New Tank: Please Review My Plan

[aqualung]

Please look this over and tell me if I'm on the right track.

Starting a 30gal. 78W, pressurized CO2, Onyx Sand.

Plant heavily, get CO2 around 30ppm

Day 1: 1/2 teaspoon KNO3, 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4
Day 2: 10 ml CSM+B
Day 3: nothing
Day 4: 1/2 teaspoon KNO3, 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4
Day 5: 10 ml CSM+B
Day 6: nothing
Day 7: 1/2 teaspoon KNO3, 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4
Day 8: 10 ml CSM+B
Day 9: 50% water change

Repeat this cycle

Do I have that right? No test kits. Oh, and fish load:

4 Glo-Lite Tetras
4 Rummy-Nosed Tetras
5 Otocinclus
5 Pygmy Cories
1 Big, fat, happy Snowball Plecostomus who sh*ts alot

Oh, and a Via-Aqua canister, I forget which model, it's the smallest one.

Any and all advice is welcome!

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: New Tank: Please Review My Plan

Cut the fert dosing in 1/2 for all.

1/4 teaspoon of KNO3
1/16" KH2PO4
5mls of traces....

etc

Test your tap's GH and KH.
Make sure there's enough GH.

I'd chane the water weekly, that's an easier routine for most folks.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[aqualung]

Re: New Tank: Please Review My Plan

OK, then....

I cut the dosage in half...
water change on Day 7...

My well water is GH 6, KH 9


.... thanks for the advice.

 

[phineus]

Re: New Tank: Please Review My Plan

Aren't the recs for this 30 the same as for the 20 gal tank in the EI article? Is it due to the lower wattage of light? I have a 30, 98 watts, should it be somewhere in between? Thanks.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: New Tank: Please Review My Plan

Yes, that would be fine.

The whole notion is based on excesses and fair amount relative to a limiting conditions, this leaves a wide error margin in dosing routines.

It';s for folks that like to grow and garden and prune.
If you do not like that, then you switch to non CO2 methods or less light if those tanks are too intense.

Regards,
Tom Barr