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GSA and phosphates

Sergey

Member
Joined
6 Mar 2019
Messages
51
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Hi guys,

it's common advice to increase phosphates if you have GSA. But I wonder, if anyone knows why exactly this correlation? Is it GSA not liking the phosphate in the water column, or it's about the plant health?

The reason I'm asking is that in my new tank (1 month old) I've got quite a lot of GSA on old anubias and buce leaves. I'm dosing EI method + recently I doubled the phosphates. Problem is the phosphate doesn't hold for too long in the water column: I suspect the soil (Tropica Soil Powder) buffers it. Yet it should still be available to the plants through the roots, right? But, if to battle GSA you need phosphates in *water column* then the soil is doing me a disfavour.

All plants seem to grow well and healthy, the only problem is GSA & BBA on old buce and anubias leaves.
 
I have to guess a bit, but i think its because Phospate is one of the most likely and common deficiencies in ponds and planted tanks. Many articles say Green Spot Algae on slow growing plant leaves is a common sign for phosphate deficiency. In some it's also stated that a excess of Phosphate can cause the same.. Not sure if i'm correct but i believe it was Tom Barr that debunked this theory with dosing excess phosphate in one of his tanks to prove the contrary. Tho i'm not sure if this realy proofs anything in general.

Why phosphate is most likely the deficiency is that the measuring tests are not trustworthy enough and you could have phospate binding agents in the tank making a part phospate insoluble but it is still measured as present, than dosing extra but not higher than 1mg/l could be the solution.

Or there is enough phospate but the tank is to strongly lit, than reducing light could be the game changer as well.
 
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