Need help with dosing schedule...

Carlos05

Junior Poster
Jan 1, 2008
7
0
1
College Station Tx
I've spent the past hour or so trying to come up with a more consistent dosing schedule and have come up with a plan. I was hoping I could get some input as to whether or not this is a good schedule to follow and what changes I can make.

A little information first: 75 gallon tank with small fish load but will increase over next couple of months; 4X54 Tek with Geismann bulbs and photoperiod is from 12pm-8pm with noon burst from 2:30pm-5:30pm; CO2 injected into a PVC reactor that is attached to one of the filter (as done by rex grigg) and is as high as possible without stressing fish**; 2 Eheim 2217 filters; and 1 koralia flow.

**I do have a drop checker but I am having problems with it can't seem to figure out why. I have some 4dKh water that I bought over a year ago and a Red Sea drop checker. However, when I mix the water and pH reagent, the color is already dark green. I figured it should be blue but no matter how many drops of any kind of pH reagent I add, it just gets darker green. Any ideas as to what this is about?

Water parameters are: GH - around 1dH; KH - 22-23 dH; pH 7.8 w/o CO2 and around 7.4 or so with CO2; high phosphate in water already.

I'm also dealing with some algae which its been an ongoing problem for months. I'm not sure what it is but I think its cladophora because its green, thin, and feels like a mat of hair when I take it out of the tank and is damn near impossible to kill but that's another problem that will be saved for another day...

Anyways, I've used the ferilator, chuck's calc, rex grigg's site, and a little research to come up with this schedule. Please tell me what you think and if there is anything I should change. I am expecting some plants tomorrow or saturday and would like to make sure these plants have the best situation possible. Thanks!