You main job as far as learning about planted tanks is CO2.

Read everything you can about this and try tio understand it and know it inside and out.

It'll be 90-95% of the issues you have and the success.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Tom, I’ve been researching, reading and visiting a lot of forums often coming across the post about how “my plants aren’t thriving”, stunted growth and many, many other issues that refer to algae. All in all, once dosing wasn’t the issue, it most likely all pointed to CO2.
All I’ve read from you was, “you don’t have enough CO2… “raise your CO2”, “pump more CO2 into the tank”, “get the water to cause some agitation on the surface and raise your CO2”, “potassium doesn’t cause algae... if so prove it”, “lower your light session and raise your CO2”. You do sound like a broken record and still, no one seems to listen.

I will be critical of the CO2 in my tank and try my best not to starve/limit my plants of it. I realize that the return bar placement of the canister can cause a problem if not placed where the water flows evenly throughout the tank when dispersing CO2. I do know that the more light you give your plants the higher the CO2 demands will be.

I know there are many other factors that come into play when it comes to a healthy planted aquarium however by using EI the limited nutrition factor is removed. By controlling my light sessions and by not having HLD, I’m ahead of the game. Most importantly, by realizing not to starve/limit my plants of CO2, by being aware that the majority of people that have algae issues are for the most part CO2 related, I know that I am half way to a decent planted aquarium.