# Iron versus High Light



## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

Hello everyone

I have a 100 gal tank with 3 150 w, single ended metal halide bulbs with included UV protection, 4.200 k, 19 cm above water level, this are on for 12 hours daily (no additional glass for UV protection but the one offered by the lamp each self, whole fixture is enclosed in a wooden frame that blocks exposure of the room to UV).
In this tanks all ferts (Fe from EDTA currently, TE from flourish, KH2PO4 ,Ca(NO3)2, KH2SO4 are dosed with dosing pumps which keep the ferts at constant levels absolutely controllable ppm wise.
The substrate is pure fluorite with 1 cm peat mixed with mulm on the bottom of it. A 150 w Rena cable runs all along the first 1 cm bottom layer and it stays on 24 hours per day that keeps the substrate worm with the intension of transferring partial fertiliser to the bottom from the column through convention (possible acceleration of decaying of peat?). This tank has great fast growth of all plants including ones like macrandra, didiplis, eleocharis parvulus aromatica nasaea e.t.c. plant coverage is between medium to high. Measurements NO3, free Fe +2 - Fe+3, PO4 are done with a hanna colorimeter and K with a Hanna turbidometer so the readings are very precise. There is 2.500 lt circulation pump on it attached to a pair of lifeguard filters with 20 micron micro filters and a huge biological filter full of bioballs.
Sample testing values are:
NO3 7 ppm
Free Fe+3 FE+2 0,15 ppm
PO4 0,8 ppm
K 13 ppm
NO2 O
NH3 O
Kh 3
Mg to Ca ratio 1 to 20 (sudden high increase of Mg is triggering almost instantly new leaf curling in sensitive plants.

pH no current reading but there is ample CO2 almost 100 bpm all dissolved and plants bubble from hour one on light circle.

This tank has a constant problem of thread algae, BAG, Spot algae, algae seems to have a vigorous growth like the plants and needs to be cleaned daily to keep the plants "free" of it also the algae that settles down is removed daily with a siphon lately 10 % water changes (with RO currently to push the Gh and Kh down a bit) are done at the same time.
As far as I can observe all are in order. So some detective work is needed and I tell you after lots and lots of experimenting I am really frustrated. Increase of NO3 to 10 ppm or more (PO4 is always increased with NO3 in a ratio of 10 NO3 to 1 PO4) or a bit more will just increase the algae growth and at the same time the leaf size of all plants. Same goes for Iron the more I increase it the redder and more vigorous plant growth I get but also more algae *(I can virtually nulify algae growth with a drastic decrease of Fe and I have tried this repeatedly but plants really suffer)*. The TE I keep stable dosing only 2,5 ml flourish daily.
Sensitive plants in the tanks to iron deficiency like parvulus and mayaca seem to excibit light green to white growth (Mayaca) also some curling is observed (from some effect of Fe to something according to my observations) when iron is reduced below or at 0,1 ppm, at 0,22 - 0,25 ppm of iron in the column all seem to be growing fine but algae increases really fast. I have tried both the iron gluconate and the iron EDTA. The approach with both irons is effective but still plants seem to be unable to cope with their iron demands in the amounts that algae will be kept at bay.

From my observations iron is probably the most catalytic fertiliser in growth behaviour in our plants.
But it seems that the amount of iron that is needed in the column with all this light to keep the plants happy (with no iron included in the substrate but only the fluorite, which I think is inert anyway), is a perfect algae inducer, grower as well.

From what I can read in Diana Walstad's book (one of the few people unfortunatelly for us that has done some serious experimenting):



> from pages 167 to 169 from The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium
> 
> Iron may be the limiting nutrient for algal growth in aquariums, if only because so many other nutrients (e.g., N and P) are so plentiful. Also, iron is the one nutrient that is required in fairly large quantities while being the least available in oxygenated water. Thus, I sometimes have problems with algae after setting up a tank with garden soil, because considerable iron is released into the water during the first two months (see page 131). Only after the soil has 'settled down', does the iron release stop and algal problems diminish.
> 
> ...


Also is it a coincidence that the Dupla guys always used gravel mixed with lots of Laterite in their substrates?
So I was wondering has anyone observed similar problems or has some thoughts on the subject?
Sorry for the long post

Freemann


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Yours is an eloquent description that deserves thoughtful responses. My offering is, for sure, too succinct and does not even address your topic of Fe. I had a similar situation and found that the missing element was K. K2SO4 dosing resulted in almost immediate decrease of algae and the total demise of thread algae. Previously, thread algae had come instantly with dosing Tropica and Fe (in very soft water). I dose large amounts of TE and Fe now without thread algae. Just learning by my mistakes here...

I leave the subject to others...

Andrew Cribb


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## aviel (Sep 12, 2004)

Hi,

Diane Walstad talks about co2 limited tanks where growth and plants demand is very limited compared to your high tech tank. When there's high growth iron fertilization in the substrate is probably not enough. I wouldn't starve the water column, u need to feed your plants in order for them to flourish and then algae shall disappear. I noticed that algae attaches to those plants that have poor growth so either I take care of their needs or I toss them away. I was on the lean side with ~0.03 ppm per day of iron, and ~20 ppm CO2 - I experienced thread algae + BGA. Once I added CO2/iron - the thread algae went away. I really like to read Diane Walstad book and posts but when it comes to my tank I try to understand first if they are applicable or not.

One more thing that I don't understand is your UV setting. I use UV - it's not located above the water - it doesn't light the plants or the fish - the water going out from my canister filter flow through this pipe where they are exposed to the UV light.

Aviel.


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

> Diane Walstad talks about CO2 limited tanks where growth and plants demand is very limited compared to your high tech tank. When there's high growth iron fertilization in the substrate is probably not enough.


I never starved my plants on CO2. Co2 is in the range of 30 - 35 ppm here
I feed the plants iron from the column I say that aswell, plus the fact that I notice that the plants suffer when there is not enought iron in the column, thing is that there is no iron at all on my substrate.
The fact that Walstad speaks of no CO2 injected tanks makes no difference in relation to the fact of where from preferably plants aquire their iron (roots or leaves) or the fact that if iron is aquired from the substrate then there will be no iron for the algae to use in the water column at least not that much. My problem is that enough iron on the column here brings algae.
I have no UV installation I speak of the UV emited from the MH lamps.
If you notice Walstad states that UV breaks DOC binded iron back into it's free form. And this is what I wonder that may be happening.


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

Freeman, 
I will try to help although I am not very well versed or experienced. Dose your dosing happen all the time during the day? I dose right at lights out so that the light has no effect on breaking down the iron. I seem to think that at night the plants store the nutrients for use during the light period. I could be wrong here. From my experience I have better results when the plants take in the ferts when they are not photosynthisizing. As far as your substrate containing iron, Flourite does have iron in the complex form, I believe. You can supplement with clay balls. I do that, its easy and very cheap. I make my own out of red art clay mixed with some macros. I am not a chemist so I dont know why things work but I learn by trial and error. Some of the guys on here know alot about this, they should chime in.


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

bumpbumpbump


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## aviel (Sep 12, 2004)

Freemann said:


> I never starved my plants on CO2. Co2 is in the range of 30 - 35 ppm here


Who said your plants are starving for CO2??? I said you have a CO2 injected tank - unlike Walstad tanks and therefore not everything that you read in Walstad book applies to your routine. For example Walstad claim that plants prefer Ammonium over Nitrate - while this may be true plants will consume nitrate and ammonium. They prefer ammonium because it's available and when they are co2 limited they just save the energy that is required to convert nitrate to ammonium but with a CO2 tank they shall consume both.



Freemann said:


> The fact that Walstad speaks of no CO2 injected tanks makes no difference in relation to the fact of where from preferably plants aquire their iron (roots or leaves)


Again - when the demand for iron is low such as in a co2 limited tank substrate fertilization may be enough however in a high co2 tank you should add iron to the water column.



Freemann said:


> or the fact that if iron is aquired from the substrate then there will be no iron for the algae to use in the water column at least not that much.


Latest thoughts are that you can't starve the water column - algae needs much less iron than you think. Substrate iron fertilization on the other hand shall starve your plants.



Freemann said:


> My problem is that enough iron on the column here brings algae.


What levels are u talking about? Hobbyists her dose 0.1-0.3 ppm per day and sometimes more with no algae issues. How are you sure that this is your problem?



Freemann said:


> I have no UV installation I speak of the UV emited from the MH lamps.
> If you notice Walstad states that UV breaks DOC binded iron back into it's free form. And this is what I wonder that may be happening.


No need for UV to break the chelates. Simple daylight can do the job. It's not a bad thing - it's good that the light breaks the chelate - otherwise the iron wouldn't become available. This doesn't apply to the gluconate form.

Aviel.


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

chiahead


> I dose right at lights out so that the light has no effect on breaking down the iron.


Good point I have considered this myself in the past and add the iron at night

Aviel


> When there's high growth iron fertilization in the substrate is probably not enough. I wouldn't starve the water column, u need to feed your plants in order for them to flourish and then algae shall disappear.


Well here it does not, plants flourish so does algae. Anyway I agree with you and I say so

Freemann


> I can virtually nullify algae growth with a drastic decrease of Fe and I have tried this repeatedly but plants really suffer


Aviel


> For example Walstad claim that plants prefer Ammonium over Nitrate - while this may be true plants will consume nitrate and ammonium. They prefer ammonium because it's available and when they are co2 limited they just save the energy that is required to convert nitrate to ammonium but with a CO2 tank they shall consume both.


Yes they seem to prefer ammonium and I think in both no CO2 injected and CO2 injected, ammonium is consumed anyway (mostly from biological filtration).
Aviel


> Again - when the demand for iron is low such as in a co2 limited tank substrate fertilization may be enough however in a high co2 tank you should add iron to the water column.


I agree again and in my case plants prosper from the additional iron (still remember that iron is limited in the roots here) but algae does as well.

Aviel


> Latest thoughts are that you can't starve the water column - algae needs much less iron than you think. Substrate iron fertilization on the other hand shall starve your plants.


Yes you can I have done it countless times in my other tanks and tanks of friends. Algae needs prolly less iron but it surely needs some and when iron is low in the column plants suck it all. My lean water column tanks have no algae whatsoever. Never but only when I add more iron primarily. All are CO2 injected, I even inject CO2 to the ones I don't add ferts at all on the column, just CO2 and rich soil substrate. So I think this is a misconception.
Also why substrate iron fertilization will starve the plants, what makes you say this?


> What levels are u talking about? Hobbyists her dose 0.1-0.3 ppm per day and sometimes more with no algae issues. How are you sure that this is your problem?


My free Fe2+ Fe3+ readings for this tank through the colorimeter are between 0,1 and 0.25 ppm and the 0,25 amount seems to be the best for the iron hungry plants needs like mayaca. But algae seems to thrive in this amounts.
By the way tank is mature 14 months old.

What I am trying to say is that if iron or really most of it (some can be still injected in the column but to complement plant needs) was made available through the root system, plants would be in an advantage to algae in the sense that they would acquire iron from there roots where it can be processed from anaerobic reactions and be available to them but the algae would be iron limited in the water column.



> No need for UV to break the chelates. Simple daylight can do the job. It's not a bad thing - it's good that the light breaks the chelate - otherwise the iron wouldn't become available. This doesn't apply to the gluconate form.


I reckon that when DOC binded iron that was added yesterday for example will break again to free iron through the UV emitted by the lamps (don't forget that MH are well known for emitting increased UV) this would add to the free iron and increase the problem.

Anyway you or anyone else for that matter tell me one good reason that algae won't take advantage of the the constantly existing ferts on the column when nothing is limited including CO2, high light? Until know none of the texts I have read on this persuaded me that this is the case.

I realise that lots of our experts here use rich substrates with lots of bacteria additions on them from commercial products initially and fairly lean water column all the time (through big water changes as well to reset the column). The ones that do tanks for clients will have to do that anyway to keep maintenance and control at its lowest.
Isn't that the idea behind Amano soils as well (put the food under, maybe that is why he mostly trims and not severe the roots as well)? Maybe someone should ask him directly if the readings of the nutrients in the tanks columns in his books are real (very low), which would prove additionally my point. 

By the way here are some photos of the tank:
http://users.forthnet.gr/pat/ekfrasis/100_gal_tank/Page.html


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## gregwatson (May 24, 2004)

aviel said:


> What levels are u talking about? Hobbyists her dose 0.1-0.3 ppm per day and sometimes more with no algae issues. How are you sure that this is your problem?


Aviel makes very good observations ... for example, I routinely dose Iron at a level of 1.0 ppm and higher ...

Greg


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## Wö£fëñxXx1 (Feb 10, 2005)

Hello Freeman
New to the forum but not new to plant tanks.
If I may
For the amount of light you have on that tank, you are way under-dosing everything.
You need a more disciplined dosing regimen, the algae in the tank is telling you something is not right and it will not get any better until you get a handle on your dosing.

EI
Day1) 50%H20 change, dose 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04
Day2) Dose Trace 15ml/ 2to 3ml Iron
Day3) Dose mAcro's again 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04
Day4) Same as day2
Day5) Same as day3
Day6)Same as day2
Day7) Re-set 50%H20 change, dose 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04

You may or may not have to tweak amounts here and there to suit your tanks needs depending on what you are growing, how heavy planted the tank is, fish load etc. by adjusting the amounts, but not the frequency in which you dose, be dilligent and disciplined

Algae is growing because plant growth is slow, to stop the algae, you must increase plant growth.
With C02 in the 30 to 35ppm range with this schedule as a guide you will see a decrease in algae growth,and an increase in plant growth, you do need to manually remove as much of the algae as possible.

Plantex CSM+B 1lb. Price: $8.59------Mix 1Tbsp per 250ml H20
KN03 Potassium Nitrate 1lb. Price: $2.17
KH2P04 Mono Potassium Phosphate 1lb. Price: $3.42
K2S04 Potassium Sulfate 1lb. Price: $2.17
Iron Chelate Price: $8.59 -----Mix 1Tbsp per 250ml H20
http://www.gregwatson.com/products.asp?cat=8

Thanks


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

Wö£fëñxXx
Thanks for your reply
So you are telling me to add 8,5 ppm NO3, 7,1ppm K from both KNO3, K2SO4 every 2 days that would mean 4,25 ppm consumption of NO3 daily this seems to much for me but I will test it and let you know. I will also add the iron, TE and keep algae at bay, we will see. I will fine tune if it works.


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## Wö£fëñxXx1 (Feb 10, 2005)

You should see a good improvement.. be sure to let us know!!

Thanks


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

Day 1
just out of curiousity added the amounts you told me of the macros after a 50% water change next day water is a bit green from green algae, the thread algae is spreading like crazy and bga is getting hold if I add the iron and TE aswell hell will break loose. By the way plants seem to grow faster aswell something expected from me. So my friend I am back to my old steady dosing regime with a 50% water change and the 1 ppm additon of NO3 throu the dosing pumps and the rest in small amounts. Sorry this does not seem to work here I have done it before.
Thanks anyway


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## Wö£fëñxXx1 (Feb 10, 2005)

Day 1?.. lol..It's you're call my friend,
Rome was not built in a day, if you would let it run it's course it will get much better, but you can fight that all you want...
By the way, that is Tom Barrs, EI dosing, and it dose work...but you will not find out in one day.

Thanks


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

> The substrate is pure fluorite with 1 cm peat mixed with mulm on the bottom of it. A 150 w Rena cable runs all along the first 1 cm bottom layer and it stays on 24 hours per day that keeps the substrate worm with the intension of transferring partial fertiliser to the bottom from the column through convention (possible acceleration of decaying of peat?)


Is it entirely necessary to "pump" the substrate with heating convection? Unadulterated flourite should have enough porosity to facilitate a natural flow without the need of additional heating. Perhaps the heating is disturbing the natural system.

But I expect you have already tested that aspect, turning it off for a couple of weeks.

Andrew Cribb


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

just a thought, how about do some measures to get algea out of tank. Then dose up ur tank to get healthy plant growth/no algea. A couple of ways albiet risky are overdosing excel, and H2o2. Both can be dangerous but I tried both and they do work. I used the H2o2 to rid my tank of hair/thread algea and I reg dose excel. Seems to deter the algea and boost plant growth. Any measure to remove the algea will not be successful unless the tank parameters are fixed.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I agree with Craig, Andrew and chiahead completely. I would recommend sticking with higher dosing for 3 weeks to see if it works, or doesn't. Algae do not live in the same "enviroment" as the plants. Algae can get all the Fe/traces and macros it needs even when the plants are starved. What is limiting to plants is still available to algae. If very confusing and hard to understand, at least to me, but excess nutrients don;t cause algae, imbalances do. I beat my thread/ hair algae by making sure my trace dosing was high enough that the plants had excess (8ml fourish weekly in 10 gallons). I beat my green fuzz by making sure my CO2 was 30+ppm and my NO3 was nover below 5ppm, ever. A starved or very happy planted tank can take up about 5ppm NO3 a day and about .8ppm PO4 a day Adding that much daily, or double every other day will ensure you never run out of nutrients. Running out is when algae sets in. 

Starting your new dosing regiment cause more algae for a couple reasons, IMHO. First, you did a 50% wc which often boost plant/a;gae growth as many of the things they were lacking (minute traces found in tap water) were suddenly available to them. If you plants were starved for anything you added back, they probably absorbed it all with in a few hours, causing a lack of that nutrient. Second, nothing I a palnt tank improves over night. Plants take time to realize they are not limited for anything, algae can hold out on their reserves for some time and it takes the plants a while to replinish their nutrient "stores" and take off again. 

Remove as much algae as you can by hand, every day if necessary, make sure your CO2 and ALL your nutrients are either enough or in excess and give this pattern 3 weeks. If at that time there is no improvement, we can try something new. Also, cutting back your lighting to 8-9 hours for the first week can also be benificial in preventing nutrient deficient situations.

Hope that long winded message helps


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

Pineapple on the heating cables


> But I expect you have already tested that aspect, turning it off for a couple of weeks.


Very good observation, I thought of it (just recently ) and stopped the cables 5 days ago I had them on for 24/24 daily and this may have accelerated the decomposition of organics in the tank.
chiahead


> just a thought, how about do some measures to get algae out of tank. Then dose up ur tank to get healthy plant growth/no algae. A couple of ways albeit risky are overdosing excel, and H2o2. Both can be dangerous but I tried both and they do work. I used the H2o2 to rid my tank of hair/thread algae and I reg dose excel. Seems to deter the algae and boost plant growth. Any measure to remove the algae will not be successful unless the tank parameters are fixed.


Yes very good thinking my idea is to approach the things this way as well keep ferts low and use an algae killing approach, the one you suggest sounds very good.
Wö£fëñxXx


> Day 1?.. lol..It's you're call my friend,
> Rome was not built in a day, if you would let it run it's course it will get much better, but you can fight that all you want...
> By the way, that is Tom Barrs, EI dosing, and it dose work...but you will not find out in one day.


And what am I supposed to do? Let the tank get completely infested with algae and hope it will go away because plants will overrun it one day? 
Believe me I have tried this big dosing approach before as well, you have to see how fast the tank gets full of algae 3-5 cm today thread growth in 6 hours, I am not prepared to go along with this. Anyway I have ferts all the time in the tank, there was never a time that something was really limiting in the sense of absent do not forget that all are dosed by pumps and this never forget to open.
Let's say 4/2/2005 readings:

Iron 0,2 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate 6,5 ppm
Phosphate 0,8 ppm
K 13ppm

NO3 can move to up 13 ppm but not more and 6,5 is the least I have seen (and I lowered it in purpose) all the rest move around the values above as well so there is never a deficiency in the sense of none of something in the column.

The regime you described would dose 8,5 ppm in one go and then redose after 2 days, this should mean that plants would consume 4,2 ppm NO3 daily which I think is extreme anyway. Anyway I don't think plants consume here more than 2-2,5 ppm NO3 at the most daily even if I dose 2,5 ppm I see NO3 accumulating after 2-3 days (that even with 30 ppm K in the column).
Thanks guys


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## Wö£fëñxXx1 (Feb 10, 2005)

Hello Freeman
It's alway's harder to re-learn some thing's than to learn.
All those number's don't mean much when you're tank is over run with algae as it has been...
Very few people get into this hobby to test and monitor nutrient levels, crunch number's or grow algae.

Most get into it to grow plants and aquascape. That's the experience you need and desire.
So that should be you're focus, not the algae and number crunching, that's all this method does in simple term's.

This method requires good stable CO2 during the lighting peroid.

You need to manually remove the algae that is there.
High levels of CO2 will stop the algae growth, it will not remove it.
You can prune off the affected area's easily and then replant.

Test kits lie, algae never lies, add more CO2 than what you have. Ignore your test kit's for a little while, better yet, put them away, slowly add more C02, even if it is 40 50ppm, just watch the fish, Let the fish and plant's be you're test kit for awhile.
Turn CO2 off at night, that will prevent high levels from building up and allow a chance to off gas at night.

Add more KNO3 KH2PO4 CO2 and Traces.

I do this to try to help people, This method does work, and it will solve you're trouble, but you will have to work it and get a feel for it.

Once again, test kit's lie, plant's and algae never lie, so those number's don't mean anything, you have an enormous amount of light on that tank, that schedule I made out for you will give you a much better balance that you are looking for.
The large weekly water changes prevent build up no matter what dosing errors you might do.


Freemann said:


> pH no current reading but there is ample CO2 almost 100 bpm all dissolved and plants bubble from hour one on light circle.
> 
> This tank has a constant problem of thread algae, BAG, Spot algae, algae seems to have a vigorous growth like the plants and needs to be cleaned daily to keep the plants "free" of it


bpm is useless, measure C02 2 way's kh/ph/C02 chart
http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/table_01.shtml
Or
Slowly increase till fish start to stress then back off.

Plant's and fish are you're best test kit.

Bottom line Freeman, you are not providing enough nutrient's for you're plant's to thrive, something is limited and causing it to bottom out during the day and when that happen's the door is open for algae.

Quote:
EI
Day1) 50%H20 change, dose 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04
Day2) Dose Trace 15ml/ 2to 3ml Iron
Day3) Dose mAcro's again 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04
Day4) Same as day2
Day5) Same as day3
Day6)Same as day2
Day7) Re-set 50%H20 change, dose 1TspKN03/ 1/4TspKH2P04/ 1/4TspK2S04

You may or may not have to tweak amounts here and there to suit your tanks needs depending on what you are growing, how heavy planted the tank is, fish load etc. by adjusting the amounts, but not the frequency in which you dose, be dilligent and disciplined

Algae is growing because plant growth is slow, to stop the algae, you must increase plant growth.
With C02 in the 30 to 35ppm range with this schedule as a guide you will see a decrease in algae growth,and an increase in plant growth, you do need to manually remove as much of the algae as possible. :End Quote:

Thanks


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

Freeman, you can pm me about the H2o2 and excel or there are posts here talking about it. As far as the dosing, you can dose all the No3, Po4, K, and everything all you want, if you daont have all the nutrients the plants wont grow to their potential. I have an 80 gal, I dose 8ml Flourish everyday, 8ml Excel everyday, and then I add 1 teas CaCl once a week. I dose 8ml PPS standard solution daily. My lights have 6 hours on 2 hour break and 6 hours on. I only run my substrate heaters at night. When you run a high light tank algea is a major issue. Oh ya, one other thing I dose all at night right around lights out time. Since I started doing that no cloudy water for me.  I dont know why any of this works it just does for me.


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## clay (Jul 3, 2004)

ok, yeah, i am sure the horse is dead and here i am picking up a sticking and whaling away like it was a pinata. but i have to say, that the ei method works. i too was growing a very glorious algae farm. algae as far as the eye can see. i would do 50-80% water changes with tap and RO. the same thing occurred every time. i was even considering buying a UV sterilizer, just so i could have clearer water. i even have pictures of the tank before a water change and after (more after b/c you could see the plants better)

then one day i stumbled across some posts were tom barr was sitting, standing, and sometimes singing (he may have also been doing some Shakespeare, not sure) about this ei method. and i thought, he doesn't know what is happening in my tank. my situation is different. so i sent a pm to ardvark (thanks man) about this new method. he explained it to me in leaman's terms (b/c tom uses too many big and fancy words) and i started the next day. looked, and nothing. but ardvark swore that i needed to keep it up, so i did. 5 days later, i saw the most pearling i have ever witnessed in my tank except for when i did the water changes. and the trimming. i thought it would never stop. and then i noticed something else. no algae. no algae? no algae! the water was crystal clear. the plants were shooting up. even the slow growers (c. lutea, c. retrospiralis, and a. nana 'petite") were shooting out leaves left and right. 

now, i feel invincible as opposed to destructible. i feel i can grow anything (which is probably far from the truth). i guess what i am trying to say is, it works. i do not use any of the test kits any more (which was happening every day) and i am now doing this for every tank. i think the time results will obviously differ b/c of water chemistry and lights, but it only took less than a week for me to be sold.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Clay,

I ditto your response and would like to beat on the horse a bit too  

Tom gave me a hand a year or two ago with Green Water. I was new to this hobby and I would try anything (which I did) to get rid of it. Blackouts and Diatom filtering worked, but the Green Water came back every week. 

Tom told me how to dose my tank and I blindly followed his advice (like I did everyone else's) since I was a newbie. Things have been pretty darn good since then. 

I still get occasional green water or other algae, but it is always due to some mistake I made...uprooting a bunch of plants without a water change afterwards or letting the CO2 levels fall below 30ppm. I now know how to beat the algae which is a nice feeling! 

I don't even mind putting plants with algae (except for BBA) in my tanks anymore. The algae usually disappears very fast once the plants acclimate and put out new growth. 

E.I. is a wonderful way for someone new to the hobby to get started! While there are other good methods out there, EI allows "newbies" to have a great amount of success from the beginning. That is what keeps this hobby going.


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## clay (Jul 3, 2004)

i agree matt. it is so very easy, and not as expensive as buying a diatom filter. and the plants continue to do well if not better, as opposed to the blackout method. i hated the blackout method b/c there was absolutely no way to look at your tank (and that is the main purpose in having one) and your plants (especially any with red in them) start to die. that really chaps

clay


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