Sucking up nitrates

[Nemo]

I decided to start a routine of controlling algae by limiting phosphates. I got me an accurate nitrate kit, some pharmaceutical grade KNO3 and KCl (for accuracy) and started dosing daily with SC flourish trace element mix. To control an outbreak of staghorn algae when I first started, I dosed alum to precipitate phosphates - it seemed to work.

The recommended nitrate level I've been trying to maintain is 5-10 ppm. To get there, I find that I have to dose about 5 ppm of nitrate (from KNO3) on a daily basis! I find this unsettling as I seem to be promoting hair algae.

Any comments / suggestions?

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I also dose an additional 3 ppm of K on a daily basis (from KCl)
and 1 mL of trace from SC Flourish
Light is about 3.7 watts/gallon
Tank is 25 gallon

[artw]

how do you give your plants phosphate? fish food?

[ekim]

The hair algae is probably due to lack of PO4!
Plants need their macros or the will stunt,
and stop consuming the other nutrients.

My guess would be, lack of PO4, so plants slowed down and now consuming less Fe...