not one tank out there is phosphate free 0 reading is reason to be concerned
almost every tank has a trace of phosphate .03 is the most common if its lower at 0 or higher above .03 there's reason to be concerned
When I ask about algae I'm asking about nuisance not macro
there are 2 types of algae 1 good as the other is bad
yes both consume excess nutrients but macro's tend not to hide nutrients as they don't absorb 100%
nuisance algae tends to mask excess nutrients as they absorb almost all
this link explains it better than I can as I am bad with wording
Algae and How It Can Affect Your Aquarium
I have been working with macros for almost 5 years and learned a lot
like any thing there's always more to learn , but for the part about how they absorb nutrients it is very different , macro algae if used correctly can be your best friend
they need constant trimming to remove the ends holding the nutrients they act as a sponge they absorb a good amount of the excess nutrients but at the same time will not hide nutrients to the point of a 0 reading as only the first 4 inch will consume nutrients , with nuisance algae they absorb almost of the nutrients as the whole organism absorbs nutrients giving false readings as this algae grows masking the issues those nutrients can cause
almost every tank has a trace of phosphate .03 is the most common if its lower at 0 or higher above .03 there's reason to be concerned
When I ask about algae I'm asking about nuisance not macro
there are 2 types of algae 1 good as the other is bad
yes both consume excess nutrients but macro's tend not to hide nutrients as they don't absorb 100%
nuisance algae tends to mask excess nutrients as they absorb almost all
this link explains it better than I can as I am bad with wording
Algae and How It Can Affect Your Aquarium
I have been working with macros for almost 5 years and learned a lot
like any thing there's always more to learn , but for the part about how they absorb nutrients it is very different , macro algae if used correctly can be your best friend
they need constant trimming to remove the ends holding the nutrients they act as a sponge they absorb a good amount of the excess nutrients but at the same time will not hide nutrients to the point of a 0 reading as only the first 4 inch will consume nutrients , with nuisance algae they absorb almost of the nutrients as the whole organism absorbs nutrients giving false readings as this algae grows masking the issues those nutrients can cause