aqua_chem
Aquarium Advice Addict
Use your API test kit low range pH drops, not that stuff. For whatever reason, it really doesn't work well. My bottle (the same one you have) turned green when I added it to just the 4 dKH solution. YMMV
aqua_chem said:The 4 dKH should be fine, but instead of the solution that came with it, use 2-5 drops of the pH drops.
aqua_chem said:I'm wondering if your CO2 isn't as high as you think it is.... We'll see after the reconfigured drop checker is all equilibrated.
Hmm, nothing off the top of my head. Strong fundamentals (CO2 + light + ferts) is about the best advice I can offer.
aqua_chem said:You can also use the KH/pH/CO2 relationship as a rough estimate. Google it to find the specific chart. It's a useful rough estimate, but is not exact by any means.
aqua_chem said:Is the yellow in reference to sand in general? My substrate is a mix of flourite black and budget black sand, but I really doubt that substrate has much of a long term effect on most plants (heavy stem feeders excluded. A black background will also work.
As far as color goes, there are many unsubstantiated theories regarding bringing out reds, oranges, etc, but nothing concrete. I'm a big proponent of the the right spectrum of light and good ferts, with iron being a secondary factor, but some people swear by iron. I would recommend doing research and finding a theory that makes sense to you and follow that.
aqua_chem said:So when you say blue you mean 10000K or higher? You probably won't be getting much more PAR in that case.
Coralife bulbs are ok.
aqua_chem said:I always thought of 10000K as being white, lol. But that should be fine. 10000K bulbs and 6000K-ish bulbs put out similar par.