# Phosguard



## ljezuit (Jan 15, 2003)

I have been reading on some Internet sites that an effective way of ridding a tank of hair algae is to use something that removes phosphate from your water. I do not have a test kit currently so I am not sure what the level of phosphate is in my tank but I do have an outbreak of hair algae. I was wondering if anyone had any success with this method. My fear is that it will hurt my current plants more than the algae. Just recently I got over Green water by using a diatom filter.

My tank is a 29 gallon. 40 watts, Hagen CO2 about 12ppm, GH 4, KH 14, PH 7.6. The only fertilizers I have been using are Root tabs, and Seachem Potassium. I just bought some Jobes plant spikes (Palm variety), but have yet to use them.

Current plants are Java Fern, Java Moss, Crypt Wed, Amazon and Osirus Swords


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

First of all instead of spending $$ on phosguard make sure you have phospate in the water. It would just be a waist of your hard earned $$ if you go out and buy phosguard and the problem with your algae is not phospate. There so many other possibilities that is causing the algae. 

You probably can take a sample of the tank water to your LFS and they will be happy to test it for you!!! And if they will not test the water you are dealing with the wrong store!!!

How long have you had the tank setup?


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

First GW and now hair algae. Your problems are CO2 not high enough, need more light. Stay away from the Jobes. Do you disturb the gravel? If so the root tabs may be leaching into the water column. Algae is mainly caused my nutrient imbalance.


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## ljezuit (Jan 15, 2003)

The tank has been set up for about 6 months.

I have always heard good things about the Jobes. Are they bad? I only planned on putting them by the roots of the swords and crypts.

I do not disturb the gravel when doing water changes. I only skim along the surface to pick anything up. My substrate is Aquarium gravel about 3-4 in. thick with about 25-30 oz of laterite in the bottom half.

If the root tabs were to be leaking into the water column would this be a case of too much iron?

I wish a LFS around here could just get some SAE's in. This way until I can balance out the nutrients at least I could have some help keeping the algae at bay. Has anyone ordered SAE's off the Internet?


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

SAE's are very good for controlling algae, but they will not eleminate the problem that causes the algae blooms and growth. There is not any fish shrimp or any other critter that will eleminate the cause of algae!!! They DO NOT change the nutrient balance of the water column. 

You as well as many other people that have tanks will admit having an algae problem at one time or another. I sure did!!!

I got 2 SAE's 8 Amano Shrimp and 1 CAE thinking that they will eleminate the algae problem. Well they did, but only after I figured out that there was an imbalance in the nutrients in the water column. 

I started to add some potassium and trace minerals and within a week the algae started to die off. Then the Amano Shrimp were able to eleminate the algae because there was no more algae growing. So they just gobbled up the remains of my algae problems.

I would suggest that you look into finding out the cause of the problem instead of trying to maintain the problem within a limited growth status. Kill the stuff off then the problem will be gone.

BTW I have not had any kind of algae problem in the 4 months that I have been adding the nutrients I found I needed.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Treat the problem, not the symptom. Jobes can be good if you can keep them from leaching into the water column. If you can't you are going to have big problems. If the root tabs are leaching into the water column it could cause too much iron in the water. 

You really need to know the nitrate and phosphate levels in your tank. And you need to dose some traces. You algae problems are directly related to what I think are a lack of nutrients in your water column. And get some K2SO4 for Potassium instead of the Flourish Potassium, unless you are dosing around 30 ml of the Flourish Potassium it's not doing you a lot of good.


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## goshawk99 (Feb 26, 2003)

So where do you buy Potassum Sulphate?
If this stuff can reduce the PO4 in my tank, I will give it a try.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Potassium Sulfate is not going to reduce the PO4 in your tank. But it will help the plants use it. Check the local Dope Growers Supply Store (Hydroponics shop).


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

First of all test your water and see if your PO4 is high. Don't just go and buy stuff if you don't know what the problem is.


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