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Algae and light?

Martin cape

Martin cape

Member
Joined
21 Dec 2012
Messages
611
Location
Workington
Hi guys,

Can you get algae from not enough lighting time?

I keep getting green spot algae which is apparently due to low phosphates but I know for a fact I have enough phosphate. 6ppm.

Flow seems fine too across the glass I'm getting it. It's all at substrate level.

Lights are only on for 5 hours a day.
 
Why not just dose more PO4 instead of drawing impossible conclusions? Neither algae nor plants care about test kit readings. They know exactly what's in the water. If you actually were dosing 6 ppm of PO4 your tank would look amazing.

Cheers,
 
Cheers Clive.

I do know there is 6 ppm in there. I use Ion Chromatography to test. It's maybe just that its not getting down to substrate level?

I watched the flow from the side yesterday when loads of bubbles were moving about, it came horizontally out the spray bar, along the surface, then down the front glass, but, came back on itself towards the back before it reached the substrate. About 3/4 way down. So above the GSA.
 
Well, I mean, Yeah. Adding more nutrients is the easiest thing to do in a planted tank. I really can't understand why it's such an issue. GSA is caused by any combination of poor CO2 and poor PO4. CO2 is the most difficult thing to fix, so, start with the easiest thing. Double or treble your PO4 dosing and monitor for a few weeks.

Here's my standard stock photo illustrating the point. This tank ran critically low on PO4 while I was out of town. No problem, I simply dumped a boatload of PO4 every couple of days and everything came good. What's the big deal?
If you add a massive amount and if that doesn't work then there is still no harm, and you'll know that the problem is either flow or CO2.

In this particular tank, the characteristics were that low CO2 triggered hair algae before triggering GSA, so it becomes very easy to communicate with the tank. The plants talk to you, so you have to listen to them and learn their habits. Each tank exhibits it's own set of failure modes and health characteristics. Meditate on that and NOT on ppm, no matter how sophisticated the ppm reporting device.
Algae really does not harass me, because I have a clear vision of cause and effect.

Do not succumb to Matrix induced fantasies. Algae is caused by too much light and not enough nutrition. It can never be the opposite. Therefore, do not try to reverse reality. Algae will never cooperate with our personal hallucinations. Master the principles of causality.

Secrets of the Shaolin Temple:
Do not try to bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth. Then you will see that it is not the spoon that bends, but merely yourself.
8395181972_e7c2034dd6_c.jpg


Cheers,
 
Thanks Clive.

It's just annoying when "you think" everything is right, as in doing what everyone else seems to do, and you still fail :(.

I'll double my phosphate dose and see what happens. I've more than doubled my flow today so that can only help too.

In the process of replacing my light unit too. Plan on getting rid of the 90w T5 which is about 2cm from the surface, to a T5 78w unit that will be about 8-10cm above the surface.
 
Yep, it is frustrating, but it's just one of those things that everyone have to go through. If it's any consolation, I want you to take a look at a tank that placed highly in competition but there were lots of problems that the OP had to resolve, similar to what you are going through. What important it what he learned from the experience. Once he understood and accepted the reasons for the problems he never looked back=> Mountainscape V2 | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Cheers,
 
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