Calshaye - I think to identify the problem we need to see the pics of your algae and Powdery Mildew. Something doesn't ring right. Powdery mildew on perlite? I can imagine some fuzzy mold on perlite, but not PM. PM looks like somebody sprinkled your leaves with fine white powder. You will not be able to see it on perlite no matter what. If it is a fuzzy mold, not PM - it is harmless - and replacing the soil on the surface is probably the max you need to do. Algae - if you have it - no reasonable amount of Physan is going to kill it. Very concentrated Physan probably will - but your plants will be killed first. It is mostly harmless, it consumes the fertilizer to some extent and it is absolutely bad if you are trying to grow something from seeds.It will choke them. otherwise - replacing the top layer of the soil is probably the most you need to do - or just leave it alone. How much fertilizer you put in your water? What is the brand of your 7:7:7? It would be really helpful if you take pics, if you have trouble posting them here - send them directly to me - if you click on my name - Gardenweb will give an option to send an email. Good Luck and so far do not do anything. Irina

I was loosing my hair by the handfulls too and my hair had always been somewhat thin. Now I had about 5 spots that were nearly bald. I went to my family doctor who did bloodwork and he said it was alopecia and I knew it was not. He gave me 1 milligram tablets of Finisteride and said it should start producing hair within six months. It didn't help at all. Then I went to a dermatologist and he assured me I would not loose all of my hair and that it was alopecia. I knew there was no family trait of loosing hair so that wasn't it. I found a highly recommended dermatologist and he said he thought it was alopecia but that the 1 milligram tablets of Finisteride wasn't strong enough. He gave me five milligram tablets and told me to come back in eight months. The meds didn't help so I went back. He said just in case it was an infection he gave me an antibiotic called Doryx. Within 4 days of starting the Doryx my hair quit falling out and grew back in. I'm still taking the Finesteride and it's never grown any hair. If your family does not have a history of hair loss do not take "Alopecia" as a diagnosis. Keep going to dermatologists until you find a good one.

Of course. I love sharing pics of my kitchen. :) The first is before the faucet was installed and before we moved in but it shows a large piece. Ignore the dust and dirt. There were crews working most days. The slabs I picked were really large so the L shaped piece has no seams. Huge plus!!

Thank you ALL for your responses. Each has helped clarify add'l thoughts I've had and brought up new ones! I THINK I've made a decision about what I need to do. As of this moment, I'm going to buy a 30" black glass induction cooktop - 4 burners. When I want to use one of my non-induction pans, I'm going to use a heavy-duty gas, 12,000 BTU portable unit that runs on Butane (1 hr. of continuous high BTUs usage; 2-3 hrs. for medium)! It's clear that my needs for those won't be often, but it WILL solve most of my issues that were bothering me and I won't have to give ALL of my favorite pans away that I so feared. And I'll still have access to BOTH induction AND gas (my original duel-fuel passion)! The reviews for this particular 12,000 BTU gas unit were outstanding and it's cost is less than $50 for the privilege. I was considering the Bosch Flexinduction or the highly praised (by reviewers) Frigidaire FGIC 3067MB. But, now I've noticed here the Bosch 800 being discussed for less $$ than the Flex if one doesn't need the flexible pods (which I don't, really). Frigidaire has about all the goodies EXCEPT individual burner timers at around $1100 or so with just terrific reviews on amazon - an amazing price point. Can anyone point out some detriments of these three that I may not have noticed or be aware of? What would all of us unknowing people do without all your input and kind help??