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Old 27-03-2004, 05:32 AM
 
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Default Barley Straw Extract for Green Water Algae ?

Hmmm... Tom, to paraphrase you, you are essentially saying
that barley straw may help to reduce algae because it adds
nutrients? If I understood that correctly then, I guess that makes
both your and my point :-)


It could. It adds organic carbon, so in a sense it's adding nutrients
perhaps a few others. But is it really helping the plants grow better?
No.

The peroxide thing is interesting though, especially considering
that people have been using peroxide as a spot-treatment for
black brush algae. Do you have any links about this? This
sounds interesting...


Peroxide studies have been done namely on perti dishes with various
organisms including algae and measuring the diameter of inhibition.
You can try this without fish in a planted tank(something I've done
for a long while for various plant algae torture) also. Cheap and easy
to do/try.
Measure a certain volume/concentration and frequency over time and
note effects.
Hard part: making sure that the nutrients are non limiting/stable.
If you can do that and it's not merely an academic intellectual issue,
then you don't ask algae questions very much:-)

That's the biggest issue, not whether sanke oil no#1 works or not.
Then the plants grow which is the goal in the first place.

BTW -- I have anecdotal evidence that treating a tank with
KMnSO4 works as a remedy for blue-green algae, which
would sort of link in with the peroxide thing. I'm curious now...


Permangnate works great as does any strong oxidizer like bleach,
peroxide, even pure O2, O3, water changes and removal of excess
organic material which reduces the tank's environment.

Cheers,


Michi.


But yes, you have the right idea there Michi.
I much prefer using light to get rid of algae and then re set the tank
parameters. Cheaper and less risk and works. Other algae can be
trimmed off or filtered etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr