"Shawn P. Good" wrote in message

I'm crossing my fingers .....

Shawn (Original Poster on the Barely Straw Extract)


Shawn, you will not beat GW in high light tank with nutrients and
often blackouts will not work as they often a week later come back.

The best method is mechanical filtration and/or UV sterilizers which
make quick work of GW in your case. Mild cases, less light, etc, water
changes, various algae snake oils will often work. But using PC lights
etc over 2.5w, generally the GW will stay for months or more.

You can use a diatom filter, or a cheap 9 3/4" filter cartiage from
Home depot, put a 5 micron pleated filter in there and run it for a
day or two with the filter outflow etc or a powerhead.

That's only about 20$ and makes a good water polisher.

GW is induced clearly by anything that influences the NH4 loading
rate.
Plants that are doing well will remove all of it before algae really
have a chance to get at it. When enough NH4 is present + high light,
the algae bloom.
Once they have bloomed, you cannot get rid of them without physical
removal, their nutrients needs are far beyond your test and even the
best labs in the USA's capability resolution, less than 2-4ppb PO4.
Yes, part's per _billion_.
There are not aquatic plants that can survive with that little PO4.
They also can use dissoloved organic PO4, wereas plants cannot in
many/most cases.

You can also use those hagen quick filters.
I'd do that with a blackout unless you have gloss etc, should be the
cheapest.
Borrowing a UV from a friend also works.

Once you get rid of it, make sure you do not slow the plant's uptake
of NH4 etc.

Adding too many fish will cause an algae for this precise reason, it
has nothing to do with PO4 and everything to do with NH4.

I can add 2ppm of PO4, I never can/could induce GW.
I went to 2ppm of PO4 and 75ppm of NO3 at 4 w/gal at a 16" depth and
lots of traces.

Later a small amount of NH4 was added and within 12 to 30 hours a
green water bloom. UV the tank, and repeated this several times.
Then tried adding progressively more and more fish/shrimp till an
algae bloom occured.

If you think PO4 causes algae, and removing it will help the plants,
you need to do some research on your own and also look up in the
literature. There's plenty of research out there but be careful to
apply the specific reference to your question that you are asking and
want to know about.
Marine algae or a plantless lake in Canada are not like a shallow
eutropic plant filled lake in the tropics. If you even see a plant
fill shallow lake, even if the nutrient levels are high or low, if you
add PO4 etc, the lakes remain gin clear.

Most folks that have issues with algae, often have problems with
dosing in general, often have trouble with CO2 mainly or NO3 or both.

You cannot say PO4 causes algae unless you make it your dependent
variable.
Other wise CO2/NO3 etc limitation is causing the problem and not high
PO4.

Until folks figure that out, that make incorrect assumptions about
algae and plants.

Other methods to deal with GW: Daphnia, copper sulfate,
blackout(generally takes 5 days)
If after the GW is gone and it comes back again, try adding more
plants, but really check the CO2 and perhaps add a little biomedia in
the filter box.

Regards,
Tom Barr