eb-
Well...at least something's growing.
-algae farmer-
Without seeing your tank, and reading the posts, I think just "fuggedaboutit" for awhile. Fert once a week. keep puling out the algae. and 'call me in a
week'
ericbullock wrote:OK...as of this morning Phosphate is at @ 0.1 mg/L and 'trates are at @ 10 mg/L. This is roughly at the 10:1 ratio that GG recommends.
Either that's a typo or your math is fuzzy. 10 mg/L nitrate : 0.1 mg/L phosphate is a 100:1 ratio. You need to up your phosphate to about 10 times the amount it is now. Underdosing will only make things worse in the end. Up your phosphates to 1-2 mg/L and see if things don't turn around.
