Well, here's a tank that's had no glass algae at all, a couple of small bouts of BBA due to the CO2 tank running out etc after I left for 3-4 weeks, and that's pretty much it for issues with algae. Tank is 3 years old, about due to have it rescaped, namely due to the massive
A. adonis plecos(Black Satan plecos), I've had a hard time keeping any foreground or delicate plants due to their grubbing around the tank, and at 30cm, not including filaments, and 4 of them in here, it's a bit tougher than it looks.I spend a total time of 1.5 hours a week on the tank.That includes dosing, trimming, 50-70% weekly water change, adding CO2 tanks, cleaning filters etc.About 1300 liters.700 tetras at least.Wild Apistos12 Rose line barbsNumerous rare plecosEtcNo deaths, a few tetras get into the over flow etc, several breeding events, eggs get eaten pretty quick though.I routinely remove and sell 150$ worth of weeds a month.I add 30 ppm NO3, 3ppm PO3 etc per week, after week after week, and 3 years later, all the fish, the A adonis included have only grown and become much larger(they started off at 3").This is before the trim, water change, and has not been touched other than to feed the fish for a week, some plants are scruffy etc and the tank's lights have just been turned on.
Here's beast(there are 4 this size and about 8 more 15-20cm ranges of other pleco species)
a href="http
/photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http
/i171.photobucket.com/albums/u312/plantbrain/resizeAadonis.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>Long fin bushy nose, a rather nice addition:
And a close up of the algae ridden Limnophila aquatic, seems to have good color, and keeping to it's name sake, quite basil like in aroma. These are roughly 15 cm in dia, large pretty plant, easy to prune and care for.
Cardinals:
I apologize for the poor photography here, but this is no photo shoot etc, just the weekly point and shoot pics.I'll ask again, is there is any doubt as to the levels of ferts and the effects on algae, fish or plants as suggested by EI?I knowingly add KNO3, KH2PO4, GH booster, Tropica Master Grow, fish food, CO2 light and the tap water. So those must be at least at the suggested levels.That is safe assumption.Now if these levels are really and truly toxic, bad for fish, inverts etc, and they cause algae, I'll ask a simple question: why is this not occurring here after 3 years time?Clearly that is a long enough time frame to gauge an effect?I would suggest so.Again, a rather safe iron clad assumption.This method I've used to show PO4, toxicity, NO3, etc are fine at these levels is called falsification.You make a hypothesis, say high PO4 = algae and you try it and see. You try and disprove the hypothesis.This was easily disproven back in the late 1990's by myself and Steve Dixon and the original hypothesis in planted tanks was put froth by PMDD and Kevin and Paul Sears on the web. "Do not believe everything you think, test and verify it".See what assumptions are truly safe. Regards, Tom BarrAhh, the dang pleco
a href="http
/photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http
/i171.photobucket.com/albums/u312/plantbrain/resizeAadonis.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><a href="http
/photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http
/i171.photobucket.com/albums/u312/plantbrain/resizeAadonis.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
