Pfk Article On Beating Algae

[elisew]

Some good reading on PFK about ways of helping to beat the dreaded algae in our tanks

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4085

 

[RadaR]

I think they need to highlight what triggers algae and what feeds it. Two very different things.
Also the planted tank bit isn't all correct either.

Plants
Nature’s battling plants steal the algae’s light source and starve it of nutrients. Few well-balanced planted tanks will have any trace of algae and any levels of nitrate or phosphate either. Plant heavily, stock lightly with fish and your algae problem may go away all by itself.

You will never starve algae of nutrients. You can keep plants healthy and limit ammonia to tiny tiny levels, but if you allow the algae spores to bloom (flagellate) then limiting N+P etc wont get rid of it at all.

When planted tanks start to become limited by nitrate and phosphate then you run into trouble. Not enough N and P means poor plant health and thus algae. Most planted tanks these days are topped up and maintained with nutrients. I wonder how this nitrate and phosphate is tested too. Hobby grade liquid test kits? If so, the results arent worth being payed attention to.

Planting heavily and stocking lightly helps limit the chance of algae because you are limiting the amount of ammonia/waste being produced by the fish.

 

[SuperColey1]

we'va all been chuckling at the article on UKaps.

Basically the article is fine if you have a fish tank. If you have a planted fish tank then ignore it completely

It's not that it is highly inaccurate (although the planted part definately is,) its more a case that it is aimed at fish tanks not planted tanks.

Andy

 

[lljdma06]

We shall chuckle about this here too.

 

[coldcazzie]

I chuckled as I was reading it. The fact that they suggested your first port of call should be to introduce a fish to clean the algae, the bit quoted above about plants starving algae, and planted tanks having not a trace of nitrate or phosphate (really? pretty sure they wouldn't remain planted for long if that were the case!). I'm sure they meant well...

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Pmsl is all I can say

 

[StandbySetting]

I think when consulting algae they should get George Farmer to write, or peer review any articles on it, after all it's his area of knowledge lets be honest.

What worries me is this:

RO water
Great for fresh or saltwater, and especially for soft water set-ups, RO (reverse osmosis) water can be very useful.

If using tapwater you are often off to a bad start straight away, as this is full of fertilisers like nitrate and phosphate that will fuel algae growth from the second you put it in.

Purify mains tapwater through an RO unit and those pollutants are removed, leaving you with pure base water that won’t cause algae.

You don’t have to dechlorinate it either, as the unit does that for you.

They've totally missed out the bit about re-mineralisation, put a freshwater fish in RO water and it will die due to osmotic shock, plus it's terrible for plants if not remineralised too.

I stopped buying PFK a few years ago because of the way their articles are written, they appear thrown together with no real thought or logic.

 

[lljdma06]

I think when consulting algae they should get George Farmer to write, or peer review any articles on it, after all it's his area of knowledge lets be honest.

SBS, reread this sentence... pmsl Really?? I'm sure GF would love to know that algae is his area of knowledge.

Well, it technically is since he did that macro algae tank. Hahahaha!

Oh goodness. This has been the post of the day for me. Thanks!

 

[StandbySetting]

Lol, maybe that could be re-phrased:

'With planted aquaria being his field of knowledge he knows a thing or two about algae'

 

[lljdma06]

Lol, maybe that could be re-phrased:

'With planted aquaria being his field of knowledge he knows a thing or two about algae'

It still reads funny. Hehehe. George Farmer algae expert.

 

[elisew]

It`s always good to see articles that will bring out a discussion on whether the info contained is agreed with or not

I don`t read PFK often but thought when I saw that you lot would appreciate it. I must admit that the bit about the RO water did make me chuckle, especially after I`d learnt a bit about RO etc myself from having used it for keeping GBR`s

I`m glad I no longer have a planted tank to be honest as there are always different opinions/articles and info out there