green spot algae revisited

[artw]

well I have green spot algae again.  I set up the tank a couple weeks ago, the co2 is purring away (4 DIY bottles going in a Tom Barr reactor) the PH is under 6, the lighting is good and the plants are pearling away and growing like Mad.  I am doing the EI thing.

but the plants and glass still develop GSA.

So instead of going back and forth with "test your PH" and "test your phosphate" which is contradictory to EI anyway, I would like to invite one or some of the plant gurus over to my house for dinner or a beer or something to evaluate my tank and give me a consultation, preferrably with good quality test kits (lamotte etc).  I do not want to deal with green spot algae on my plants this time.    I am not jumping up and down about spending hundreds on a pressurized co2 system if I am going to keep having to battle GSA. I'd rather just go to saltwater or back to Africans.

GSA isn't that bad but when I look at PFG or Errol or Toss or Jetstreams tank I see no GSA at all and I wonder what the heck am I doing wrong.

so come on over someone! I'll make it worth your while

[jetstream]

Hi Artw,

  No algae no fun! Without the algae fun, you will have too much time left!  I would like to go to your house have a free dinner or beer! But too bad I don't have a Lamotte test kit!

   I do need to clean the GSA off my main tank every full moon! The advice from me is, don't just try to understand/use a single method and stucked with it. Every tank is unique! Lots of time you need to find tune the exact same method that everybody is using. I will say EI can only give you a general guidline. You also need to understand your water and use your plants to justify how they response to your fertilizer doseage, of course the algae too. I guess lots of your plants are considered high light plants. High light tank has less room for error!

  For now, my suggestion for your tank is, try to increase your P just a little bit more and at the same time stop or reduce the amount of trace to 1/2 for 1-2 weeks! I suggest you write down what you done to your tank for future reference and only adjust 1 known parameter at a time. Time will tell!  Good luck and don't give up so early! 

Jetstream

[Toss]

I am not as advance as Ken. My only suggestion is put more plants to use up extra nutrients that your algae is currently enjoying it. True with the trace, I put too much .. I think (since I never remember when the last time I put some in) and the algae started to grow. I did water change and let the SAE and plecos do their job. Algae gone in two weeks. I hope I can put in more plants, no more room.

[charlie]

Art , my experience with GSA has been very limited so far( hope it stays this way) i do get it on the glass but the elbow grease & mag-float takes care of it, like Ken said every tank is unique.
I don't have a lot of slow growing plants in my tank, so the faster growers eats up most of the nutrients, but from all that i`ve read on GSA, it seems that it is normal in a planted tank, one article went as far as suggesting that it is a good sign( can`t remember which one now), another suggestion is to try & limit your light intensity.
Regards Errol

[charlie]

Art check out the second post by Steve Hampton on this topic.

http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=149814&
Regards

[artw]

thanks for your comments guys, I will try some of this stuff and see how it works out.