Nein to Nitrates

I've decided to go another direction with this algae control. While the plan was to supply everything plants (and algae) need in abundance with the exception of phosphates, I was discouraged by the lack of progress. Certainly, the algae's progress had been slowed since Thanksgiving, but I still observed it spreading (and not stopping or receding). I know I haven't given that tack much of a chance, but what's the point of a hobby if you can't mess around and have some fun with it, right? So I will continue to tinker. The direction I want to go is to eliminate the nutrients in the water column to the furthest extent possible and let the plants get their nutrients from the substrate.

To this end, I bough some Excel Flourish tabs. They are little black pellets that are supposed to be inserted into the substrate and they slowly release all the nutrients a plant needs (iron, nitrate, etc.) into the surrounding substrate over the course of a few months. I put three in the substrate (they are supposed to each cover a one foot diameter area): by the swords, by the drawf hair grass, and by the foxtail. Now that the plants would get food from the substrate, I could take the food out of the water column (and away from the algae).

There were a few steps taken to accomplish this. Obviously, the addition of liquid fertilizers was ceased. I left the Phos-X packet in the filter for its nitrate removing abilities in addition to having it remove phophates. I also committed to replacing the nitrate-laden water, so I did as big a water change as I dare, and I'll be doing water changes each of the next few days.

One last thing, I'm going back to my "rest period" of a couple of hours in the middle of the day, but still have the lights on for at least 10 hours total per day.