What is best level for phosphate and Nitrate?

[Fish Heads]

I have been doing a workover of my child's preschool tank. I made the change over Thanksgiving holiday. 4 weeks ago.

It is having black growth (easy to clean off- silicon microbes?) along with green algae on my nana and java ferns . No BBA or hair algae at this point. Water is crystal clear. I keep the front and sides cleaned off. Getting some fuzzy algae on back glass but not excessive.

Can I expect the growth to clear up? I must use the chemicals that I have for a while until I get more donations to purchase other fertilizers. (Might make a CO2 reactor using yeast with the kids but nothing else) How are the phosphate and nitrate levels?

29 gallon
kept penqium bio-wheel hang on filter
replaced tank
replaced light: now have T-5's 6500K 18 watt + colormax 18 watt bulbs
replaced substrate with eco-complete
planted with wisteria, java ferns, cryps: beckettii, wendii, anubias nana, hygrophila polysperma sunset, and echinodorus tenellusm, water sprite

heavy bio-load with 4 rosy tetras, 2 cherry barbs, 1 rainbow shark, 5 amano shrimp, 3 panda cories, 2 ottos, a few MTS and pond snails but not many.

Dosing Excel every other day in hope to clear up algae along with Leaf Zone 2x per week. I also have Flourish and Flourish trace.

pH 7.6
KH 8
GH 5
Phospate 1.5 ?? Seacham kit
Nitrate at 50 ppm

Pygmy chain sword is not growing well (needs CO2?), anubias nana is covered with algae has put out a new leaf, the polysperma is not growing rapidly, wisteria is growing well, water sprite both floating and planted has very little growth. Crypts are doing well!!


What can you all tell me?

 

[JDogg]

1st if you have not done so remove the Bio-Wheel from the HOB filter....

2nd why not does excel everyday?

3rd Nitrates is kind of high...i like to keep mine around 30 ppm

4th you might want to look into picking up some Phosphate and get that level up to about 3 ppm, while you are at it you may want to pick up some potassium (seachem makes a flourish liquid for both K and PO4).

5th the chain swords would benefit from root tabs even with the eco-compleat (again i prefer the flourish tabs)

6th the Leaf zone and Flourish (compleat) as basically the same thing so you probabaly only need one of them... you are probabaly fine with the micro nutrients assuming you are getting at least 0.2 ppm Iron

 

[travis simonson]

My advice on low- to medium-light tanks would be to shoot for target levels of 15-25 ppm NO3 and .5-1.0 ppm PO4. Seachem makes the best affordable NO3 and PO4 test kits IMO. Also you may consider weekly or bi-weekly partial water changes to remove dissolved organic waste from your water column. I suggest 25-30% changes at least every other week. And don't forget to dechlorinate the fresh water. Water changes can be your best friend if you're having algae problems

 

[Purrbox]

I suspect that some of the problems you are experiencing with slow or poor plant growth, is too little light for those particular plants. Also no need to remove the biowheel, unless you start injecting CO2. They are particular good at agitating the water and returning it to ambient CO2 levels. This is good in a non CO2 injected tank, but very counter productive in CO2 injected tanks.

 

[travis simonson]

I suspect that some of the problems you are experiencing with slow or poor plant growth, is too little light for those particular plants. Also no need to remove the biowheel, unless you start injecting CO2. They are particular good at agitating the water and returning it to ambient CO2 levels. This is good in a non CO2 injected tank, but very counter productive in CO2 injected tanks.

Always dead on

 

[kaz]

xp3 would you guys recommend to point towards the surface to create waves or towards the middle? this questino is in regards of none co2 tank to keep co2 in the tank like you guys are saying to.

 

[7Enigma]

>0

In a non-injected tank I'd aim the spray bars towards the surface. As long as your plants and/or fish aren't blown around too much this will agitate the surface maximally (highest CO2 levels possible).

 

[Fish Heads]

O.K. So the general idea is do Excel every day; add additional Potassium, which I do have; this is a non-injected tank so far- I'll leave the bio-wheel on until I do go down that path.

Now I'm confused about the water changes. I have always done weekly or bi-weekly water changes on my own tanks but somewhere in this forum, someone was recommending no water changes in a non-injected tank????? Drastic CO2 level changes? I have forgotten.

This would bring down my nitrates but then I would need to suplement phosphate as well. The forum constantly mentions stump remover and the dry fert sources - for phosphate as well?

Funny thing about two weeks ago, my LFS, recommended reducing phosphates and nitrates and tried to sell me the pillows - I have long sense not listened to most of the LFS in my area that is why I am listening to you all.

Anyway to have a good looking planted tank without the maintenance besides going plastic? LOL

Thanks!!

 

[Purrbox]

Since you are dosing Excel, your tank is closer to a CO2 injected tank than one without CO2. Excel can't be gassed off like CO2, so you don't have the concerns with agitating the water's surface. However Excel does provide a carbon source (CO2 is another form of carbon) and thus higher fert dosing and more frequent water changes are necessary. Without the added carbon from either CO2 injection or Excel, then less frequent water changes would be a good idea.

For Phosphates you can get either Fleet Enima or KH2PO4 from GregWatson.

For a lower maintenance tank you would want to stick to medium to low light and not add supplemental carbon.

 

[Fish Heads]

Just dropped by the school this morning. BBA has arrived, thankfully most is on the driftwood where it won't be noticed.

Does that change any of the above information?

If I did want to go low maintenance, what conditions would need to be changed?

Thansk!!

 

[azn_fishy55]

You tank is around 1 wpg which is pretty low maintenance.You just need to keep your nitrates around the 15-25 ppm level and your phosphates around .5-1.0 ppm just as Travis as said.The plants you have are well suited to low light levels but I'm not sure about the Wisteria, Hygrophila polsperma "sunset". And I don't this the Echindorus tenellus can grow at that light level, it needs more.HTH

 

[Fish Heads]

Great!! Thanks!!