Osmocote in a pinch?

[pat w]

I'm in correspondence with someone who's going to be away for a few days (more than a week). An autodosing setup would be ideal but he's short on time and he wouldn't be able to validate the reliability of the system fully before he left.

Here's the question. Could Osmocote in a media bag floated in the tank for a short time be suficient to keep him out of trouble till he returned? If so I'd need some estimate on grams per gallon in the water column to match a PPS-Pro doseing scheme.

Pat

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

My suggestion is to do a large water change prior to leaving and dose for the entire week as well.

They can always reduce the light or shorten the photoperiod a bit to reduce demand....

 

[barbarossa4122]

I don't know for pps but, when I use Osmocote root tabs I use 5gr/square foot as Tom recommends. I guess he can try the media bag method. It can't hurt, imo.

 

[pat w]

Thanks Gerry ... If it were a week or less I'd be right with you but it'll be more like a week and a half. I'd be skidish of leaving for that long too.

Barb ... Yeah, and when he gets back all he has to do is toss the bag, do a water change, and go back on the normal schedule. May be a mute point; he got the pumps for a autodosing setup today but he leaves Friday.

Pat

 

[1077]

Thriving plant's should last a week or two without irreversible results. I like Gerry's suggestion.

 

[barbarossa4122]

Barb ... Yeah, and when he gets back all he has to do is toss the bag, do a water change, and go back on the normal schedule. May be a mute point; he got the pumps for a autodosing setup today but he leaves Friday.

Yeah, it will work. I will be gone this summer for 3 wks and I have a nice lady to take care of things for us including Louie The Cat. I have to leave her clear instructions how to care for the tanks. What worries me is that something will happen with the co2. Lol, chances are she'll make mistakes since she never did this before and doesn't have a clue about aquariums. Will see.