For Jon, tank ready.

[StirCrazy]

actualy I am not using C02, it was to expensive so I just kept my lighting to 2 watt/gal, I use PPMD (home made) fertalizer plus I use seachem potasium and iron suplement fertalizers (I had a bout with a potasium deficiency that almost made me give up befor I figured it out. I wanted to go higher lights so I could add some high light plants but that would mean I would have to dose C02. I tried a yeast in a bottle set up but it never worked and I haven't gotten around to trying a different set up yet.

as for your beard algae, have you tested your tap water for phosphate and nitrates? high nutrent water makes the stuff go nuts. you could go to home depot and get thoes 2 stage under the counter filters for about 50 bucks (same as a sediment and carbon filters on a ro unit) that would take care of a lot of the nutrents. also if you can find it, get a bristle nose pleco (they stay small) or your best bet if you have the roomis to find a marble sailfin pleco. lb for lb the baddest algae eating machien I have seen. :D

a friend of mine went throught a hair algae battel and what he did was take everything out, boil it with bleach.. then again to wash out the bleach. then he used filtered water (I think he had a 10 micron sediment, a 5 micron sediment and two carbon blocks. cost him about 100.00 to set it up) he hasn't had it come back sence. also if you get plants like HYGROPHILA STRICTA, or any of the fast growing "stem" plants they do a good job of out competing the algae if you have enuf.

Steve