Some Rotala questions, routundifolia and macrandra

Planterson

Junior Poster
Sep 11, 2015
59
18
8
Hey folks, just some questions about my Rotalas.





In the back I have a row of Rotundifolia and a Macrandra. They are both growing ok I suppose, but lacking in thickness and color. The Macrandra is seems quite leggy, and only red/pink on the very top, otherwise it's completely green. The Rotunifolia has remained lime green.


Does this look like a light situation? Too low? I'm at a point where I need to either raise the Co2 or lower the light, I'm hesitant to lower the light with this type of growth... and to raise the Co2 I may need to build a bigger reactor. Observations? Suggestions?
 

Planterson

Junior Poster
Sep 11, 2015
59
18
8
Micro dosing is as follows:


Fe 0.0928


Mn 0.0551


Cu 0.0007


Mg 0.0113


Zn 0.003


Mo 0.0004


B 0.0065


S 0.02


dGH 0.0026


This is dosed daily 6x /wk.
 

Planterson

Junior Poster
Sep 11, 2015
59
18
8
Couple other tidbits:


Co2 is run through a DIY Griggs reactor, I'm questioning the efficiency. I have a venturi set up to "recycle" the gas, but after a while the pump seems to overload and the efficiency is reduced due to the air pocket inside the impeller. If I disable the venturi, the unit fill over half way with gas by the end of the Co2 cycle, so there is definitely some waste happening. Would a larger reactor solve for this? A needlewheel pump? The output of the Co2 does blow directly over the Rotalas (you can see the outlet in the pic).


I get a total of 1.2 - 1.3 PH drop. I use Seiryu stone, so the PH rises over the course of the week between water changes a bit. Beginning of the week starting PH is around 6.8 - 6.9, by the end it's up to 7.1 - 7.2. This puts my PH after Co2 at about 5.6 - 5.9 over the course of the week. Is this type of fluctuation a problem?


KH exhibits the same behavior with the stone. 3 dKH after water change, up to around 6 dKH by the end of the week. GH stays stable at around 8. A 75% change is performed every 3 weeks to keep this in check (in addition to the weekly 50%).
 
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