[defdac]

And as long as the plants are growing the algae is kept at bay

I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that the whole purpose of this thread is the question why this is true: Why does unlimited nutrients and happy plants keep algae at bay?

 

[defdac]

Folks considering algae not growing at higher nutrients may want to look into what a niche is and compare enzyme kintetics=> this is directly influences uptake rates and competition with plants.

But why would nice and high nutrient levels (especially N), that drives the plants Vmax higher in plants than in algae through efficient Enzymes, inhibit algae?

I understand that plants can't survive the low nutrient levels that algae can (niche concept), but I can't see why healty plant leaves with good light and good nutrient levels doesn't act as an algae-collector? Everything exists on a healthy plant leaf: Very good light and very good nutrient levels?

Or does high and efficient plant uptake rates means the water above the leaves are totally nutrient deficient?

 

[defdac]

Your post, McFinn, summarize exactly my own thoughts. Mostly based on my own tanks running on EI and Walstad and all the info Tom Barr gives us.

This also explains why tanks relying completely on the substrate to mineralize organic nutrients have times of "inexplainable" low growth: Mineralization is inactive due to any number of billion reasons.

EI removing substrate from the whole equation is, to me, why EI is superior compared to any other regieme where one has to rely upon substrate mineralized organic bound nutrients.

 

[defdac]

May be the answer could simply be "because plants grow well hence no algae."

Everyone that has planted tanks already know this. We want to know why algea stops growing when the plants grow well and are happy.

Tom Barr aka plantbrain are the only one offering a glimpse of the truth of what might be going on here. Algae are tiny organisms that only bloom if there are no competition like happy plants and they seem to be able to know if there are other happy well growing organism around them - and it seems algae "listens" to variations in NH4-levels and Oxygen-levels.

When oxygen-levels drops and NH4 rises - time to bloom.

Happy plants means relatively small variations of high oxygen levels and tiny variations of very low NH4-levels.

How algae are able to listen to oxygen and NH4 I have no clue about though

 

[defdac]

Exactly, so now you only have to explain what in the algae makes NH4/jumpy CO2 a "spark initiator" 8 )