Personally, your post wasn't the obnoxious one.

ahaha I love it... here we go again with the "are you calling me a liar? Like seriously dude I've been on this earth for 12 years I think I know what I'm talking about, and if you don't believe me ask my dad." ahahah

The 12 year old: Are you calling me a liar?

Other person: I don't know... are you calling me a liar?

The 12 year old: I wouldn't say anything if I didn't think it was right

Other Person: Ditto

The 12 year old: I have scientific facts

Other person: Ditto

The 12 year old: Show me your facts

Other person: Ditto

I mean if you want to argue at the very least try and go about it in a more productive way... just because you threaten someone with the terrible idea of calling you a liar your point isn't anymore proven.

And if you want to get technical... when people disagree they are technically calling you a liar and the are calling you wrong... get over it and carry on the discussion so you, or possibly they, can learn something.

Interesting. OK, just for fun and my self learning, I did some Googling.


http://www.environmentalleverage.com...nobacteria.htm

"The presence of large amounts of tetrads or Cyanobacteria in a wastewater treatment system can indicate a severe nutrient deficiency, typically nitrogen."
"Tetrads and cyanobacteria are usually found in environments where there are low levels of nitrogen present. "
" Usually increasing nitrogen levels in the influent often causes them to disappear quite quickly as opposed to adding high levels of polymer to try to drop them out. "
"Low nutrient levels and high BOD are usually the cause of tetrads and cyanobacteria. Ammonia should be increased in the influent and usually with a little bit of time they disappear."

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=1151820

"Nitrate and Phosphate Affect Cultivability of Cyanobacteria from Environments with Low Nutrient Levels

Nitrate and phosphate concentrations higher than those found in the natural environment slowed down growth of two strains of non-bloom-forming, phycoerythrin-rich Synechococcus spp. isolated from mesotrophic subalpine lakes.

For both strains, high initial nitrate and phosphate concentrations delayed growth. "


http://gwapa.org/wordpress/articles/...-aquarium/#bga

"Causes:

Low nitrates - Usually present when all of the nitrogen/nitrate has been removed from the water column. While this is a triggering condition, it is also exacerbated by the bacteria itself using any remaining nitrogen.

Cures:

Increase nitrates - Dose nitrates until the concentration reaches ~5ppm. "


http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

"Cause Often caused by very low nitrates. It is fairly common to have it growing in the substrate against the front glass from where it can spread. "

"Removal A blackout is the best method for this. Clean out as much of the algae as you can and do a 30 to 50% water change. If your nitrates are low then add some potassium nitrate to get levels to 20ppm. "

http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com...aquariums.html

"To protect the Nitrogenase from oxygen, many nitrogen-capturing Cyanobacteria (usually of the filamentous variety) have developed special nitrogen-fixing cells called Heterocysts encased in thickened cell walls. Because of this ability, low nitrate levels are generally not the key to stopping this plague."


http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2006/10/...algae-bga.html

"Causes: Low nitrate levels (NO3), "dead spots" of low water circulation, organic waste build-up
Prevention: Dose nitrates (NO3), add powerheads to aid circulation, frequent water changes and do not over-feed"

"Since it can fix its own nitrogen, a lack of nitrates gives it an advantage over plants. If nitrates are not high enough, it will quickly find a dead spot to start a colony and begin growing extremely rapidly."

http://www.bioremediate.com/algae.htm

"Nitrogen fixation is the process of converting unusable nitrogen (atmospheric nitrogen) into usable nitrogen (ammonia). This characteristic allows these species to exist in areas where low nitrogen availability inhibits growth. Therefore, under phosphorus-rich conditions, when nitrogen may be limited, blue-green cyanobacteria algae have a competitive advantage because they can utilize ("fix") nitrogen directly. "

Really? Which thread was this? I couldn't find it when I searched. The cyano threads I saw recommended the reefer needed to reduce nutrients like phosphates and were likely caused by over feeding & nutrient buildup? Please pm me the link so I can check it out.

Anthony

It was a thread about freshwater cyano; and i didn't see anyone recommending adding phosphate. Basically, I saw 2 posters mentioning that low nitrate is one possible cause of cyano. In addition, one of the 2 guys mentioned that frequent water changes (i assume with tap water) made it worse for him. Seems reasonable. BTW: both posters who suggested that low nitrates are a possible cause of cyano are also Canreefers. :)

Yes, and dabandit, if you read the sw thread about cyano & algae, the advice there was pretty much correct, as in having to remove the excess nutrients (ie. using Phosban reactor to treat the symptom) & finding the source of those excess nutrients (to treat the cause).

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/showt...ighlight=cyano

Here's the thread I'm talking about.

Dude, I've been keeping fish for over 30+ years (fw since 1976 & sw since 1984) and I have 9 years at UBC studying aquaculture. Yet, I still don't know everything about fish.

Fish-keeping is still as much an art as it is a science.

What works for one, may not work for another. Telling people that they are idiots because they don't agree with you is not necessarily a good way to convince someone. As others have mentioned on this thread, there are several varieties of cyanobacteria, algae & other similar organisms. Some do great under one set of parameters (ie. low Nitrogen) while others need different parameters to bloom (ie. high nutrient levels). Therefore, what might stop the problem in one person's tank may not help in someone elses, simply because its a different strain of cyano.

While many reefers use RODI for their tanks, almost no fw aquarist does. Especially for planted tanks, since serious planted tank keepers add all sorts of fertilizers, CO2, etc. to their systems to help the plants thrive under high light. I keep both fw & sw & have only ever made RODI water for my reef tanks, never for my fw tanks. Don't even know anybody locally who uses it for their fw or fw planted tanks & I know a lot of local aquarists. I can see it helping in areas that use well water or the water is very alkaline & they need soft or neutral water for their fw tanks, but I'm not sure whether Victoria's water supply (where the OP is from) is bad enough to require RODI.

Just wondering if you use RODI water on your planted tanks in Surrey, since that's what you're recommending for the OP? I find it enough of a PITA making enough RODI water for my sw, let alone bothering with it for the fw tanks. Surrey's on that water metering system now so that must get expensive with all that wastewater produced by the filtration system. Wasting water is one major drawback of using RODI.

Peace,

Anthony

Wow. Ok first no I never used ro/di on a freshwater planted tank except while successfully curing cyano.
Second the suggestion he had made was to overstock his tank surelly in all of EVERYONES vast experience this increases amonia to a lethal level in freshwater.
Do you really think overstocking your bio load is a better cure for a newbie than simplly cleaning your tank and running carbon,a perfectlly safe method which many have had success with including myself.

And lastlly I did'nt say that fella was calling me a liar,merelly answering to the fact that I do infact have a clue what I'm talking about.


Hey maybe overstocking can work, perhaps I'm wrong about that,I can admit sure. But I still dont think its a practical approach particularilly for a beginner when a perfectlly safe tried and true method works.

Take a deep breath.....

Where are you getting this? I'm asking if he thinks my method is wrong,and asking for his info so that I can learn. I was also offering to give my info if he wanted. The problem with the internet is you can interpret me anyway you want,I'm pretty sure your taking me the wrong way. I don't know why I bother.
P.S I'm a grown man lol

I LOVE IT. hmmm what oh i have been swimming in raw sewage all day "I LOVE IT"

LT frank Drebin. :mrgreen: