planted tank questions

[runninwoof]

well i have a few question.
tank specs:
40g breeder
pressurized co2
78watts t5
rena xp2
i have algae problems with bba. i dose with dry ferts and im still tryin to find my balance. i use water from the tap, and my water has nitrates. im pretty well stocked with fish so my phosphates are always pretty high. i usually have about 10ppm nitrate.

1. should i just dose K, and maybe trace, but then again my tap has trace right?
2. i use H2O2 as algaecide. i use about 15mm each time about twice a week. is this too much or could i add more?

i tried to measure my CO2 lvl in my tank. my ph was 6.4 and KH 3.4. the chart says thats alot of co2. but i have alot of driftwoof in my tank, and also use water with a ph of 7.6 out of the tap. so i dont really know how to interpret.
1. drop checkers say they turn a color when there is "enough" co2 in the water. What is the lvl of co2 that it shows at the "enough" color? 10-20ppm?

gracias

 

[neilanh]

You said you dose dry ferts, but then ask if you should be dosing K and traces, so I'm a little confused..... What are you dosing?

In most tanks (99.9999999% anyway) you have to dose the whole realm of ferts. Nitrate, Phosphate, Potassium (K), and traces. It's crucial that you maintain your NPK ratio, or it will cause algae, and I'm going to guess this is what's causing your BBA.

In the NPK ratio, if you have plenty of P, but not enough N or K, the plants have no use for the P without the others. You can't drive a car without an engine and tires - it's kinda like that - you need it all in there for it to work.

Here's an article on algae that might prove useful for you.
Algae in the planted aquarium

 

[runninwoof]

i know that the NPK needs to be balanced but, i was wondering that if i have enough fish producing waste, would that take care of the P? without dosing nitrate i have 10 ppm so wouldnt that mean no dosing of N is needed? therefore would just dosing K and trace be that smart decision?

 

[neilanh]

The easy answer is to get a test kit for phosphates, then you'll know what you're dealing with.

My experience has shown that, for even a mildly successful planted tank, the waste produced by the fish isn't enough to keep up with the nitrAte demand of the plants. When I make my decisions on how much N to dose, I don't even consider the waste being produced into the equation, I base my dosages assuming there is none since there won't be enough to matter, IMO.

 

[runninwoof]

ok just tested my P. i have about 1-1.5 Phosphates. with 10ppm N.