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I have had algae problems in my tank for a while and Im determined to beat it. So im going to the lfs to test my water for trace stuff my normal kit doesnt cover. What should I test for?

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

pH & KH (to determine CO2 level), nitrate, phosphate, iron. The last one is optional as normal iron test kits are very inaccurate (unless your LFS has expensive test kits like LaMotte). Plus iron doesn't cause algae anyway (unless you have a huge excess of it - even that's debatable whether excess iron does cause algae) and it's unlikely that you have an excess of it unless you're adding it via ferts or your tap has lots of it.

What kind(s) of algae do you have? Perhaps we can help you pinpoint the cause(s) without all those test kits.

-P

Hi,
Algae is an opportunistic "critter" that fills a niche.
If you have too much of "A" nutrient, then algae will
occur and thrive on that excess nutrient. Likewise if you
have too little of A nutrient, it will do the same.

Here is a site that describes the various types of algae,
what causes it, and how to eliminate it:
http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html

There has been much discussion here in this site about
using Tom Barr's Estimative Index for fertilizing tanks
that are heavily planted. Glance through them and see
if they don't help.

http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

On one of my tanks its green algae on the glass, and the other has a light redish algae all over the place.

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons