Christian_rubilar

Well, GDA is easy to eliminate.
It's appears when there is an imbalance related to Po4 and Ca.
If Ca is high this is because you probably had added too much. 50% water change solves it. And reduced the quantity next time.
About Po4, Water change helps if the new watter hasn't Po4. Reducing the ppms you add helps a lot. I think that 0.5 is enough unless you have a lot of microsorums, marsilea crenata, etc.
This two items should be in your mind in order to avoid a new GDA problem.
Finally, to eliminate it you should use the "generic protocol of the Kno3". Stop fertilizing at all. Change 50% of the water. Add every day for 1 week 1 gram of Kno3 every 50 gallons until GSA appears. If after one week the GPA doesn't appears, then repeat it but 2 gram every 50 gallons and so on.
I know that in this forum you guys have very different ideas about how to deal with GDA. This way to solve it was sucesfully used hundred of times during the last three years.
You can find more info about this in this thread / article:
http://www.drpez.net/panel/showthread.php?t=154436
You know, when a theory doesn't work, then this theory should be abandoned.

sewingalot

How do I translate this article? My high school Spanish isn't good enough, and I don't know how to use google translator. Thanks.

Christian_rubilar

You go to www.google.com, click on languaje tools. Then you copy paste the paragraph and select from spanish to english.
If you understand some spanish better because the technology is not good enough yet.
I suggest you start reading the chapter "el metodo de los desequilibrios controlados", because the beginning is an explanation about myths and how to tune up properly the aquarium,
Regards

Newt

Very interesting article Dr Pez.
I was unable to get the translation when the text got to the info on the Philips PLL-840s.
Do you know what I should do so that I can read it?

EDIT: Never mind. I re-did it and was able to get it. A lot is lost in translation.

sewingalot

Thanks for the help in the translation. This makes a lot of sense to me all the sudden. I have very hard water and was dosing Po4 in excess to get rid of Green Spot Algae. All the sudden, I am hit with Red Algae and major Green Dust Algae. I have now done a 50% water change and am going to try to implement "Method of Controlled Imbalance."

Newt

I read it and have a few questions about it that may be translation issues more than anything. Just cant do it right now.

Christian_rubilar

Oki, as soon as you have some time I'll answer them.
Regards

Christian_rubilar

Well, the main idea behind the MDC is to reach the GSA for three reasons. 1) close to GSA no other algae can bloom 2) the amount of Kno3 your aquarium needs to reach the gsa is the real consumption of your aquarium per week. That's the amount you should use for fertilizing. 3) If you have any algae, if you look for gsa, the algae stop bloom or die.
Fertilizing in this way makes that is you test your water there is never more than 2.5 ppm of No3.
In my opinion, rigid rules like 10.1.15 makes no sense, diferents aquariums have diferents balances: 20.1.15, 5.5.15, or whatever.

The idea about to work only about Kno3 is because if you work with too many other variables, then you don't know how to induce a solution. And if you solve it, you don't know why it happend.

In the other hand, the idea is to use your plants as the filter of your aquarium.

The MDC is only a frame, as soon as you understand it you can use any fertilizing method you want without algae. At the forum of www.drpez.com many people use PPS or EI, etc.

In this thread you can read a little more (in english) about the MDC, this is an unfinished debate with Tom Barr (plantBrain):
http://www.drpez.net/panel/showthrea...6&page=2&pp=25
Regards

tsound

for the last 2 days i have tried to wrap my brain around this...i can't seem to grasp it...

first question as to the realization of the kno3 protocol: say GSA appears after 9 days, 7 of which were 1gr kno3/day, then a WC, then 2 days were 2gr kno3/day.
so what is the amount of kno3 my tank uses per week? 7x1gr + 2x2gr =11gr ???
what about the WC, how does that fit into the calculation?
what about other nutrients bottoming out during that period, doesn't that affect N uptake? then after resuming regular fertilization, N uptake will be higher again?

second question:
what if you start the kno3 protocol with very low P levels to begin with?
say your P bottoms out after 2 days and GSA appears? does that mean your weekly N consumption of the tank is only 2 x 1gr?

sorry if these questions are redundant, but i really do want to understand this, it makes a lot of common sense to me, just i can't grasp it logically.

Christian_rubilar

In this case, yes, 11 grams. But this is a little tricky. You Know, we don't use such high level of Po4 (the same about Fe) in our aquariums so for me there are many new challenges because the water chemistry is complete different, with a lot of interferences. In our tanks one week is always enough.
mmmmmm, let me think.....the Kno3 protocol is another way to reset your aquarium, but a controlled one because I know where I am going.
If reaching the GSA (reseting your aquarium) takes quit long....I think we will have to find out together an answer .

When you change water you reduces No3 and Po4 as well.

Not necessarily.

The No3 uptake is dynamic. The generic protocol of the Kno3 helps you to find the real uptake and to create a healthy water chemistry. Then you are closer to reality and you can tune it up according to bioindicators. But then you have a reference not just speculation about uptakes. In the other hand, if the water chemistry is close to GSA then you have a algaeless tank.

But you question presumes other fertilization methods. Using MCI I don't suggest adding Po4 and K as a start point. Then, there is not a higher uptake later. You are presuming the later adding of those macros.

I think that they should be added if they are needed.

About Po4. Usually tanks produce enough. If this is not the case, then you will have GSA. Then you do the Po4 protocol and you find out how much you need (you can find it in the complete version of the MCI in Spanish). I had some cases where 4 ppm were neded but, if I test the water just before the light turns off, there was only 0.2. That's perfection! The day after I add Fe, only 0.1 but it will be uptake 100%.

About K. I don't like to add sulfates or chloride to the tank. Usually with the Kno3 there is enough "friendly" K. I explain before why sulphates and chloride are dangerous and how tricky they are with iron. Then, if you don't add K, the N uptake will be the same.

BUT, some plants has priority consumption of Po4, microsorums for example. There is a simple rule that usually works: plants from America usually uptakes more Kno3, plants from Africa and Asia usually uptakes more Po4. If you don't have unnecessary interferences (2 ppm of Fe for example) then you can add the Po4 just over the microsorums with a syringe and it will be uptaken properly.

That's a good question!
You know, everybody believes that No3 only can be uptake if there is K and Po4. And this is more or less true. But there is not a a directly proportional relationship between the uptakes. Every plant species has a different one.
This is the tank where I developed the MCI some years ago:



I never added K or Po4. Of course there were K in the tap water and the tanks produces Po4.

It was a 15 gallon tank and...let me remember...I used to add about 7 grams per week of Kno3.

This means that, even if you have low Po4, perhaps the Kno3 your plants needs can be bigger than you think.

The MCI is an open debate, so feel free to ask, criticize, propose, give feedback, etc.

Regards