i followed toms and vaughns advice and it looks like the algae is under control again. deciding not to prune my plants to death, there is still a small trace of the stuff on some leaves. i've increased my fert dosing heavily and my plants are now growing like weeds again. as soon as they seem to have fully recovered from the heavy pruning i will remove the remaining leaves that still have the algae. my problem was multistaged. there was excessive growth and i didnt increase my dosing to cover the new plant growth. i could have avoided the whole situation by keeping the tank tidy in the first place by following toms advice and keeping the plants pruned well. now i just have to figure out what to do with these crazy 3 foot tall swords attempting to grow through my glass canopy. :-)