Not like I should no
Algae identification and advice
- Thread starter Potluck
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ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Macro nutrients:
KNO3 - Mainly for NO3, it adds some K. My low tech tank I target a 10ppm NO3 dose after each weekly water change. My high tech tank I target a 20ppm dose after each weekly water change.
KH2PO4 - Mainly for PO4, it adds some K. I target a 5ppm PO4 dose after each weekly water change in my high tech tank. 3ppm dose after a water change in my low tech tank.
K2SO4 (optionaly) - Mainly for K. Optional because if you use Seachem Equilibrium then you are getting enough K and do NOT need to supplement with K2SO4. I target a 23ppm dose after each weekly water change in my high tech tank. 10ppm dose after a weekly water change in my low tech tank.
Micro nutrients:
Because your pH is 7.4 I would strongly recommended either using Flourish Comprehensive, or CSM+B with additional Iron sources.
If you choose to use CSM+B, you may want to supplement Iron with either Flourish Iron (ferrous gluconate) or Iron Chelate 11% (DTPA). This is because the iron in CSM+B is only stable up to a pH of 6.5. From 6.5 - 7.5 DTPA iron is stable. Flourish Iron can be used with CSM+B to have an available iron source present with CSM+B. I would break the weekly dose into 7, and dose once per day. My high tech tank currently targets a 0.1ppm Fe dose from CSM+B once per day, after the pH has dropped to 6.6 - 6.7. My low tech tank gets a daily dose of CSM+B targeting 0.03ppm Fe. I will soon be adding additional Flourish Iron onto the tank and targeting 0.1ppm Fe daily, But I'm fairly sure there is a decent Iron level in my tap water to begin with.
For gH (if you choose to not use Seachem Equilibrium)
CaSO4- For Ca. I target 30 - 40 ppm Ca in my water.
MgSO4- For Mg. I target 10ppm in my water.
High or low tech.
The words in bold are the compounds to look into for dry ferts or fert supplements.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Doesn't need to be high tech, we can make any tank as complicated or uncomplicated as we want
I use thrive, why do you recommend watered down comprehensive? Just curious as my plant growth went from Null to boom by switching to thrive.
So all those in bold I would have to get dry and measure them out with the special spoons then mix in to RO water and add to the tank, I haven't had much time to research everything but I understand those are the dry ferts that I need to look Into right?
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Comprehensive is NOT an all in one fertilizer like Thrive is.
Comprehensive would be used for Micro nutrients ONLY. Thrive is for macro and micro nutrients.
Comprehensive has an Fe source that would be more available to your plants at your pH then what's in CSM+B.
So, N-P-K would come from KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4/Equilibrium and the Micros would come from comprehensive.
So, to target a 0.1ppm Fe daily dose, you would have to add 5.3ml per day to your tank, assuming 45 gallons actual water.
Or, you can use CSM+B and add 261 milligrams daily to reach 0.1ppm Fe. But, this Fe is not available to your plants, so you will have to supplement with DTPA 11% Iron or Flourish Iron and target 0.1ppm daily.
This is all a modified version of EI (you already perform 50% weekly water changes)
I would buy a $20 scale from amazon instead of measuring spoons. Way more accurate and practical than using spoons.
I had to cut back my Amazon a bunch while I was doing my water change I noticed there was a lot of holes in the leaves, I added 15 ml thrive 0.75 tablespoon of equilibrium, and a root tab by the Amazon, I swear this tank is more if a pain than it is enjoyable
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Potassium deficiency is my guess.
15ml Thrive will yield you:
12ppm NO3
2ppm PO4
8ppm K
Plus the K from Equilibrium. That should help. Watch the new growth, the old damaged plant growth will not heal.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yep, that's how you use that calculator. Looks like you're getting 13ppm K (that's good for now) 5ppm Ca (that's good, lets shoot for 10ppm) and 1.5ppm Mg (that's good, again lets shoot for 3-4ppm)
K ppm should match you NO3 levels. But for now + those root tabs your new leaves should look much healthier while the old leaves stay the same.
Just experimenting right now because I don't have my light siectrum /intensity set up right I don't think, plants stays low, my pearlweed should be 4"+ it's only growing sideways and rooting in that way, but growing sideways the wrong way [emoji23], i topped Ludwigia 3 months ago and it hasn't grown 1", wisteria should grow like weeds it grows slow, my water sprite didn't survive because of high phosphate.
Cannot log into the other account, waiting for Tapatalk to get back to me, even aquarium advice won't let me log in, my username is potluck, when I click forgot password thing I go to my email and the user is is p0tluck94, when I try to post as p0tluck94 it says "is this potluck if do log in @email (which is p0tluck94) lol so dumb, I've had that account since 2015, got a new phone so going to go back over to that, catch you soon
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
Build up of organic waste/ammonia ( clogged filters, over feeding, poor maintenance )."
Interesting, I do all of the above and have 0 algae.” and my plants grow too.
I don’t even dose....
Interesting, I do all of the above and have 0 algae.” and my plants grow too.
I don’t even dose....
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Yeah I don't know either which is why it's frustrated, tapatalk still hasn't fixed my account and I can't log into aquarium advice because it show my user name is p0tluck94 lol, you also have a walstad tank I thought? I have gravel only, maybe I'm not pushing the light hard enough which is not allowing the plants to grow fast enough to out compete the algae, no idea but it's driving me nuts.
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
Theres no soil. It’s not Walstad. Just no co2, ferts or water changes. It’s just super stable.
Ahh could of swore you went with a super thick multi layer substrate bed, no idea why mine isn't I don't over feed, I'm not over stocked, I do very thorough pwc's a week with plant trimming ever needed but the plants do not grow as fast as they should that's for sure
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
It’s just Eco complete. I guess our methods and ideas on how to keep an aquarium are vastly different.
Basically it all comes down to nutrient availability. You can dose whatever concentrations and ratios you like but due to oxidation and precipitation you will never truly know how much of any particular element is available at any one time chelated or not. In my experience, you end up a victim of your own dosing finding yourself having to increase amounts, trying different ratios and manufacturers of ferts until you stumble upon one that works for a while. For some people they manage to get this right. For a lot of people I know, very experienced aquascapers, they struggle, granted, they are not trying to grow run of the mill plants.
What I don't understand is I'm ocd about the tank, yes yours is different than mine as I dose you don't, I have to reset my parameters every week, I vac the surface of the substrate every week where I can get, the other places I use just the hose without the tube and swish around the top of the substrate to stir up the mulm and get a much as I can, can't do the gravel without the tube it sucks up the substrate lol, I've tried literally everything from light ferts, low light, med light, light at 100%, I always trim bad leaves, I don't over feed, my filters might be the issue as I added pre sponges because the filters were eating the plants but I'm not sure, but my filters are clean of organics I clean the sponges every 2 weeks in tank water, I added a 425 gph hydor wave maker for more flow, my parameters are perfect, granted my tank isn't full of fast growing plants which will keep the algae at bay but soon will be if I can figure out why the Wisteria grows slow, hopefully it was lack of ferts as I know it's not lack Of light UNLESS I'm running it to hard which is keeping everything low instead of reaching for the light, reason I say this is my pearl weed, it's not reaching, its staying low and spreading, Hopefully I don't have to dose this much ferts it will break the bank but I will go to dry just have to lean how to dose them.
This is the light intensity at the substrate as well as a newer Pic where its getting thicker
https://i.imgur.com/OsUgGir.jpg
