Low light fert needs

[23jim]

I have set up my 30 Gallon with Java fern, Anubias, and some Anacharis in a corner. I have just ordered a double bulb T5NO light from Corallife which gives me 42 watts total across my 36 inch long, 16 inch deep tank. This looks like it should be low to medium light set up.

My substrate is play sand about 1 inch deep. All my plants are rubberbanded to driftwood except the Anacharis.

I have a Penquin 350 which is rated for 70 gallons I believe, so I have lot of water movement and filtering going on.

I do plan to stock near 100% capacity according to AgAdvisor.com

What should I be doing for fertlilization, my Anabias has been in tank for long time but looks chlorotic (maybe due to the very low light 1 18 watt 24 inch bulb till now)? A liquid dosing of what? does the Anacharis need anything else?

Thanks

 

[23jim]

I forgot to add. I have high pH 7.5 and very hard water.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I forgot to add. I have high pH 7.5 and very hard water.

Once you get your lights, I suggest to start adding flourish comprehensive once a week, according to the directions of the label.
Then observe for a month to see if the plants improve and start to grow.

 

[23jim]

Will the carbon in my filters remove the flourish? I change 1 of the 2 every couple of weeks.

 

[Faile]

Is there any particular reason you are using activated carbon in your aquarium? Generally I'd only recommend using it to remove medication after treating for illness. The other benefits can be better met with water changes. If you cease using it, then you won't have to worry about the possibility of it removing nutrients that your plants need. There's a great deal of controversy as to whether or not it actually does or not.

 

[23jim]

The filters for my filters have it already in it. I could slit it open and remove I suppose. I should go with a Fluval or something, but I have 10 fillters left and have spent all my money on fish, so a new filter right now is not happening.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

IMO you don't need to dose ferts with plants like java fern and anubias. They can grow on their own without them.

As for AqAdvisor, it's a nice site and a play toy, but that's it. Only use is as a ballpark estimate, nothing to be taken that seriously.

 

[aqua_chem]

The anacharis might appreciate it, but if you're stocked that heavily, macros should be covered. Familiarize yourself with deficiencies so you can recognize problems early if you do need more of something.

The flourish micro mix (not sure what its called) would be good to dose periodically. And I recommend excel, which is always optional but not required.

 

[molly100a]

In all my tanks i added red clay to the substrate. Amazon Swords are heavy root feeders. I got a 5 lb block from the local art store, cut off several chunks the size of a quarter and pushed it into the substrate beneath each plant. It made a big differance since plants love iron which is in the red clay. Check out Auqatic Jungles, Dustin explains it.

 

[aqua_chem]

The thing about clay isn't that it contains iron, but that it has a high CEC, which allows it to sequester all nutrients from the eater column or local root tabs and present it to root feeding plants. Floramax, ecocomplete, and fluorite are all fired clay derivatives. The iron is an added bonus, but could also come from root tabs. Good root tabs will also be clay based, but will also have additional nutrients.

 

[jetajockey]

Not to mention that if you do add clay yourself make sure you get the right kind, polymer clay would be a bad idea to add to the tank.

 

[aqua_chem]

You could always buy good nutrient rich tabs. Rootmedic has quality products in this case.