I am not criticising your excellent BBB, the chart allows people to stay pretty clear of most algae. How many of you are actually getting to the third "B" Borax?
The third B for borax is using borax for raising pH insead of soda ash. It is not about adding broates to 50 ppm. If you were as familiar with the BBB methos as I am and knew of it's origens you would have known that. It existed before this forum did.
Water bear is, he knows that is what prevented his pool going green when he was away especially as his water has 3000ppm of phosphates and at that time very little chlorine, algicide works.
In the example I gave you in our PM discusstion, when I was in vacation, yes. However, there is no need for borates in a properly maintained pool to supress algae even with very high orthophosphate levels. Chlorine will do it by itself. As far as supressing algae while my pool was shut down for 12 days last August while I was on vacation, I suspect that if I had added Polyquat 60 to a pool without borates I would have had very much the same effect. Perhaps not quite as effective as the borates but I still would not have returned to a green pool. Realize that the reason I originally experiemented with borates (and those experiments were well documented on another forum) were for the pH buffering effects. I was not really interested in the algaestatic properities sine algae, even with my very high phosphates, was never an issue for my pool because I maintaine the pool at an adequate level for my CYA. In fact, I really had no idea that the borates were effective as claimed as an algaestat until my emperical evidence from my vacation last summer. My pool has had high othophosphates since filling (my builder gave me a years supply of phosphate remover that I promptly got right of! :lol: ) but I have NEVER had an algae outbreak, even with having to do the occasional ascorbic acid treatment for staining of my fiberglass pool (which, I assume you know, requires the FC to be very low or absent for several days). Before the borates I would use polyquat 60 and never had a problem with an outbreak.
Sure chlorine works too if you add enough of it, simply killed algae are an easy target, mustard yellow on the other hand deos not seem to respect your chart.
Yes it does. If you maintain proper water balance you won't get it to begin with. I have never had mustard either and when my customers have it was because their chlorine was too low for their CYA. Once it gets hold it does take more chlorine to kill than green algae but cyanobacter ("red algae' or pink slime) and white water mold take even higher levels to kill but are very rare occurances in a pool that maintains even sub par chlorine levels.
Not sure to what Water bear is refering to "
you should not listen to the advice given in the post above this one!" is that to googling algae and phosphates? or Phosphates are the food source for algae?
It was about buying and adding phosphate remover. It is an unnecessary expense. the problem was ammonia in the water that needed to be oxidized.
I cannot find an algae that will exist without food (phosphates), some algae can produce nitrogen compounds that is why elevated nitrogen levels can be an indicator of algae.
Just think about it, if you are having a pool party and you don't provide any food how long will your guests stick around?
Mine stick around because of my winning personality and my sparkling pool! (Longer than I want in most cases!) 
The beauty of your BBB system is that it is very low cost whereas adding phosphate remover may require trips to the dreaded pool store and more money. However as the demand on the chlorine will be lower due to the lower phosphates not feeding your algae in the first place, the chlorine you do have will last longer or in the case of a SWG cell increase it's life expectancy.
And what about the clouding of the water caused by Lanthanum compounds and the problems with filter pressure and constant filter cleaning durng the first 24-48 hours after adding a phosphate remover. The are a LOT of work, are they not? I have quite a bit of experience with them vfrom more than one manufacturer. Also, if you look at the cost vs. chlorine they lose. Polyquat 60 is going to be as effective as an algaestat and many people use it for this reason and it will do the same with much less effect, about equal expense or less, and it will also help clairify the water in the process. I am more inclined to reccommend the use of polyquat 60 before I recommend lanthanum chloride or sufate.
Now if you have both borax as an algicide and lower phosphate levels you make your pool very unattractive to algae and bacteria so again the chlorine demand will be reduced so again the chlorine will last longer and /or so will your salt cell, therefore making a saving to offset the cost of the phosphate remover. Could be better for the planet too
Realize that the vast majority of people that are adding borates are doing so for pH control, at least here in this forum, because this is what we recommend it for. The algaestaic effects are a bonus. We do not recommed borates for algae control. We recommend proper pool matenance for that, just like in a commercial pool.
Is phosphate remover worth the extra expense, I can't answer that one that is for the individual to decide. Duraleigh supplies the excellent test kit, maybe if the need was there he could supply phosphate remover at a discount to TFP supporters, another very good reason for being a member.
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