This question has been percolating in my mind for a while. So it's time I just ask it.
People say that if you have healthy plants, they outcompete algae. I have found this to be the case in practice, when my plants are growing well, I have few if any algae issues. When I'm not fertilizing properly etc. algae issues abound.
Ok now here's the thing. The idea that was put forth to me (that maybe isn't true) is that plants suck up the nutrients in the water faster than the algae can use them, hence "outcompeting" it. But this doesn't sound right. In a tank that you are dosing EI in, the goal is to ALWAYS have more nutrients than the plants can use up in the water column. So how are the plants outcompeting the algae? Outcompeting for what??
Then there's the light issue. Lets say that you have two tanks that have identical water conditions (fertilized), and both have high light and co2 injection. But one has plants, the other doesn't. What would you see as far as algae goes? I've never tried it, but I have been led to believe that the one without plants would have lots of algae, and the one with plants would not. But why? Don't algae in both tanks have access to the same exact nutrients?
People say that if you have healthy plants, they outcompete algae. I have found this to be the case in practice, when my plants are growing well, I have few if any algae issues. When I'm not fertilizing properly etc. algae issues abound.
Ok now here's the thing. The idea that was put forth to me (that maybe isn't true) is that plants suck up the nutrients in the water faster than the algae can use them, hence "outcompeting" it. But this doesn't sound right. In a tank that you are dosing EI in, the goal is to ALWAYS have more nutrients than the plants can use up in the water column. So how are the plants outcompeting the algae? Outcompeting for what??
Then there's the light issue. Lets say that you have two tanks that have identical water conditions (fertilized), and both have high light and co2 injection. But one has plants, the other doesn't. What would you see as far as algae goes? I've never tried it, but I have been led to believe that the one without plants would have lots of algae, and the one with plants would not. But why? Don't algae in both tanks have access to the same exact nutrients?