Interesting Concept

[Laure]

Hi all

I posted this on another forum, but for those of you who don't frequent that forum, I am posting here too:

In our fight against algae I am sure we have all read many different theories and proposed action plans. I have come accross this very interesting article on a forum, unfortunately in Spanish. http://www.drpez.net/panel/showthread.php?t=154436

Enter the link in google and then click on "translate" when google returns the results. The google translater is not perfect, but it works to a point where you get the general idea.

In summary, this article proposes the "Method Of Controlled Imbalance". This means that one works towards a balance/imbalance in the aquarium that favours only one type of algae, namely GDA (green dust algae), which is easy to control and remove. There are some very interesting points. There is also a debate on another thread between the author and Tom Barr. http://www.drpez.net/panel/showthread.php?t=307546&page=1&pp=25
Once again, use google translator, although Tom posts in English.

I came accross this in my research as I recently discovered some BBA and have been trying to kill it off. An interesting fact is that Tom states that BBA can be induced by an increase in PO4 and then not adjusting the resulting higher CO2 demand. Since I don't add PO4 (I use Dirk's Drops and he states it contains no PO4), the PO4 in my tank is as a result of feeding fish. I also do not inject CO2, so increasing the CO2 was never an option for me. So what I am thinking now is perhaps I should try to limit PO4 by running a PO4 absorbing resin in my filter, something like Seachem PhosGuard.

Plants need some PO4, but not much. Excess PO4 will result in BBA and some other forms of algae too.

Further to fighting algae, there are some interesting points around what they call "bio-indicators". For example, too little NO3 and H. Zosterifolia (stargrass) turns black. Too little Mg and Anubias Nana leaves go yellow. Too much Mg and Rotala Walichii dies. And so forth...

Any thoughts? If anybody is prepared to take the time and read the article above and the debate with Tom Barr, I would appreciate it of you could post your comments in this thread.

Regards
Lauré
http://www.apsa.co.za/board/Themes/default/images/icons/modify_inline.gif

[butcherman]

i know the marine guys always try keep PO4 as low as possiable to avoid algae blooms. If someone experiences an algae bloom, the first things the ask are what are your NO3 and PO4 levels. 9 out of 10 times these are high. the guy lowers it and the algae dies off. i think to a certain degree this could apply to freshwater systems too.

[Laure]

No response? Is the Spanish a problem? Or the length of the article? :bigsmile:

[SalmonAfrica]

I didn't read much, just pretty much sat in awe of what I saw...

[wito-zn]

There is no word that can be said about how beautiful that tank is.

[f-fish]

Hi Lauré ... yeah - read it. I don't think a fixed rule exists that will always work, it depends on the situation. A tank developed BBA few months ago - no clue why (same as you) no big changes that I knew of. Only thing that I could think of was that it was time to replace the lamp.

But before I did that - I did a big water change and left the tank dark and covered for 3 days. BBA died, currently I have no BBA in that tank - but it still has the same lamp.

Suppose it could have been PO4 accumulating.

[Zafgak]

Man that was a long article and a difficult read - The reasoning seems sound - Would like to try out one or two of the protocols ....

[Laure]

Yeah the translation leaves a lot to be desired, but I was quite intrigued by the the content and even more by the debate between the article's author and Tom Barr. The author is from Argentina and seems to be quite keen on methods that save money and actually work in practice. I like that. I am going to join that forum and post a couple of questions in that thread. I'll let you know...

[neilh]

Phosphate absorbing media is hellishly expensive

[Laure]

I have now read this article probably 20 times. It is quite clear that the author, through most likely years of experience, established specific methods for inducing different types of algae. I guess once you are able to induce a specific algae at will, then you understand what will cause that algae in your tank and you can fight it when you do get it. It is also quite clear that he never change more than one parameter. I think a lot of people try too many different things all together in order to get rid of whatever algae forms they have.

The other very interesting point is that each tank has a unique consumption point. 20ppm NO3 for one tank might be OK, but not for another. So it is good to experiment, keep a log book, and find your tank's unique consumption point.

Regards
Lauré

[Whipme]

This is the translated version of the fist link: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drpez.net%2Fpanel%2Fshowthread. php%3Ft%3D154436&sl=es&tl=en&history_state0=

And this is the translated version of the second link: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drpez.net%2Fpanel%2Fshowthread. php%3Ft%3D307546%26page%3D1%26pp%3D25&sl=es&tl=en&history_state0=

[Laure]

@Whipme: Thanks for posting those links! I have google toolbar installed so I use the translate feature on the toolbar. But those who don't have that feature will find those links helpful. Now if only the translator worked a bit better...

[Whipme]

There's some interesting things in there that I wouldn't have thought of, like growing the carpet of greenery emerged and then submerging it afterwards!
I'm just trying to figure out exactly what to do to get rid of my black beard algae that's growing in spots on my Hygrophillia. I've switched off the lights for now, will see if that makes a difference, otherwise I'll test the theory of the potassium.

[Laure]

I got rid of BBA by snipping off all the infected leaves. It's a mission...
Then take out the wood (it was on there too), and squirt with a syringe 20:1 water and bleach solution on it. Leave it for 10 minutes and scrub it with a brush. Then soak the wood in water with 3 x normal dechlor overnight before returning to tank. You can take out any non-living thing from your tank (heaters, etc.) and treat with bleach outside the tank. It WILL kill the algae.

Then every day after that use a syringe and spot treat any BBA you see with Gluteraldehyde. Seachem Excel and Easy Life Carbo are such products. Both are beneficial to plants and kill algae! It took about 2 weeks to kill it all. I also added 2 SAEs. You also need to correct the imbalance, which is most likely fluctuating CO2.

I haven't seen BBA for a while now. I bet there are still some spores, but I can't see them.

[Whipme]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work!
Last time I just pulled the infested leaves off, but it's obviously being caused by something in the tank, so I've got to find out what it is and get rid of it.

I must say that my SAE is doing a good job of keeping it short, as the Oto's didn't even touch it last time, but it's still there :(