"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...

Hi Dave, thanks for your reply

First of all, it's not clear why you are trying to eliminate Phosphate by
dosing
Alum, then dosing Phosphate.

When I started the routine, I have zero NO3 and PO4 readings off the chart.
I dosed alum to bring the PO4 to zero. I dose alum now because it is
non-detactable by the Hagen test kit. The plants need some PO4 to grow; I
only dose a drop.

Second, you did not mention CO2. If you are NOT injecting CO2, then you
have
dumped a massive overabundance of nutrients (NPK and traces) into your
tank. The
recommendations you were reading were aimed at people with high light
(3WPG+)
and injected CO2.

I dose CO2 using a DIY setup injected right into the intake of an Eheim 2213
cansiter with a spray bar. My CO2 levels are estimated at 20-30 ppm using
the available CO2-pH-kH charts (kH = 3-4, pH = 6.6-6.8). My light level is
3.7 WPG using four 6500K CF bulbs mounted on a DIY canopy (no reflector
other than white paint).

[ ... ]

To educuate yourself, search Google and Google Groups on the following
terms:

Barr Estimative Index
Barr CO2 KNO3
Barr Low Light

I have read many articles for Tom Barr on this NG and elsewhere on the net.
There are other excellent contributers as well. This is why I hang around
this place . Thanks for the references though.