Algae
 

I was searching Google today for info on Chloramines & nitrites and tripped
over a website for
ALGONE . Such are the google gods ;-)

Anyone have any experience with it. It is supposed to control algae by
controlling nitrate levels. I couldn't find anything explaining how. Any
one know how it works? I don't remember seeing it mentioned in discussions
of green
water, so I was curious.

Bob

Algae
 

"Robert Flory" wrote in message y.com...
I was searching Google today for info on Chloramines & nitrites and tripped
over a website for
ALGONE . Such are the google gods ;-)

Anyone have any experience with it. It is supposed to control algae by
controlling nitrate levels. I couldn't find anything explaining how. Any
one know how it works? I don't remember seeing it mentioned in discussions
of green
water, so I was curious.

Bob

You cannot control algae very well with NO3 level manipulations(Except
by growing the plants with the NO3) and not at all with GW.
GW can live just fine at 0.0ppm of NO3. For weeks, months etc. There
are no hobby kits that have enough resolution to show either PO4 or
NO3 limitation of GW.
If the tank is slightly off balance products like this will work. But
it really depends on the balance of the tank.

Adding PO4 or KNO3 can cause algae to disappear also. Or CO2, or a
regular water change routine, etc........
Blackouts can kill about all algae, GW included.
Diatom filtration will remove it.
UV sterilizers will also.
Daphnia are very good.

All these method do in fact work if done properly.
I've tried all them.

Algae removal is rather simple. You remove it manually, like with
large water changes etc and good scrub down of the tank, trim off
infected parts. Add the plant nutrients back into the tank afterwards.
Repeat.

GW, BBA, BGA and maybe a couple of other algae need to removed first,
then have the conditions corrected. All algae should be removed before
a water change, prunings etc, then do the water change, than add the
nutrients back into the tank.

GW and BGA need killed first otherwise they will come back even if the
nutrients are corrected. Blacking the tank out for 3-5 days will kill
most of these algae as long as the tank is 100% dark and competely
covered up.
You cannot beat these algae by limiting a nutrient, your plants would
die long before you compleley killed these algae off.

Turn lights back on and keep up on the nutrients this time. Algone or
any other algae silver bullet cure will not grow plants. That is the
key to algae prevention: grow the plants well and you'll not have
algae issues.

Unless it addresses that issue, it's no cure. You need to grow the
plants well because when they don't grow well, the algae does.

Regards,
Tom Barr