Water Quality-ferts

[samh]

Hey just wondering what is the best way to add extra iron on its own, Chelated iron 13% or ferrous gluconate?

Also, i'm expiriencing what looks to be a combination of either iron,calcium and/or potassium deficiency (cupped/twisted leaves and pin holes) in a couple of species mainly Ammania gracilis. I have excess phosphate way in excess of 10ppm which i'm slowly reducing. Would these deficiencies be caused by excess phosphate blocking other nutrients?

Last question, i'm using a ph controller at night co2 off ph sits a bit above 7. When it comes on in the morning 1 hr before lights it sits the ph down to 6.2, kh was 70ppm gh 60ppm is this ample co2 i can't seem to find the ph/kh chart anywhere. If there are any ways to improve this let me know.
Cheers
Sam

 

[ubr0ke]

Dose ferts according to the ei sticky in this forum. As well as gh booster on water change day.

As for iron either will work. Dtpa or edta are cheaper in the long run since they come in dry form.

If you are already dosing ei then its a co2 issue. I like to think 95% of planted tank problems are related to co2.

what type of light fixture?....

 

[Tom Barr]

Adding to what has been said, DTPA FE is likely a better option with the KH you have.
Sequestrene 330 is what we use in the USA typically. 2.2 kg bag will last you a few friends a lifetime.
I dope my Trace micronutrient mix at 1 part DTPA, 3 parts micronutrient mix, 2 part MgSO4(Epsom salt).

PO4 has nothing to do with it.
Well, it does influence the KH, which leads to poor CO2 determination.........
In otherwords, your KH is not 100% HCO3, or bicarbonate........which is the assumption of the pH/KH/CO2 chart.

The cupping and stunted tip growth is classic poor CO2, particularly on Ammannia.
It grows massive and fast otherwise. I've tested that plant species a lot over the years and dispelled 2-3 myths using that species.

I would dose and add ferts well............then focus mostly on CO2.
Slow incremental adjustments up till you hit a sweet spot.

Be careful and watch the fish, particularly the latter 1/2 of the lighting cycle. Turn off the CO2 at night, no need at all for CO2 gas at night for any reason.
pH controller can function and run during the lighting cycle only.

I'd drop the pH by 0.05pH units every 3-4 days and observe closely.
Look at plant responses closely.

Also, good to moderate current is required(adds O2) some make sure you have ample current, this will make dosign CO2 MUCH EASIER and less stress to fish. Respiration is BOTH O2 and CO2, not just CO2 and little current for O2 exchange.

I dose 5ppm of PO4 3x a week, or 15ppm a week.

I have no issues with ANY species. At 300+ species, I think it's safe to generalize

 

[samh]

Sorry what does dtpa and edta mean?

I know i had the co2 going well then it seems like something has changed. Like it was never enough. My drop checkers used to be green around6.4 now its more like 6.1 with absolutley no sign of fish stress, which probably was an obvious sign that something had changed.

It might have been a bad idea but i have been adding acid buffer to get my ph down to start around 7 when co2 is off. I'm thinking these are bad, do you know why? I also noticed that the 4 dkh solution inside the drop checkers is going clear no matter how much indicator i put in...

My co2 is diffused by a reactor and a rio 1000 diy needle wheel both controlled by the one controller. My flow is roughly 8-10x tank volume - 500l tank. I have 4x54w t5 globes Giesseman with reflectors at around 85cm - 3ft from substrate. The tank itself is 28" tall and 4ft long.

The problems all came about when i started messing with acid and alkaline buffers and trying to fix gh and kh into reasonable levels. So if i have wrecked the ph somehow and kh how do i fix it haha?

Cheers
Sam

 

[Crispino Ramos]

Sorry what does dtpa and edta mean?

Here's a link about EDTA - Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid.

http://www.highlightchemical.com/2h-ferric-ammonium.html