Plants and algae in a new tank

cannibal

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Greetings!
I am from Croatia an I've been reading your forum for a long time and I think it's really great!
I have a cichlide aquarium but I also have a small tank (20 litres) with Hm; Riccia Fluitans, Anubias Nana and Vesicularia Dubyana. I dont' have a complete substrate but only gravel at the bottom, and I add 0,5 ml of EasyCarbo an 0,2 ml of Florena per day. In the past week I spotted GSA in the tank. Light is 11W, 6500K, 8 hours a day.
I'm looking for advise because I have read here about Tom's subject on NonCO2 tanks; should I change everything, add the soil for plants and then gravel? Can I add KNO3 and KH2PO4 with the soil without adding CO2, because of low light and short light period? What do you recommend, how many ppm of nutrients?
Tnx in advance,
Cannibal (Dario)
 

dutchy

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cannibal;54455 said:
Greetings!
I am from Croatia an I've been reading your forum for a long time and I think it's really great!
I have a cichlide aquarium but I also have a small tank (20 litres) with Hm; Riccia Fluitans, Anubias Nana and Vesicularia Dubyana. I dont' have a complete substrate but only gravel at the bottom, and I add 0,5 ml of EasyCarbo an 0,2 ml of Florena per day. In the past week I spotted GSA in the tank. Light is 11W, 6500K, 8 hours a day.
I'm looking for advise because I have read here about Tom's subject on NonCO2 tanks; should I change everything, add the soil for plants and then gravel? Can I add KNO3 and KH2PO4 with the soil without adding CO2, because of low light and short light period? What do you recommend, how many ppm of nutrients?
Tnx in advance,
Cannibal (Dario)

Hi Dario,

No, it's not required to use plant soil, you can have good results without it and CO2. With low light and a short light period it works perfect. since you're already adding Carbo and Florena, the only thing you have to do is to start to add KNO3 and KH2PO4. if you add enough KNO3 to get a 20 ppm level and KH2PO4 to a 3 to 4 ppm level, you will do great, and will also stop the GSA. Expect some weeks delay.
Did you read this?
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/433-Non-CO2-methods

regards,
dutchy
 

cannibal

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thanks ibanez, nice to see you here too..

dutchy, thanks for post, yes i was reading tom's article about non co2 methods..and i wondering, if will be ok to add kno3 and kh2po4 per day, for example 4 ppm kno3 and 0,4 ppm kh2po4 per day?
sorry for gramatics :D
 

dutchy

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Yes, it's possible. it's your choice to dose daily, however on a non CO2 tank it's perfectly ok to dose once per week. It's up to you. ;)

regards,
dutchy
 

cannibal

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ok, now i understand, i think :D

one more question (sorry)..i will go once per week, is it ok to add at once 20 ppm kno3 and 3 ppm of kh2po4 the day after i change water or same day i change water..
sorry for gramatics :)
regards.
dario
 

dutchy

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Better add it the same day after the water change. Keep in mind that your levels will rise according to what you add and the tank uses.

regards,
dutchy.
 

cannibal

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dutchy;54478 said:
. Keep in mind that your levels will rise according to what you add and the tank uses.

i read about that..here is my way in next 3 months http://wet.biggiantnerds.com/ei/con_v_time.pl , and i'm not understand what this mean?
can you please answer me, what's that mean?
i gues, in a period of fertilization, the precent of ppm will raise, or i have wrong..
not best gramatic, but i hope that you will understand what i'm asking ;)
dario
 

dutchy

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Adding continious levels of nutrition will result in a build up. That's why EI uses weekly 50% waterchanges as a guideline. This will prevent the build-up. With the result of the calculator you are referring to you can see how much build-up there will be, considering the amount of added nutrition, percentage of weekly waterchanges and amount of uptake by plants.

With 50% waterchanges the total amount of build-up will never be more than twice of what you're adding. Of course it will always be less, because the nutrients are being used by the plants. So you can see that your suggested 20 ppm NO3 will never exceed 40 ppm with 50% weekly waterchange, even if the plants don't use any of it.

Hope this helps.

regards,
dutchy
 

Tom Barr

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BTW, there are some sites that have translated versions of EI in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenija I believe.
I spent about 4 months when I was young in Dubrovink but traveled widely. Very different today....but seems to be getting much better.

http://www.mojbiljniakvarijum.org/forum/index.php

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

cannibal

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yes, ibanezfrelon takes some time to translate it to croatian..many people doesn't undrestand even today what and how to start with fertilization, even and i..because some poeple complicated about this, and make a science ..
btw. can i change my nickname to dario ?
dario !
 
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cannibal

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ok..yesterday i create a new setup..i put a plant soil in the bottom, and start using co2..light is 8 houres perd day, 11w (20 liters), i have kno3, kh2po4 and k2so4, but i'm still not adding it, because of plant soil, i will start with fertilization from about 2-3 weeks...i will add easy carbo and florena..now only patience and waiting what will happened..
dario
 

cannibal

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it's i again..
situation now is great, now algae at all, i using ei method fertilization, using diy co2, and adding easy carbo daily about 0,6 ml..
one qusteion please, as i said before, in aquarium is 20 liters water, light is 11 w, daily by 8 hours..everything is fine, plants are growing very well, but i see that is low light period, plants are still "open" when light is turned off..
one maybe stupid question, can i increase light by 9 or 10 houres per day? or i will have algae problem..stupid question, but still i asking..
thank you
dario!
 

dutchy

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It's ok to go to a longer photoperiod, go to 9 hours first and see what happens. If all is ok, you can go to 10 hours max. Keep in mind that more nutrition will be used.

regards,
dutchy
 

cannibal

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thank's dutchy for replying..
now i add twice on week 15 ppm kno3, 1,5 ppm kh2po4, 2,5 ml florena by sera..
on bottom i have plant soil (which also have many precent of macroelments and other).. i change water twice on a week 50%..
based on a week it's 30 ppm of kno3, 3 ppm kh2po4 and 5 ml florena..
i think that is enough for that light, or i have wrong and maybe increase dosing moacroelemnts..
sorry for gramatics
dario!