# Preventing Staghorn Algae from ever coming back



## Bent17 (Mar 15, 2021)

So I just managed to get over a staghorn infestation. It took quite a bit of pruning and peroxide to kill the bugger off, and also resulting in a mini cycle.. 

I have good filtration as I am filtering 1000L/h in my 200L planted tank. 

Photoperiod is 6 hours long. 

What is the best way to prevent this from happening again. There are some sites which say it appears in high flow and some say it comes in low flow. Im after what is best to do so it wont come back.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

Best bet is to focus on plant health while keeping the photo period in check.

Ideally:

You'll want to start off with only 5-6 hours of light per day on a lower intensity.

Cut away all dying / poor plant tissue, and replant all the healthy, new growth.

Focus on dialing in a quality fertilizing regime + water change schedule.

While this is going on, focus on plant health and remove any algae you see.

Consider dosing Excel / Met14 at the "after water change" rate on the Excel bottle (less if using Met14) once per day - spot treat any badly invested areas with Excel or Met14 or H2O2.

Clean out the substrate by gravel vacuuming open areas and any dirty filter media in old tank water.

Maintain large weekly water changes.

Buy more plants or increase the amount of plant biomass in the system.

Ensure CO2 is dropping the degassed tankwater pH by at least a full 1.0. Ensure you are around while messing with CO2 because this is how fish get gassed if we aren't near by to pay attention.



This should help keep algae at bay. You'll never stop it from completely coming back, but you'll be on top of it if it does.


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## Bent17 (Mar 15, 2021)

I had to dose with peroxide which ended up throwing me in a mini cycle. I did a 25% water change yesterday and 50% this morning and the nitrate is lowering finally. 

I used to does with Seachem products: Flurish, Excel, Potassium and nitrogen. I have a feeling that dosing with Iron after every water change is what kick started my staghorn. Since then I decided to stop the seachem regime and I got hold of the Evolution Aqua Planted food fertilizer, but not sure if I should go back to the seachem regime as it has flurish and excel.. 

Really confused right now

Also when the Co2 goes off I have an airstone which goes on for the whole night till the CO2 goes back on


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

My advice when it comes to fertilizing regimes:

Pick a brand / product(s) that contain all the essential macro and micro nutrients and stick with it.

If we focus on the fundamentals early, we can get away with vast amounts of various fertilizing methods.

Lighting - Keep limited at the start, slowly increase after a few months.

CO2 - Ensure the degassed tankwater pH is being dropped at least a full 1.0 from CO2 every day.

Maintenance - Large weekly water changes, removal of organics, trimming of unhealthy plant tissue and manual algae removal. Ensure source water is adequate for growing the plat species you have. Ideally you'll want a low KH with a moderate amount of GH. That said, planted tanks can be successful with a high KH and high GH too.

If these are in check, we can get away with essentially any nutrient regime:

Fertilizer - Ensure you've got all the bases covered with a good all-in-one like Thrive, or ensure NO3, PO4 and K are being dosed with any product(s) you like along with a good micro mix.


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## Econde (Oct 13, 2015)

Quagulator said:


> My advice when it comes to fertilizing regimes:
> 
> Pick a brand / product(s) that contain all the essential macro and micro nutrients and stick with it.
> 
> ...


Everything @Quagulator said and a heavy emphasis on the "Large Weekly water changes". Aim for higher than 50% would be my suggestion.


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## Bent17 (Mar 15, 2021)

I was doing a water change of 30% weekly - I should increase that to 50% then.. 

Also I was looking into the 2hr Aquarist nutriants anyone use them here?

Never used Thrive to be honest - are they better than Seachem and do they have the equivalent of Excel to combat Algae or not?

TBH im still new to this hobby and there are so many things I am learning on a daily basis so if you tell me Thrive is the best fert to go for then that is what I will go for..


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

Bent17 said:


> I was doing a water change of 30% weekly - I should increase that to 50% then..
> 
> Also I was looking into the 2hr Aquarist nutriants anyone use them here?
> 
> ...


50% would be better yes.

Thrive is an all-in-one fertilizer that many people find / claim as a good option. You can use Excel alongside Thrive without issue. I think there is a ThriveC which contains the same stuff Excel has. Thrive is much better than the Flourish lineup.

Ideally, you'd want to build your own.

This would be a very good starting point using DIY dry fertilizers:

KNO3
KH2PO4
K2SO4
CaSO4
MgSO4

These are dry fertilizers that you mix into a solution, or dose them directly. It's best to use a cheap jewelry scale to measure out these by weight.

KNO3, KH2PO4 and K2SO4 will cover the macro nutrients, and CaSO4 + MgSO4 will be for secondary nutrients into your RO water.

Then you can go with Flourish Comprehensive + Flourish Trace for your micro nutrients.

Target this into your tank once per week (assuming weekly 50% water changes):

15ppm NO3 using KNO3
5ppm PO4 using KH2PO4
20ppm K using the sum of K from the first 2 plus K2SO4






Rotala Butterfly | Planted Aquarium Nutrient Dosing Calculator


Planted Aquarium Nutrient Dosing Calculator



rotalabutterfly.com





This website will allow you to enter your information, and it will tell you how much to dose.

For example: your 200L aquarium, you would dose this once per week (right after a water change):

4.89 grams KNO3
1.43 grams KH2PO4
3.78 grams K2SO4

Then, dose this once after a water change, and then every other day until the next water change (total of 4 doses):

12.5mL Flourish Comprehensive
12.5mL Flourish Trace

For you 50% water change water (100L), you would dose:

8.49 grams CaSO4 = 25ppm Ca / 3.5 dGH
12.68 grams MgSO4 = 12.5ppm Mg / 2.89 dGH


If you use the DIY fertilizers, you can customize to your tanks needs. They are cheaper long term compared to aquarium specific fertilizers.

If you did the above, it would be a very good starting point to build off of. 

What is your substrate?


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## Bent17 (Mar 15, 2021)

Wow thanks for that detailed reply! I am a bit hesitant on dosing dry ferts for now as still inexperienced. I don't really care if the ferts are expensive I just want something that works and balances my tank and keep algae at bay.. will increase the water change to 50% from now onwards. Will also look at thrive as a good fert to dose. Scared that with dry ferts I can do more damage than good


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## Econde (Oct 13, 2015)

Bent17 said:


> Wow thanks for that detailed reply! I am a bit hesitant on dosing dry ferts for now as still inexperienced. I don't really care if the ferts are expensive I just want something that works and balances my tank and keep algae at bay.. will increase the water change to 50% from now onwards. Will also look at thrive as a good fert to dose. Scared that with dry ferts I can do more damage than good


You'll be fine. Find yourself a good reliable Mg scale that can get down to the thousandth's like this here! I myself use a Mg scale that only goes down to the hundredths and works alright to be honest.

Take note of all your doses, so that they will always be spot on.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

Dosing DIY dry fertilizers is the exact same as aquarium specific fertilizers. 

They offer more control over your dosing. 

The only thing tougher is sourcing all of them, but once you have a pound of each ingredient, you are set for years.


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

I notice that George Farmer says 50% per week or more water changes. For his aquariums that usually have an extremely light load of small fish. Where water is very abundant and I mean cheap,scapers say daily water changes of 50% or more. Then,you have a few who just plumb a water line and toilet float like devices for constant water changes..how much per day it came to I don't remember. But not enough to need treating.
All that for algae free aquariums that you see featured on the net and magazines.
I myself see that weekly changes and hold strong to no more than 8 hours of light and keep well below 80f will do a number on algae. Plus,clean the filters every water change.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Get some dosing measurement spoons and use those to dry dose. You do not need to pinpoint the precise amount if you are dosing EI and doing your weekly water changes. Measuring each dose with a scale is not necessary when you already get a good estimate of the correct amount using spoons via rotalabutterfly website.

also, you dont need to clean your filter after every water change. That’s overkill unless you have an inadequate filtration. Once a month or more should suffice.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Lol I only clean my filters when a) I'm having issues b) when I noticed organics in the column c) when I do plant maintenance. Other than that it's maybe twice a year. I try for every 3 months but I won't lie- I forget, especially on non planted tanks.


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

True in fish only tanks or only small fish tanks you can go much longer on changes and cleaning. But plant tanks with fish you feed 2 or 3 times a day like with full grown 5" Rainbow fish?..Water changes to keep algae down is numero uno defense against them.
I wish I had thought of a sump made of plywood and lined with heavy pond liner ( I have that too) and then a overflow box that hangs on without drilling into the aquarium when I reset this tank up 3 years ago. Would have given me all the room for media and great aeration of the water.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Not quite sure what Stan510 is saying, but one weekly water change is enough and you don’t need to clean your filter after every change. 



Stan510 said:


> True in fish only tanks or only small fish tanks you can go much longer on changes and cleaning. But plant tanks with fish you feed 2 or 3 times a day like with full grown 5" Rainbow fish?..Water changes to keep algae down is numero uno defense against them.


On the contrary, small tanks need just as much maintenance and attention as the volume of water can create a lot of fluctuations in your water chemistry. Easier to mess up than a larger tank. And tanks that are fish only need a ton of attention as well. When you have plants in the tank, especially a fully planted one, the plants aid in the filtration by using the Nitrogen and Phosphates from waste and food and mulm etc. I’d stay away from feeding your fish 2-3 times a day. I feed my fish maybe two or three times a week. Too much food = too much organic waste that will feed your algae quicker than your plants.


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

No,believe me smaller IS easier! A 10 gallon with HOB filter and internal sponge,the right lighting and plants and one Betta fed only live worms and shrimp? Is something that can go weeks with just top off water.
A 500 gallon with one 36" Pacu fed well?...is mucho bucks in equipment and time to keep clean!

OFR rescue had to emergency order a pool heater for $1500,and glad to have it. A Danio tank? Maybe just raise room temp to 72 from 68..lol. Or cheap small heater.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

My 40b low tech planted requires way more maintenance than my turtle tub. That being said performing maintenance on smaller tanks is a lot less intense. If you keep up with siphoning excess at feedings single species large tanks with messy eaters isn't really that hard at all, provided you have adequate filtration. You need excessive amounts of filter space for these set ups because they don't have the benefit of biological filtration through substrate and plants but when done right you don't need weekly water changes and there's a heck of a lot more room for error in a larger set up. Personal experience with barebottomed cichlid breeders and pond keeping is where I'm coming up with this from.


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## Bent17 (Mar 15, 2021)

Thinking about it, I have an airstone which goes on 30 mins after my co2 goes off. This remains on throughout the night and stays on till 30 mins before the lights go back on. Basically its on for 16 hours. Could this possibly promote Algae mainly staghorn?


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

I just read someplace,somewhere, the claim that extra Iron causes heavy growths of BBA and I would think Staghorn.
No proof and I wont stop the iron since the results are seen in 48 hours unless you have a constant dosing system and that would be great to have. One gadget I could use.
Besides,plenty of people have BBA and never add iron.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Fat Guy said:


> Not quite sure what Stan510 is saying, but one weekly water change is enough and you don’t need to clean your filter after every change.
> 
> 
> 
> On the contrary, small tanks need just as much maintenance and attention as the volume of water can create a lot of fluctuations in your water chemistry. Easier to mess up than a larger tank. And tanks that are fish only need a ton of attention as well. When you have plants in the tank, especially a fully planted one, the plants aid in the filtration by using the Nitrogen and Phosphates from waste and food and mulm etc. I’d stay away from feeding your fish 2-3 times a day. I feed my fish maybe two or three times a week. Too much food = too much organic waste that will feed your algae quicker than your plants.


You feed your fish 2-3 times a week? 
What kind of fish are they and how long have you had them?


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

No,2-3 times A DAY. M. boesemani,Loaches,Danio's and Barbs. Twice a day would be enough..but I like a bit of treat for them before I put the lights out.
Once a week water change is the rule..I was relating the various degree's of water changes some do to get maximum water quality and clarity. More than one guy out there has plumbed a plant tank for constant trickles of tap water. They never need to do more than clean the filters.
I would recommend cleaning the pre filter once a week. So much of what causes algae is in that pre filter. Algaes plummets with a weekly pre filter wash. Lower 70's temps also reduce the bad algaes on plants I notice.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

I am pretty convinced that most folks with algae problems overfeed their fish. I now feed mine on M/W/F and they are all healthy. I have Silver Tipped Tetras, Pygmy Cories, Glowlight Rasboras, and a few Otos. I have had much better success with algae since I moved to this regimen. When I do feed I do offer several types of food.


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

Food makes a difference and how often no doubt at all. I notice my tank when I feed the cooked beefheart every so often? Gets that old water smell hours later...then goes away.
If I had to do it over again I would have gone with no fish over 3". But,I have no plans to change what I have or rehome. I just will not replace what passes away with more medium size fish.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Discusluv said:


> You feed your fish 2-3 times a week?
> What kind of fish are they and how long have you had them?


i have six red tailed catfish two pacus four oscars and an austrailian blue lobster in a 10 gallon with a pothos plant that ive had for about a week...🤥🪴


And in the other tank I have 20 cardinals 6 pygmy cories 3 ottos. I feed them 2-3 times a week and I have had them for a little over two years in the current setup they are in. In my nano tank I have a school of pygmy cories and cherry shrimp and that tank gets fed twice a week (if that) with a sinking algae pellet broken up. Both tanks heavily planted except for the pacu-pothos-lobster-tank

What fish do you have and how long have you had them?


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## sudhirr (Apr 12, 2019)

> Ever coming back?


Enjoy peace time, but always be prepared for war. Dialled in CO2, optimal light and fertz in balance with the CO2 and regular upkeep in terms of water changes and maintenance. Enjoy your peace time!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Fat Guy said:


> i have six red tailed catfish two pacus four oscars and an austrailian blue lobster in a 10 gallon with a pothos plant that ive had for about a week...🤥🪴
> 
> 
> And in the other tank I have 20 cardinals 6 pygmy cories 3 ottos. I feed them 2-3 times a week and I have had them for a little over two years in the current setup they are in. In my nano tank I have a school of pygmy cories and cherry shrimp and that tank gets fed twice a week (if that) with a sinking algae pellet broken up. Both tanks heavily planted except for the pacu-pothos-lobster-tank
> ...


The recommendation to feed aquarium fish 2-3 times a week longterm is very poor advise. Of course, you can do what you want with your own fish, but bad advise should always be corrected when seen so others are not mislead to think this is good advise.
Most omnivore fish digest their food within 12-24 hours. As such, they should be fed at least daily .5-5% their body weight per day. Young fish require the higher end of this percentage ( but, best broken up into 2-3 smaller feedings), adult fish lower ( depending on species, temperature, and body weight). But, Carnivore fish can go longer without eating- they are equipped to do so. Vegetarian based fish need almost constant grazing to keep nutrition levels.
Feeding omnivore fish the amount you have listed leads to nutrient deficiencies and secondary illnesses. Im not sure how the 2-3 times weekly feeding of aquarium fish came into "vogue"; but it is essentially starving your fish.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Discusluv said:


> The recommendation to feed aquarium fish 2-3 times a week longterm is very poor advise. Of course, you can do what you want with your own fish, but bad advise should always be corrected when seen so others are not mislead to think this is good advise.
> Most omnivore fish digest their food within 12-24 hours. As such, they should be fed at least daily .5-5% their body weight per day. Young fish require the higher end of this percentage ( but, best broken up into 2-3 smaller feedings), adult fish lower ( depending on species, temperature, and body weight). But, Carnivore fish can go longer without eating- they are equipped to do so. Vegetarian based fish need almost constant grazing to keep nutrition levels.
> Feeding omnivore fish the amount you have listed leads to nutrient deficiencies and secondary illnesses. Im not sure how the 2-3 times weekly feeding of aquarium fish came into "vogue"; but it is essentially starving your fish.


nope. Going to have to disagree with you. I think you are offering bad advise and have gone off topic regarding helping the OP with their issue and you should also be “corrected“ but thanks for the google search lesson you provided. Feeding your fish 2-3 times a day is bad advise and will create problems with algae in your aquarium. Cleaning your filter every week is also bad advise.

This is a planted tank forum. The question here is about how to address staghorn problems in the tank. IME this is from high organic waste among other things in the tank and over feeding is a HUGE culprit.

That’s the problem with online forums. People step up on their soap box and offer a broad stroke of information and claim that they know more than another after they scour the internet and regurgitate their findings. All of a sudden out of left field the conversation goes from offering advise to helping somebody with their staghorn issue to a discussion about keeping Pacus and 500 gallon tanks and Carnivorous fish. We have a lot of herbivorous fish keepers lurking in the planted tank forum???

Omnivorous fish, like the majority of those sold in this hobby, don’t need to be fed 2-3 times a day period. Especially when you are keeping them in an established planted tank. Nor are they experiencing a nutrient deficiency if they are only fed 2-3 times a week in a planted tank. But hey, maybe that’s just me and I’ve been lucky after all these years...or maybe I like keeping skinny fish to match my skinny jeans...I dunno...somebody get PETA on this thread.

This hobby requires balance and equilibrium for our aquatic tanks to thrive. Telling somebody to overfeed their fish is a recipe for disaster but go ahead. Why not offer some advise to the OP to begin with before picking a fish food fight. I’ve been a member on this forum for a long long long time so I’ve never surprised when threads turn this way but thanks for playing.

The last question the OP had was whether or not turning on an airstone run at night to off-gas his co2 is causing Staghorn. The answer to that question is “no.” Now it’s your turn.


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## Stan510 (Feb 15, 2021)

Nobody said overfeed. Feeding twice a week is bad fish keeping..or even just three times a week. If you want no algae in your tank that way- don't keep fish in it. Or,make a better filter,change water..all the things public aquariums and long time fish keepers do with fish that live a long time btw...


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Fat Guy said:


> nope. Going to have to disagree with you. I think you are offering bad advise and have gone off topic regarding helping the OP with their issue and you should also be “corrected“ but thanks for the google search lesson you provided. Feeding your fish 2-3 times a day is bad advise and will create problems with algae in your aquarium. Cleaning your filter every week is also bad advise.
> 
> This is a planted tank forum. The question here is about how to address staghorn problems in the tank. IME this is from high organic waste among other things in the tank and over feeding is a HUGE culprit.
> 
> ...


You are the one that dragged the conversation into the direction of overfeeding and its relationship to algae. Let"s not forget that. This is a planted tank forum that has a subform for fish and members who keep fish. They need to be aware that to recommend the feeding schedule that you recommend is poor advise. 
But, don't take it from me. Take it from a fish vet: 
shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzPxsnJSPRY


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Stan510 said:


> Nobody said overfeed. Feeding twice a week is bad fish keeping..or even just three times a week. If you want no algae in your tank that way- don't keep fish in it. Or,make a better filter,change water..all the things public aquariums and long time fish keepers do with fish that live a long time btw...


unsubscribing from this thread. 

You chimed in saying the OP should feed 2-3 times a day. That’s overfeeding. That’s bad advice and not helpful when somebody is having an algae problem and poor fishkeeping as well. But, sadly, I’m having a hard time following your replies Stan510...things like- ”public aquariums and long time fish keepers do with fish that lives long time btw.” huh?

Take a gander at my tanks and you can tell me if my fish and aquariums are healthy or if I’ve drunk too much of the KoolAid and gone rogue or “vogue.” 🙄

Good luck Brent17. The information is out there for you to decipher, whether or not these replies have been helpful for your staghorn issues or not, you be the judge.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Fat Guy said:


> unsubscribing from this thread.
> 
> You chimed in saying the OP should feed 2-3 times a day. That’s overfeeding. That’s bad advice and not helpful when somebody is having an algae problem and poor fishkeeping as well. But, sadly, I’m having a hard time following your replies Stan510...things like- ”public aquariums and long time fish keepers do with fish that lives long time btw.” huh?
> 
> ...


Its amazing how one can be on a "soap-box" and "scouring google" when giving proper advice for fish-keeping, but when it comes to plants there is no end to complicated, scientific spread-sheets and pages on pages of data on algae control. 
This goes to show you where priorities lie. Like you said, "this is the Planted Tank Forum". Well, the planted aspect is of a priority to you and it is what you come to this forum for. But, because that is your priority does not make this what is of priority to everyone who posts here. 
Also, just so you are clear-- I am not a "google scourer." 
I have 33 years of continuous keeping, breeding, and experience with fish.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Discusluv said:


> You are the one that dragged the conversation into the direction of overfeeding and its relationship to algae. Let"s not forget that. This is a planted tank forum that has a subform for fish and members who keep fish. They need to be aware that to recommend the feeding schedule that you recommend is poor advise.
> But, don't take it from me. Take it from a fish vet:
> shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzPxsnJSPRY


Hahah! Ok...gonna pass on clicking on a “friendly” link you provided. But thanks for the google search link you found. Please tell me that you are the fish vet though because that would be incredible. 

Yeah I did take the conversation into overfeeding because the OP is having algae problems and is being told to feed his fish more than he/she should...so...yeah...that’s...well...that’s logical. And you? What are you offering to help with the staghorn issue. Maybe a Wikipedia link next?


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

😶🍿🥤


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Fat Guy said:


> Hahah! Ok...gonna pass on clicking on a “friendly” link you provided. But thanks for the google search link you found. Please tell me that you are the fish vet though because that would be incredible.
> 
> Yeah I did take the conversation into overfeeding because the OP is having algae problems and is being told to feed his fish more than he/she should...so...yeah...that’s...well...that’s logical. And you? What are you offering to help with the staghorn issue. Maybe a Wikipedia link next?


If you would take a look at the link you would see that this is a fish vet. Its also very common information among experienced fish keepers. That you recommend otherwise shows your inexperience. 
I am offering a counter to the misinformation you have posted on fish feeding frequency.



Plinkploop said:


> 😶🍿🥤


Is this supposed to be helpful?


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Not wanting to stalk silently had no words to say. I don't think any of this is helpful to the op at all period. Didn't think 3 emojis really took anything away from the convo either. Other than giving you both another target 😉


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Plinkploop said:


> Not wanting to stalk silently had no words to say. I don't think any of this is helpful to the op at all period. Didn't think 3 emojis really took anything away from the convo either. Other than giving you both another target 😉


Usually people post emojis, like you did, when they like to stir the pot. Just sit back and stalk silently if words escape you.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Discusluv said:


> If you would take a look at the link you would see that this is a fish vet. Its also very common information among experienced fish keepers. That you recommend otherwise shows your inexperience.
> I am offering a counter to the misinformation you have posted on fish feeding frequency.


Hahaha! Ok. Man just trying to figure out how to unsubscribe but the fun keep coming. Grab that popcorn. Inexperience galore over here. I’m just a simpleton. Sure hope this goldfish in the fishbowl by the window is getting enough light to grow. Somebody get me the direct line to the fish vet!! Wait! Found the unfollow discussion button...gonna press it right....about...no..w.....


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