How much PO4

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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Hi all,

My test kit tells me that i have 0ppm PO4,
What should i dose and how much for a 125ltr planted tank?

Thanks :)
 

Philosophos

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2.15mg/L of KH2PO4 should achieve 1.5ppm PO4 in a tank. I dose this quantity over a week, 1/3 at a time.

What kind of dosing system are you using? Do you have a method worked out to keep your nutrients under control yet?

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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i have about 12.5 ppm nitrates going up to 25ppm by the time i do a water change,

I do a 40% water change weekly

I have CO2 added via 2 pollen glass diffusers.

I dose Tropica Aquacare, Plant Nutrition once a week after water change.

I am Dosing Flourish Excel at the mo to try and kill off some BBA.:mad:

Should i change anything?
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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Is this correct?

"KH2PO4 – Mono Potassium phosphate: Provides Phosphates (P) and Potassium (K) for feeding aquatic plants.

To make a typical stock solution add 15g of dry KH2PO4 to 500ml of RO or distilled water and then add 5ml of this per 100L of tank. Dose 3 times a week.

This will give you 1ppm (1mg/l)."
 

Philosophos

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TPN (Tropica Plant Nutrition) is more of a micronutrient than anything. I'm really wondering where that NO3 is coming from given that it doesn't contain any. Do you feed a lot by chance?

If you have a camera, a picture of your tank would be helpful to start.

How much light are you running, what type of fixture, and for how long?

You can read the main article on EI if you like

For NPK, Ca and Mg, try Equilibrium if you don't feel like mixing ferts up. I believe it's 1g/gal/wk to dose for EI.

Your CO2 almost definitely needs to go higher.

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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I have a Juwel rio running two T5 tubes for 10 hours, then a low powered blue led night light for 2 hours.

I have it heavily stocked with fish and feed well. This will account for the Nitrate. I think

My Co2 comes on before my lights and goes off at the same time. I think i have enough, i can't count the bubbles it's that fast. my drop checker is always light green, nearly yellow. and i use two circulation pumps to help those little bubbles.
 

Philosophos

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Dose both at the same time.

Try to hold off on the feeding a bit, decrease your stock, or pack out the plant density more if the nitrates start to climb up above 60ppm with fertilizer. I can't imagine how much fish and food it would take to hit those levels of NO3 before fertilizers. What's your stock list look like?

When you say that your drop checker is yellow/near green, is this with deionized water, or with 4kh solution? If it's deionized water, even having it look like lemonade all day isn't going to mean you've got enough.

What's the wattage on the lighting?

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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My Stock list

Fish

1 Dwarf anchor cat fish
3 Cori's
1 Clown loach
1 Red tailed black shark
4 Otto's
8 Rosy tetra's
4 Phantom tetra's
4 Neon tetra's
9 Armano shrimp
4 Cherry shrimp
5 SAE
2 Assasin snails


Plants

1 Hygrophilla polysmirma
1 Echinodorus red special
6 Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
3 Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow'
3 Echinodorus osiris
3 Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger'
1 Limnophila aquatica
1 i don't know, it is only small, i nearly killed it, but it is coming back now, i think it is Pogostemon helferi
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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Philosophos;40436 said:
When you say that your drop checker is yellow/near green, is this with deionized water, or with 4kh solution?

-Philosophos


With 4kh solution i think, i get it from my LFS
 

Philosophos

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That's not enough fish to justify 25ppm NO3. Test your tap water, unless it's very high for some obscure reason, you're probably feeding too much. Heavy feeding will result in high levels of NH4, which in turn will encourage algae. It's not much good for your fish either.

Most of the food should be gone in a couple of minutes, with perhaps the odd scrap laying around after (usually algae wafer more than anything). My fiance handles the feedings and does it this way; she only feeds once a day, 4-5 days a week.

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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ahh!

i use RO water for my water changes.

I will cut back on the feeding.

thanks for all the advice :D
 

Philosophos

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If it's 4kh and you've pushed fish to gasping then scaled back, you're probably high enough on CO2. Your lighting, from what I've pieced together, is 2x39w T5HO. That's not too bad with high CO2. Maybe it's the NH4 or other nutrients.

RO for water changes is what I used to do, with the odd bit of tap to help the micros along. It works well for bad tap water, a 50/50 blend solves most things, but I know how it gets with obsessing over variable control.

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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To be honest ive steered away from tap water, because of the chlorine content, i know you can add de-chlorinator, but i thought as ive gone to the expense of adding an RO unit in my kitchen, may as well use it:)

I will do a water change this weekend, and i will get some equrilibrium and start to dose as instructed.

I will sneak a 1/4 turn on the CO2 just for good measure. :D
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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Ok i can't get equalibrium from LFS. They do have Tropica + it is the same as the one i'm using but also with N and P.

Would this be ok?

I know i sould make my own with powders, but i dont feel confident.

thanks Guys
 

Gbark

Guru Class Expert
Jun 15, 2009
266
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Philosophos;40431 said:
TPN (Tropica Plant Nutrition) is more of a micronutrient than anything. I'm really wondering where that NO3 is coming from given that it doesn't contain any. Do you feed a lot by chance?

If you have a camera, a picture of your tank would be helpful to start.

How much light are you running, what type of fixture, and for how long?

You can read the main article on EI if you like

For NPK, Ca and Mg, try Equilibrium if you don't feel like mixing ferts up. I believe it's 1g/gal/wk to dose for EI.

Your CO2 almost definitely needs to go higher.

-Philosophos


Is this seachem Equilibrium?
 

Philosophos

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Ya, it's Equilibrium by Seachem. It's the sort of thing I recommend to anyone who doesn't want to go through mixing their own. If you have to order it, you might as well go with aquariumfertilizers.com and spend some time before it arrives figuring out how to dry dose. If you feel confident in the future, switching to liquid is always nice.

-Philosophos
 

Gbark

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Jun 15, 2009
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i have looked at the EI thread again, and i understand that i have to dose a non limiting nutrient level.

I'm not sure how to go about it. i don't really want to make my own solutions up unless i have to.

Is tropica + ok to use and it says to only dose weekly, but i am under the impression that you should dose every other day to keep levels stable. if this is the case, is it as simple as divide the weekly dose by 4
 

Philosophos

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Looks like you asked the same question here. I replied on your other thread, since I happened to read it first.

-Philosophos