PO4 to NO3 Ratio?

Does PO4 to NO3 need to be 1:4? I ask because I'm developing GSA of all things, on the glass particularly, as well as on some stone. Want to nip it in the bud.


I've heard that it's generally caused by low phosphates, and I'm already dosing EI levels. So if I want to up my phosphate do I need to simply increase the entirety of my dose, or can I throttle up on just PO4? Right now I dose these levels 3x a week:


NO3 7.45


N 1.68


PO4 1.84


P 0.6


K 5.46


This is a solution, so can I just mix more PO4 into it? Or do I simply need to up the entire does? Considering bumping it up to 2.0


How high can I safely raise PO4 as it relates to NO3?


My testing shows 1.0~ PO4 before a water change. I have not cross-referenced the test against a known standard, I just assumed the colors were relatively accurate.

 

Welp, scratch this whole post. I calibrated my PO4 kit. It was DRAMATICALLY off. Apparently the test kit is completely screwed up, it's not expired, but no idea where my phosphates are.


I'll come back today and update this topic.

 

For reference, here's what I'm seeing. Would you consider this "normal," only needing manual scrubbing, or a sign of a tank in decline?





You can see some on the lily pipe in this shot (above).





Some here on the rock, and a bit on the Stauro.


I appreciate the feedback, the amount of GSA I have is almost nil, this is a "nip it in the bud" scenario. Will excessive PO4 to NO3 not cause any uptake issues? I know there is a relationship between some of these nutrients (like K to P uptake), was wondering if that applies here. It seems a deficiency in one macro could certainly limit uptake of another, is this not accurate? Part of coming here is to find out the right information. Is there not a general guideline (ie 10x to 1 P to N)? Tank maintenance is regular, 50% WC every week, 75% every third change. Constant trimming.


From the response, it's implied that I simply don't take care of my tank, which isn't true. I put a lot of time, care and attention to the tank. Light was painstakingly throttled to the point where I don't see "leggy" growth, Co2 is probably too high, but my plants pearl like airstones. I figured that these were in a good place, which is why I'm asking about ferts, but I can certainly try to adjust them further if that's the general concensus.

 

I certainly appreciate any and all feedback, Pikez. I understand what you mean, though. There are a flood of "I have algae!! HALP!!" posts to deal with... and I generally provide a somewhat "canned" response myself, since 9 times out of 10 the issue lies in general maintenance. I come here when I want REAL advice, haha.


Really, it's not so much of a question on the GSA as much as wanting to know if there is indeed any validity to the suggested P to N ratio. I figured that might be the motivation for so many to suggest low phosphate, not for the reason that low phosphate in and of itself causes the GSA, but the fact that another nutrient might be limited by its absence or something of that nature. But if the ratio is nonsense, then that does indeed answer my question


I will revisit light/co2, but boy that's a battle I didn't want to have to engage in again, lol. Clearly it's still not as tuned in as it could be. There might be some points on the dial for co2 increase, but my reactor is a bit undersized and has trouble keeping quiet with higher Co2 levels. So I suppose I'll knock the light down a bit. It's on a 6 hour photoperiod as it is though.