filipem;25844 said:
ceg4048, Thank you again that is what I needed to know. I am just starting out with planted aquariums. I have been reading up on planted tanks and one thing that I have always seen on other forums are people saying that dosing too much ferts will cause algae. I was afraid of adding too much. If that is not the case then I will follow your instructions. If dosing full EI will not casue algae to grow then it makes sense to me to dose the full amount them scale back as you suggested. I never wanted to starve my plants I just did not want to feed the algae.
One question will adding ferts with no CO2 do any harm? Just wondering....
The lighting fixture I have does have reflectors and it's accually a 2x65W unit. I just never used the second ballast. I thought that it would have been too much light.
Yes, isn't it amazing how many people believe that nutrients cause algae? It seems reasonable on the surface but the reverse is true. If we understand at a fundamental level that algae is triggered only by NH4 + Light then we'll be liberated and will be empowered to make the right choices when it occurs.
The optical illusion is created because both nutrients and NH4 are often present in a tank. During tank startup, the NH4 production is unchecked because there is not enough well established bacterial colonies in the sediment or in the filter
to consume the NH4 production. If you turn all your lights on without keeping NH4 production in check you'll have an algae farm. During tank startup try to do as many water changes as possible a 3X per week 80% water change schedule for the first 6-8 weeks is not unreasonable as it directly reduces the NH4 concentration levels and removes algal spores directly from the water column.
After this time, as long as you are dosing adequately, as long as your CO2 is stable and as long as your filtration and flow rates are adequate the plants will be established and perhaps more importantly, the bacterial colonies in the sediment and filter will be established so that all three will remove NH4 from the tank.
Adding ferts without CO2 does no harm unless the lack of CO2 causes a deficiency under the lighting condition. CO2 and light have a direct relationship. Just like nutrient demand, the more light present, the more CO2 is required. So if you have too much light without supplementing CO2 the plants will suffer and algae will form. Once algae forms, well, of course they will feed on the nutrients present. Again, the illusion will be in effect as the algae would have been caused due to NH4 production as a result of CO2 starvation, however whatever algae that forms will immediately feed on nutrients present (so people blame the excess nutrients). If the water is nutrient rich the of course the algae will grow more quickly - but the nutrients were not the
cause. There are tanks with poor CO2, high lighting, low nutrients and massive algae. There are also tanks with high lighting, poor CO2, high nutrients and massive algae.
As hoppy suggested in another post, of course you can use the second bulb - but this must be accompanied by better flow, higher CO2 and higher dosing. Light is the throttle by which you control growth. CO2 and nutrients are the fuel by which that growth becomes possible. Keep the second bulb disabled for a few months until you have a better feel of dosing and CO2. When you can reliably control growth and keep algae at bay with one bulb then you can raise the stakes with the addition of the second bulb.
Cheers,
