OK....

Been doing a lot of reading on this forum and am confused by references to algae growing on some plants and not others. For example, Java Fern may get BBA before other plants due to low C02 and Java Fern's less substantial surface area and CO2 uptake ability.

Why would algae be more prone to grow on one plant as opposed to another assuming the general nutrient load is equally distributed throughout the tank? I thought allelopathy was bunk... is this not the case? My plants certainly don't mind growing next to each other.

If one plant is not growing as quickly as another (or is suffering) the only reason I can think of for algae to "choose" that plant is that it will actually feed off of a suffering/mal-nourished plant.

Thanks!