Hi folks,
Can we agree for the moment that a yellow DC does NOT ENSURE adequate or stable c02 levels?
A DC simply tells you what the c02 MAY have been 1-2 hours in the past. That is not accurate enough to guage good c02 during the entire photoperiod. Tom has shown that c02 concentrations change ALL THE TIME thru space and time. You may want to use a second and move them around the tank a bit. Check them at diff times, etc. Get an idea of your entire tank....
If using EI in non-limiting amounts and IMO you have plenty of light, I would look to either c02 and/or general current/flow.
I would slowly increase the c02 a bit weekly. Observe the fish and plants. Look for nice, algae free new growth. Good color, shape, etc. Fish should not be stressed: darker colors, heavy breathing, gathering at surface, hiding, etc.
Please remember that it takes 2-3 weeks for plants to recover after stress of stunting/periods of poor growth.
You may not get 'overnight' results. Water changes help a great deal. An extra 50% weekly won't hurt anything.
What is the tank size and EI dosing regimen again?
I would not be TOO concerned with the hardness, but I also know that some plants do better in hard water. Remember that plants will pull c02 out of the water hardness if no gaseous c02 is around. So, these plants do okay, but remove c02 for the other plants, which causes issues.
Are some of the plants doing well and others not? Which ones are okay? Val, elodea, sag?
Hope this helps.
Scorpio_125,
I assume your post made it? Want me to delete the other 2?
Do you like the amount of trimming you do now? Lowering your # of tubes will still give you nice growth, but will reduce the amount of trimming.
Just curious. Light is what drives plant growth and nutrient/c02 demand. 6x5 t5ho is driving a very high demand. This may eventually prove too much to provide even if all seems okay now. As plant bio-mass increases, c02 and other ferts also need to be increased.
Just want to ensure you don't have issues later on.........