My tank is lacking something

[TammyLiz]

This is a good no-registration dosing calculator to get the ppm targets above: http://www.fishfriend.com/fertfriend.html

If you prefer an Excel spreadsheet, Zezmo's is linked in the fertilization sticky.

I know I'm not Purrbox, but new bulbs is a good idea.

I don't want to but words in anyones mouths or posts. Razz , but I believe what Purrbox is saying is that we should be using a more conservative number when converting to lumen output. Instead of using 1.5 we should be using 1.4. That 149% was based on two bulbs of the same brand and therefore not a true comparison of T-8's vs T-12's.

Only for clarity, almost all T-8 at 3-5ft length have fairly close lumens/watt ratings, and I am confident Ozz and others could increase the sample size with fairly close conversions. An exception to this is one sample from Busko's article with ~60lumens/watt. The difference between 1.4-1.5 watts T-12/watt T-8 is ignorable: all the math and contributions by our members still only provides a guess to effective lighting. It is notable/interesting however that the above conversions are comparable to other standards, such as Fitch's analysis of Amano's lighting.

"Equations are the Devil's sentences."

IMO/HTH

According to that calculator then, I need to overdose the flourish in order to get a high enough ppm? Is that right? Those numbers are terribly low.

And why is there so much chlorine in it?

I'm going to do some reading to see if I can figure this out for myself before I open the bottle, but if anyone has a quick answer let me know.

 

[Purrbox]

Flourish is a good trace fert, you'll just need to pick up something for Potassium now. The recommended dosing on the bottle is geared towards very conservative dosing in low light tanks, which is why the targets that we are recommending are quite a bit higher. This should also help to clarify why the Flourish ferts tend to get expensive so quickly, especially on larger tanks.

 

[czcz]

And why is there so much chlorine in it?

It's chloride, Cl-, a plant nutrient. Unlike chlorine, Cl, chloride doesn't hurt fish. I dose lots of chloride (from Potassium chloride, KCl, which is in Flourish) happily, fwiw.

This should also help to clarify why the Flourish ferts tend to get expensive so quickly, especially on larger tanks.

To continue this example, I bought 40lbs of KCl from Home Depot for under $20. I've given pounds of this stuff away over the past year and a half or so and still have around least 20lbs. I'm guessing I've used a couple pounds. $20 is, what, 3 Flourish Potassium bottles?

For clarity, with traces there's stuff like Iron chelators and multiple nutrients that make commercial products seem affordable. It could take a hobbyist very long to assemble all the individual micronutrients in something like Seachem Flourish; on the other hand, Nitrogen. Phosphorous, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium are relatively easy to get in most any neighborhood, or, if you want to save time, Greg Watson.

HTH

 

[TammyLiz]

So...easy to get in most any neighborhood, huh? That sounds good to me. What store would I get them from? I have a home depot near me and never even considered it for fertilizer other than the garden outside! $20 for each one would add up to too much at once, though.

 

[rkilling1]

FWIW, If you plan on dosing more ferts maybe you should think about getting the dry stuff from greg watson. IMO you will save alot of money that way. I purchased 1 pound of each:
Plantex CSM+B
Potassium Nitrate KN03
Monopotassium Phosphate KH2PO4
Potassium Sulfate K2S04

Plus two dosing bottles. With shipping included it was less then 35 dollars. That amout of fertilizers will last you for years.

 

[GlitcH]

FWIW, If you plan on dosing more ferts maybe you should think about getting the dry stuff from greg watson. IMO you will save alot of money that way. I purchased 1 pound of each:
Plantex CSM+B
Potassium Nitrate KN03
Monopotassium Phosphate KH2PO4
Potassium Sulfate K2S04

Plus two dosing bottles. With shipping included it was less then 35 dollars. That amout of fertilizers will last you for years.

I second that.........if you need ferts......Greg is the man.
My first order from him was an eye opener to how nice of a person he is to do business with.
Documented here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=77448&highlight=gregwatson+com

 

[czcz]

Also recommend gregwatson.com I apologize -- I did not see that your goal is a lower light tank. You do not need all the fertilizers I listed and instead should move forward with the recommendations from our members while disregarding most of mine.

You can find more info on local sources of KNO3, KH2PO4, and KCl here. MgSO4 can be found at any general store as Epsom Salt.