I've been in the hobby for many years and have kept numerous tanks, but I started to get interested in maximizing plant growth and obtaining better algae control about a year ago. I assume many people followed a similar path as I did and started with Flourish and occasional root tabs before advancing to pressurized CO2. I used this for quite a while and there was clear improvement in plant growth, but algae problems continued. At this point I decided to start EI. I bought the EI package of ferts from Green Leaf Aquariums and began dosing it as prescribed. I dose this every other day and make a water change once a week. The water change is supposed to be 50%, but mine is probably closer to 40% when the refugium water volume is included. Algae control has improved, although I still find there is a red/brown algae that grows on the substrate and plumbing. I went ahead and checked water parameters today (I am supposed to dose the ferts today, so it has been about 40 hours since they were last dosed) and was a little surprised by what I found. My Nitrates and Nitrites were essentially 0, but the Ammonia/Ammonium was significantly higher than before I started EI. It used to be essentially 0, but measured about 4 ppm today. My phosphate level was about 5 ppm. I'm looking to improve my understanding on EI and ferts in general and have a few questions:
1. I am wondering why my Ammonia/Ammonium level has increased this much? Does this have anything to do with EI? The tank is definitely not overstocked and I have been feeding the same amount for 2 years.
2. It's also my understanding that if the pH of the aquarium is < 7, the Ammonia is actually ionized and becomes ammonium (NH4), which is not toxic to fish. Can anyone verify if this is correct?
3. I'm also curious why my Nitrate/Nitrite levels are close to 0. I assume the plants are taking up the Nitrate, but I'm still surprised it's this low with the consistent addition of ferts.
4. Based on this information, do I need to adjust my dosing regiments?
I'll give a breakdown of my aquarium below, but it is a well-established setup with healthy plants and fish. There are 6 adult discus in the tank and they show no sign of stress. Thanks!
60 gal discus tank (48Lx13Wx24H) with refugium.
Fluval 306 canister filter.
Pressurized CO2 setup. I have a drop checker in the tank and it is a bright green color.
Cryptocoryne, Vals, Swords, Java, etc.
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED that's on a timer. I have it set at "Daylight" and it runs for about 8 hours on the timer before being turned off. The refugium has a plant bulb in it and is on for about 12 hours. I used to run the refugium light 24 hours/day, but felt that it may be contributing to algae and cut it to 12 hours about a month ago.
I also have a Finnex MonsterRay color enhancing LED that I turn on occasionally, but it is not on daily.
1. I am wondering why my Ammonia/Ammonium level has increased this much? Does this have anything to do with EI? The tank is definitely not overstocked and I have been feeding the same amount for 2 years.
2. It's also my understanding that if the pH of the aquarium is < 7, the Ammonia is actually ionized and becomes ammonium (NH4), which is not toxic to fish. Can anyone verify if this is correct?
3. I'm also curious why my Nitrate/Nitrite levels are close to 0. I assume the plants are taking up the Nitrate, but I'm still surprised it's this low with the consistent addition of ferts.
4. Based on this information, do I need to adjust my dosing regiments?
I'll give a breakdown of my aquarium below, but it is a well-established setup with healthy plants and fish. There are 6 adult discus in the tank and they show no sign of stress. Thanks!
60 gal discus tank (48Lx13Wx24H) with refugium.
Fluval 306 canister filter.
Pressurized CO2 setup. I have a drop checker in the tank and it is a bright green color.
Cryptocoryne, Vals, Swords, Java, etc.
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED that's on a timer. I have it set at "Daylight" and it runs for about 8 hours on the timer before being turned off. The refugium has a plant bulb in it and is on for about 12 hours. I used to run the refugium light 24 hours/day, but felt that it may be contributing to algae and cut it to 12 hours about a month ago.
I also have a Finnex MonsterRay color enhancing LED that I turn on occasionally, but it is not on daily.