Staghorn Algae

[mtber]

Well, I'm trying to follow the advice of Tom Barr and DJLen in regards to my previous algae problem posts.

The algae de jour (post my blackout experiment) seems to be staghorn algae which are proliferating at an amazing rate. Plants are also pearling nicely.

Any thoughts on what conditions favor staghorn algae?

I still have this crazy idea that I should be able to identify and understand what is unbalanced in my tank and then address the root cause. Maybe that’s an unrealistic expectation for a biological system.


John

[djlen]

An informative thread on Staghorn and many other algaes with fixes:
http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=74

Hope this helps some.

Len

[plantbrain]

I've induced it with high bioloads, NH4, urea and also disturbing the substrate a great deal without doing a water change afterwards.

It will grow along with Green water.
Trim it off, use your fingers, trim leaves to far gone to save.
If you keep after it and maintain good conditions, it'll go away but it does hang on longer than you think.

Regards,
Tom Barr