Road to Recovery, Thoughts and suggestions

[JDogg]

Before BBA

After the Bleach and Peroxide...

Yesterday...

TODAY

I know my camera moves from high to low pressure (sucks) but you get the idea...

 

[rich311k]

Nice. Looks like you are recovering nicely.

 

[rkilling1]

Hate to say it, but the tank looks better now then it did before.

The road is looking nicely. It's just going to take some time to fill in.

I am on the fence with that background. I saw it at petsmart and decided against it. I think a black or straight blue would look better.

 

[JDogg]

I saw it at petsmart and decided against it. I think a black or straight blue would look better.

yea i too have been thinking of changing it, plants are # priority now though.

#2 priority is to get back to working on getting 10 gallon nano up and running...

 

[WaterPond]

love the tank, hate the background(sorry to say, and no offence).

Great job with the new scape aswell, it looks amazing! It will fill in perfectly(hopefully).

Love the angles too. Great job, glad you and the tank are recovering nicely

 

[JDogg]

Love the angles too.

lol yea they hog ever picture... :?

 

[WaterPond]

is the one angel an altum?

 

[JDogg]

is the one angel an altum?

i do not think so... :? as far as i know he is just a common angel...

 

[WaterPond]

i did a little more research and no, not an altum, sorry, same markings though.

 

[JDogg]

i did a little more research and no, not an altum, sorry, same markings though.

yea, i think he is just a wild-form, both the wild common angels and the altums (cause they have not be captive breed into different colors) are silver with vertical stripes

 

[JDogg]

changed 2 of my DYI CO2 Bottles last night and had a growth spurt today!

 

[WaterPond]

wow, that looks amazing!

 

[rich311k]

Nice looking tank JDogg!!

 

[JDogg]

my one concern at this point is the green algae that is growing on the center piece of wood, and also on the wood on the left hand side with the java moss.

don't think it is cyno, doesn't look right...

Nitrate = 5.0 ppm
PO4 = 5.0 ppm

if i understand IE right, then i should be spot on, but that is more PO4 then i am comfortable with, so i think after my PWC tomorrow i will start dosing 1/4 as much PO4 and see if that has an effect. tap gives me 0.5ppm PO4 by its self...

 

[rich311k]

That 5 Nitrate could be just as easily 0 with the hobby grade kits we use. I would add more nitrate and not worry about the Phosphate. Bottoming out Nitrate is a sure way to get cyano. How much nitrate are you adding?

 

[rkilling1]

tank looks good JDogg, just be careful with the CO2. fluctuating levels can get you into trouble.

As always Rich is spot on.

 

[JDogg]

That 5 Nitrate could be just as easily 0 with the hobby grade kits we use. I would add more nitrate and not worry about the Phosphate. Bottoming out Nitrate is a sure way to get cyano. How much nitrate are you adding?

actually on second look it looks moe like 10+ ppm PO4

i currently dose dry ferts from greg watson...
2.25 tsp KNO3
0.5 tsp KH2PO4
0.75 tsp KSO4
divided into three dosing over the course of a week... this schedule was recommended to me, when i was fighting BBA, as the schedule Tom Barr recommends for my size tank (75 gal) though it was not recommended to me by tom himself and could easily be wrong :?

now the according to the EI calculator that Zezmo put together i should be dosing more along the lines of...

2.5 tsp KNO3
0.25 tsp KH2PO4
0.75 tsp KSO4

this should (with the 0.5ppm PO4 already in my water from PWC) give me...

28.2 ppm NO3
3.96 ppm PO4
27.3 ppm K

which dosing schedule would be better? or maybe a mix, do you think the extra .25 tsp NO3 will make a difference? along with the .25 less PO4? or is it all to minute a difference to worry about?

tank looks good JDogg, just be careful with the CO2. fluctuating levels can get you into trouble.

As always Rich is spot on.

still playing with DIY bottles but am averaging 60 ppm CO2 8)

 

[rich311k]

I would increase the N, 5 is too low and like I said before could easily be 0. If your phosphate is 10 I would back off. Excess will not cause harm but there is no reason to get carried away either. I would add the extra 1/4 tsp of nitrate and do maybe 3/4 of your current phosphate dose. Potassium can have a lot to do with P and N uptake maybe bump that a bit as well. Extra K will never cause you any problems. What level are you dosing the traces at?

 

[JDogg]

I would increase the N, 5 is too low and like I said before could easily be 0. If your phosphate is 10 I would back off. Excess will not cause harm but there is no reason to get carried away either. I would add the extra 1/4 tsp of nitrate and do maybe 3/4 of your current phosphate dose. Potassium can have a lot to do with P and N uptake maybe bump that a bit as well. Extra K will never cause you any problems.

can do

What level are you dosing the traces at?

dosing ~15 ml * 3 days a week (alternate then macro days) of a 10 tsp/500 ml H2O mix of CSM+B

 

[rich311k]

Traces look good. I think once that N comes up a bit you will be breaking out the weed whacker to keep things in check.