Hi All,
This is my first post to this site and I would appreciate some help with the amounts of dry ferts needed for a 60-gallon tank. I have some controversy with the folks at Ecoxotic regarding low PAR levels using their LED's. Here's some history.
Two years ago I contacted them asking for recommendations to create a high-level PAR aquarium. The tank is a 60-tall, which is, 24" high, 18" wide and 30" long. The LED's are retrofitted in a Custom Sealife hood. It contains 3 Panorama-2 units and 2 magenta stunner strips. Ecoxotic assured me this would be considered a very-high PAR level tank. Things went along swimmingly until I added Rotala Macrandra a few months ago.
R. Macrandra is the catalyst for upgrading to LED's. I waited patiently for my LFS to get in some really beautiful stems. During the wait I converted to using RO water knowing this planted preferred softer water. Finally, the shop received 2 stunning bunches of RM from a local hobbyist. I bought one bunch and the shop kept the other one in their display planted tank. This is when I noticed some problems with mine.
Their bunch kept the deep red while mine was turning green with the leaves beginning to crinkle up. They use RO water with about the same ratio of tap as I use. They use T5's versus LED's, they dose lightly with Seachem iron and I dose all the Seachem line heavily. Each week their's stayed red while mine continued to go green with crinkles. I then bought a PAR meter thinking light is the problem.
The PAR levels read only 25-30 just above the substrate. I realize PAR levels and what to do with them are still developing, but my reading is still considered very low. I wrote to Ecoxotic and relayed this story to them.
They were concerned/upset that I waited 2 years to let them know and asked for tank readings. I've been in the hobby over 50 years and waited for JUST the right bunch of stems. They felt the Seachem line did not provide the nutrients needed in the right levels and suggested I try EI dosing. So I ordered everything needed to begin.
I've seen a couple of the EI calculators here, but don't know what target range I need or want. Can you tell me doses using 1/16 tsp or other tsp measurements? Here are my tank readings.
TDS - 216
PAR - 25-30 at the substrate (tank is 24" tall)
pH - 6.8-7.0
GH - 7
KH - 6
Nitrate - 20-40, between that, it's hard to tell
Here are the dry ferts I've ordered: KNO3, KH2PO4, GH booster, Plantex CSM+B, Iron Chelate 10%.
Sorry for the long narrative and I appreciate any help and recommendations.
This is my first post to this site and I would appreciate some help with the amounts of dry ferts needed for a 60-gallon tank. I have some controversy with the folks at Ecoxotic regarding low PAR levels using their LED's. Here's some history.
Two years ago I contacted them asking for recommendations to create a high-level PAR aquarium. The tank is a 60-tall, which is, 24" high, 18" wide and 30" long. The LED's are retrofitted in a Custom Sealife hood. It contains 3 Panorama-2 units and 2 magenta stunner strips. Ecoxotic assured me this would be considered a very-high PAR level tank. Things went along swimmingly until I added Rotala Macrandra a few months ago.
R. Macrandra is the catalyst for upgrading to LED's. I waited patiently for my LFS to get in some really beautiful stems. During the wait I converted to using RO water knowing this planted preferred softer water. Finally, the shop received 2 stunning bunches of RM from a local hobbyist. I bought one bunch and the shop kept the other one in their display planted tank. This is when I noticed some problems with mine.
Their bunch kept the deep red while mine was turning green with the leaves beginning to crinkle up. They use RO water with about the same ratio of tap as I use. They use T5's versus LED's, they dose lightly with Seachem iron and I dose all the Seachem line heavily. Each week their's stayed red while mine continued to go green with crinkles. I then bought a PAR meter thinking light is the problem.
The PAR levels read only 25-30 just above the substrate. I realize PAR levels and what to do with them are still developing, but my reading is still considered very low. I wrote to Ecoxotic and relayed this story to them.
They were concerned/upset that I waited 2 years to let them know and asked for tank readings. I've been in the hobby over 50 years and waited for JUST the right bunch of stems. They felt the Seachem line did not provide the nutrients needed in the right levels and suggested I try EI dosing. So I ordered everything needed to begin.
I've seen a couple of the EI calculators here, but don't know what target range I need or want. Can you tell me doses using 1/16 tsp or other tsp measurements? Here are my tank readings.
TDS - 216
PAR - 25-30 at the substrate (tank is 24" tall)
pH - 6.8-7.0
GH - 7
KH - 6
Nitrate - 20-40, between that, it's hard to tell
Here are the dry ferts I've ordered: KNO3, KH2PO4, GH booster, Plantex CSM+B, Iron Chelate 10%.
Sorry for the long narrative and I appreciate any help and recommendations.
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