sorry for a long winded post , but the more info i give the better you can help me hopefully .
im trying planted for the 1st time . im running a 125 liter tank , with 2x24w t5s on for 6.5 hours, ada aquasoil amazonia and ei dosing . pressurised co2 via fire extinguisher . co2 comes on 2 hours before lights on , gos off i hour before lights out . (both on timers)
dosing regime is
macro mix t tsp potassium nitrate,4 tsp potassium phosphate,8 tsp magnesium sulphate , dissolved in 500ml dosing bottle . 25ml 3 times per week
micro 2ts chelated trace in 500ml dosing bottle 25ml 3 times per week
each are dosed on alternate days with rest day friday and 50% waterchange and macro dose saturday
my problem is with co2 . try as i might i just cant get it right . initially i was running an eheim 2213 with up inline atomiser on the outlet and a 1400lph circulation pump . everything started brilliantly . the 1st few weeks i had great plant growth and all was well . ....... then i started to get hair algae problems, melting plants etc . researched a little and all pointed to poor co2 . drop checkers were both yellow , so lots of co2 . figured it must be poor flow/circulation .
recently changed to a co2 reactor , powered by a 1200lph pump and into the tank via a full length spraybar on the rear wall of the tank . flow is good and strong . problems ive been having with the reactor is 1st the drop checker were barely dark green at lights on . i changed the timers so co2 comes on an hour earlier than before . even injected easilly 4 or 5 bps i am just about getting barely lime green drop checkers .have checked all joints for co2 leaks . plants are just not growing , blyxa has melted . only things doing well are the ludwigia repens and anubias nana .
really at my wits end and considering ditching pressurised co2 and going low tech instead , although i really dont want to give up .
please please help a desperate noob
im trying planted for the 1st time . im running a 125 liter tank , with 2x24w t5s on for 6.5 hours, ada aquasoil amazonia and ei dosing . pressurised co2 via fire extinguisher . co2 comes on 2 hours before lights on , gos off i hour before lights out . (both on timers)
dosing regime is
macro mix t tsp potassium nitrate,4 tsp potassium phosphate,8 tsp magnesium sulphate , dissolved in 500ml dosing bottle . 25ml 3 times per week
micro 2ts chelated trace in 500ml dosing bottle 25ml 3 times per week
each are dosed on alternate days with rest day friday and 50% waterchange and macro dose saturday
my problem is with co2 . try as i might i just cant get it right . initially i was running an eheim 2213 with up inline atomiser on the outlet and a 1400lph circulation pump . everything started brilliantly . the 1st few weeks i had great plant growth and all was well . ....... then i started to get hair algae problems, melting plants etc . researched a little and all pointed to poor co2 . drop checkers were both yellow , so lots of co2 . figured it must be poor flow/circulation .
recently changed to a co2 reactor , powered by a 1200lph pump and into the tank via a full length spraybar on the rear wall of the tank . flow is good and strong . problems ive been having with the reactor is 1st the drop checker were barely dark green at lights on . i changed the timers so co2 comes on an hour earlier than before . even injected easilly 4 or 5 bps i am just about getting barely lime green drop checkers .have checked all joints for co2 leaks . plants are just not growing , blyxa has melted . only things doing well are the ludwigia repens and anubias nana .
really at my wits end and considering ditching pressurised co2 and going low tech instead , although i really dont want to give up .
please please help a desperate noob
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