Help verifying a PP dip formula

PP

Hi Pat,

Four ounces of Potassium permanganate should be about a lifetime or two’s worth.

100-ppm Potassium permanganate is a little strong but not bad.

Remember that if you cover the PP after use you can continue to reuse the solution until it turns yellow or even muddy brown. You can also use PP directly in the tank. Observing the coloration tells you the effectiveness and required dosing.

I wrote about this somewhere around here somewhere. :gw

Biollante

 

Pleasantly Pink

Hi Pat,

The same stuff you use to de-chlorinate the water will also neutralize PP. However you should not need to use any de-clorinator.

As the Earth cooled, before the knowledge of water changes Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is the way we removed the organics from the water. Many pond keepers even unto this day use this process since major water changes may be prohibitive or even impossible. :gw

The PP treatment is explained at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa027. I have found the PP treatments at these levels safe for my critters down to CRS shrimp; it will harm populations of smaller invertebrates, though my copepod and rotifer populations seem to rebound nicely.

If you wish to clean the filter and associated plumbing, simply remove the biologic material to a pail of aquarium water and return the materials after the process is completed.

I still recommend that you experiment first with a couple of your critters prior to treatment in the main tank. If you have never done this before be extra vigilant, err on the low side in concentrations. Should you notice any adverse reaction or just find yourself pooping uncontrollably, add whatever de-chlorinator you use at the proscribed rate.

One of the reasons I like the Potassium permanganate method is that it is also a good indicator of water quality.

80-USgallon tank.

• We need 2mg/l of PP so:
• Grams of PP=80-gallon*0.0038*2mg/l=0.6-g PP
• (if you have a scale accurate enough and are using lab grade Potassium permanganate, feel free to measure out 0.61 or 0.608 g of PP).
• Dissolve the PP into a liter of aquarium water, and then pour the solution along the length into the aquarium. Note the time or set an alarm for four hours.

The aquarium water should turn a pleasant pink or even light purple (were it not for the profanity laced replies from the Plant Guru Team, I would tell you the approximate ORP values the different colors represent).

Light purple means your water quality is excellent and you can even use a little less PP the next time. Pink is also an indicator of good water quality and that the dosing is correct. Yellowish tint through mud brown indicates poor water quality and the quicker and darker it got the worse the water quality.
​

If your aquarium got into the yellow to dark browns in less than four hours, add another 2mg/l dose that is another 0.6 grams of PP. Continue the process until you make it four hours in the pink.

Biollante

 

Disappearing Chemicals

Hi Pat,

The price sounds reasonable.

It is startling how many “everyday” chemicals cannot be purchased locally, yet are available via the internet.

My foray into the world of disappearing PP is here http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/6980-The-Great-Potassium-Permanganate-KMnO4-Shortage-of-2010.

Biollante

 

Low Or Fluctuating CO2

Hi Pat,

I tend to add Calcium anyway and though it is a contentious issue here, I like CaCl2, so whether through good observation or (more likely) dumb luck, that is the baseline I use.

My general, though controversial advice is to raise the GH by at least 1-dGH with CaCl2 and another 1⁄4-dGH Epsom salts (in my case I add 20-ppm Ca, via CaCl2 and 4-ppm Mg via Epsom salt). :gw

Honestly, I think your issues revolve around all the new tank issues. Off the top, I would say CO2 is likely your issue. I apologize, I lost track of your situation in the last month or so. I recall you had a nice tank arrangement and it seemed to me you were doing all the right things.

Potassium permanganate at 100-ppm (you will figure out the color after a time or two) is great as a dip, 15 minutes for stout vascular plants, 7 minutes for finer vascular plants, then rinse in clean water, a little de-chlorinator in the water is a good idea. Be careful with primitive plants. Remember the solution is reusable, just cover and store away from heat, pets and kids.

I do not routinely use Potassium permanganate in lieu of regular water changes. PP is great if you have a buildup of organics, especially in an older established tank and need to clean the plumbing or the dark recesses of the tank (I do this maybe every couple of years). It is also great for ponds or places where large water changes are not practical. PP is also good for dealing with certain outbreaks or infestations, though these usually are associated with poor water quality.

My advice is to hang in there with regular water changes, continue cleaning the Rhizoclonium, whether Cladophoraceae or Chlorophyta. Work on CO2 and circulation issues.

With the exception of the HC, your plants should not be difficult.

I do not know if this helps or even makes sense.

Biollante

 

Can You Say Glutaraldehyde, Well...Neither Can I

Hi Pat,

Hang tough.

That picture is rather confirmation of the low/fluctuating CO2.

Until you get the CO2 under control and stable, I recommend using Excel at full label dosing, plus maybe a bit. Consider cutting the light a bit.

Continue to pull out, all the algae you can large water changes at least every week, twice a week better, every other day is probably obsessive but are a good idea. :gw

I do have a shortcut, kind of a nuclear option, I have experimented with while I am not a fan of shortcuts this one is particularly effective against this sort of algae bloom. We will see how this goes first.

Biollante

 

Not A Doubt!

Hi Pat,

Actually, I think you are probably doing quite well; much of this is just new tank, new to the world of freshwater-planted tanks kind of stuff.

It pays not to get too excited, just stay the course; the HC is really the only pain-in-the-butt plants you have. Getting your system stable for 3-6 months is the key. At this point, it really is not about fancy plants or fancy critters it is about system stability.

This is analogous to any other form of farming or gardening, it is in fact container gardening. As my Dear Ol’ Dad used to say, “Anything that happens quickly in the garden is likely bad.”

This is a long-term project, I think of it as a relationship. In the beginning, things are often fragile; there are unforeseen difficulties we are learning about each other. As the relationship matures, there are still problems but the day-to-day problems mean less and less become more manageable. As with most things of real value, it is patience and perseverance more than money, talent or education that succeeds. :gw

I have little doubt you are beginning to feel the difference in the algae you are paying attention. Your eyes, nose and fingers are the best test kits you will ever own.

I suspect once you get that GH/KH thing worked out things will really move along. To be precise I think your system is Calcium starved, you should see improvements within days of adding the Calcium chloride. The KH increase should provide pH stability (I am not trying to be controversial).

Take the CO2 slowly, that is one reason I like the Excel, it lets us take the plant friendly carbon thing on directly, that is it allows to find our way while providing lots of carbon as long as you have no primitive plants. Even with primitive plants I would still [FONT=&quot]recommend[/FONT] Excel here, just reduced dosing.

You have a Fabco needle valve this will require patience move cautiously, are going to watch the plants, we do not wish to stress the critters.

The dry start gives your plants a reserve to work with while you are finding your way.

You will succeed magnificently!

Biollante

 

Cheap & Easy Is What I Am

Hi Pat,

Seriously you are on the right track, get the water parameters right, backing off the lighting a bit would not hurt.

Pro’s like Tom Barr can do the blackout bit and get away with it because of the experience level they bring to the game. We mere mortals need to fight our way through.

Blackouts and other shortcuts in my ever-humble-planted-pot opinion stress the system; in particular, multiple blackouts in an inherently unstable situation can push the system to a nearly unrecoverable situation. {I am not trying to be difficult or controversial.}

I have no doubt that CO2 stability is a major problem.

Given the lack (I would characterize it as extreme) of Calcium, I consider that your primary problem. Thankfully, it is cheap and easy to correct. :gw

Address the carbon issue by reducing the lighting, adding Excel and carefully, gently, slowly, incrementally raising the CO2.

The KH is your call; personally, I think it should be raised.

Biollante