Phosphates and GSA

[Delapool]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has seen any science behind the method of lifting phosphates to combat GSA?

Also if anyone had lifted phosphates to get rid of GSA and how it went / if it worked? Thanks!

 

[Bert2oo1]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has seen any science behind the method of lifting phosphates to combat GSA?

Also if anyone had lifted phosphates to get rid of GSA and how it went / if it worked? Thanks!

When I was following the PPS pro method of fert dosing (now trying EI)
I 3x dosed my phosphate to rid GSA. Within 3 days my glass was completely clear of GSA and even now dosing EI I haven't seen it at all. Upping the phosphate definitely had an effect of the GSA. I can't remember the exact dosage of phosphate I was dosing though.


30g planted, 90g Oscar tank

 

[Caliban07]

Hi Delapool. I think you will struggle to find anything scientific on this. With me not dosing phosphates for the past 3 or 4 weeks plants have remained algae free. It's the glass that's the killer. Upping phosphates helped with that no question.


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[plantnoob]

Same. Had a good bit of GSA on the tank walls. Cleaned and cut light intensity by 50%. Still seemed to be back but not as much as before. The final blow to GSA was upping phosphate by 2x. This took my phosphate conc from 1-2 ppm to >3 ppm. My walls have been GSA free for over 3 weeks now.


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[Delapool]

Many thanks, I've got GSA on the glass (just removed it). I'll try to keep some records on if higher phos keeps it more at bay Only have the API P test kit though.

 

[Delapool]

Just coming back to this but it sounds like increasing P helps with GSA on the glass? On the plants I could assume maybe the plants need a certain level of P or the test kits don't read true but on the glass suggests GSA actually finds higher P toxic somehow? Just wondering if reading correctly.

 

[Caliban07]

Just coming back to this but it sounds like increasing P helps with GSA on the glass? On the plants I could assume maybe the plants need a certain level of P or the test kits don't read true but on the glass suggests GSA actually finds higher P toxic somehow? Just wondering if reading correctly.

I'm not sure how it works to be honest Dela. I've read of people directly applying po4 mixture to GSA in order to kill it and I believe it worked so perhaps GSA just doesn't like too much phosphate.

On another not I was just perusing another forum and can across this post whilst discussing po4 and hair algae.

Quote:

'Due to a dosing pump failure I ended up with 350ppm nitrate and 80ppm phosphate for a while. No effect on fish and absolutely no algae.

Generally adding more phosphate will reduce algae.

Never ever rely on your water report to alter your dosing, we see time after time people who invent their own dosing scheme based on their water report having plant nutrient issues and if plants suffer algae gets a foot hold'



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[Delapool]

it's weird - I started looking into algae river blooms and that talks about reducing P so far. Perhaps much lower concentrations of P they are dealing with and an open system. Was hoping to find something of testing. Thanks for the info above.