Ok I joined this forum hoping that someone can help me with this. Seems there is a lot of contradictory and confusing information
First for my tank parameters. I currently have no livestock in the tank other than some snails which hitchhiked on my plants. They seem to be thriving. I wanted to get my plants to speed with healthy plant growth before adding fish or shrimp to the tank
Tank size 10 gallon with glass canopy
Lighting: Nicrew SkyLed Plus set at maximum brightness with 8 hour photo period.
Substrate: Baked topsoil overlayed over Seachem Flourish Tabs. Half of the soil is capped with pool filter sand and the other half with gravel.
Pressurized CO2 set on timer to turn on 2 hours before lights come on and turn off one hour after lights come on. As per drop checker and PH KH table to cross reference, it appears approximate C02 is 30-35 ppm
Plants include Cryrtocornes, 5 Dwarf Sag, Alternanthera Reineckki, frog bit, duckweed, and Brazilian Pennywort.
My tap water is 7.3 and tap KH 3-4 As I added some Seiryu Stones, it drove my PH to 7.6-7.8 and KH to 8-11. Pressurized CO2 drops my PH to 6.9-7 after lights go off but as expected and normal it increases to 7.6-7.8 ph overnight with C02 being off
I am using a inline diffuser hooked to a power head to disburse the c02 and the stock filter being used is a Hang Over the bag with lava rocks, polyfibre and small sponge as media
Fertilizer. I have been using Thrive S liquid fertilizer 20 drops twice weekly as that is all I had laying around. I do 25-30% weekly water changes
I have absolutely no algae issues to date and tank has been running for 2 1/2 months. This may have to do with the explosive growth of my floaters which I’m speculating is keeping any algae from getting a footing. My stem plants with the exception of the Alternantera is doing p*ss poor The dwarf sag looks like it should be shot and put out of its misery. Die back on it seems faster than any new growth. Leaves are browning
I will be transitioning to Estimative Index but am trying sort out fact and fiction
Is Estimative Index enough for a tank with 8-11 KH headwater. I read with this kind of reading you need to add more potassium and possibly iron. Also I read given that the water is naturally higher in magnesium and calcium, you need to limit these to prevent further increase in KH and issues with plant growth
If anyone can share their experiences with a similar setup, it would be much appreciated. I’d really love to hear the thought of the Founding Father Of The Estimative Index, Tom Barr/Plant Brain himself. Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.
First for my tank parameters. I currently have no livestock in the tank other than some snails which hitchhiked on my plants. They seem to be thriving. I wanted to get my plants to speed with healthy plant growth before adding fish or shrimp to the tank
Tank size 10 gallon with glass canopy
Lighting: Nicrew SkyLed Plus set at maximum brightness with 8 hour photo period.
Substrate: Baked topsoil overlayed over Seachem Flourish Tabs. Half of the soil is capped with pool filter sand and the other half with gravel.
Pressurized CO2 set on timer to turn on 2 hours before lights come on and turn off one hour after lights come on. As per drop checker and PH KH table to cross reference, it appears approximate C02 is 30-35 ppm
Plants include Cryrtocornes, 5 Dwarf Sag, Alternanthera Reineckki, frog bit, duckweed, and Brazilian Pennywort.
My tap water is 7.3 and tap KH 3-4 As I added some Seiryu Stones, it drove my PH to 7.6-7.8 and KH to 8-11. Pressurized CO2 drops my PH to 6.9-7 after lights go off but as expected and normal it increases to 7.6-7.8 ph overnight with C02 being off
I am using a inline diffuser hooked to a power head to disburse the c02 and the stock filter being used is a Hang Over the bag with lava rocks, polyfibre and small sponge as media
Fertilizer. I have been using Thrive S liquid fertilizer 20 drops twice weekly as that is all I had laying around. I do 25-30% weekly water changes
I have absolutely no algae issues to date and tank has been running for 2 1/2 months. This may have to do with the explosive growth of my floaters which I’m speculating is keeping any algae from getting a footing. My stem plants with the exception of the Alternantera is doing p*ss poor The dwarf sag looks like it should be shot and put out of its misery. Die back on it seems faster than any new growth. Leaves are browning
I will be transitioning to Estimative Index but am trying sort out fact and fiction
Is Estimative Index enough for a tank with 8-11 KH headwater. I read with this kind of reading you need to add more potassium and possibly iron. Also I read given that the water is naturally higher in magnesium and calcium, you need to limit these to prevent further increase in KH and issues with plant growth
If anyone can share their experiences with a similar setup, it would be much appreciated. I’d really love to hear the thought of the Founding Father Of The Estimative Index, Tom Barr/Plant Brain himself. Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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