fish_4_all
Aquarium Advice Addict
The basics as I have learned them.
This is what I have learned over the past months after my relentless questions. A lot has also come from the posts about your planted tanks. I know it is a major generalization but I think it works. Please let me know what I need to change and maybe I can contribute an intelligent article to the forum. All errors will be corrected as they are pointed out so pick it apart so we can get this right.
First: planted tanks need light. 1.5 watts per gallon is the low with 3.5 watts per gallon about the top end for a fairly easily managed tank. Also remember, this is for normal output flourescents. Other lighting will have different penetration and watts per gallon calculations. I think the important thing is your substrate should look naturally lighted, not dull and colorless nor bright and reflecting light. I think the best approach to lighting is to make sure you have a wide range of K, CRI, lumens, and other factor to make sure all the plants are getting the light specturm they need to be healthy. It will also ensure a wider spectrum, a wide range of CRI, K and lumens and hopefully provide a more natural looking lighted tank. And in the end, hoefully we will also get much healthier plants. That being said, if you have a fixture that can take 2 or more bulbs, make them all different or at least 2 of 2 different kind if you have a 4 slot fixture. By doing so you are getting the most with the least effort and covering a wide range of all the numbers, whatever true value they actually have. One more thing to add to this if there wasn't already enough. Reflectors need to be bright, preferably metal or a reflective metal tape, and need to contain the light to the tank top. Any light that escapes can greatly affect the amount of light that is actually getting into the tank.
Second, once you go above 1.5 watts per gallon, you need to add CO2. Regardless of how it is done, it will benefit the plants and limit algae.
Third: it doesn't matter how many or few plants you have, your dosing may never be like someone else’s. The number of fish you have may require you to dose everything or it may require you to dose only micros. Testing and developing a schedule helps but always be ready to change the dosing and schedule.
Fourth: Water changes and the parameters of your tap water are vital. Many factors determine if you have to dose and how much depending on how much you already have. Tap water can and often does have some if not all of the following: Magnesium, potassium, phosphates, nitrates, iron, micros, and other nutrients. This could have a huge effect on amounts you need to dose or very little effect at all. Tap water can often be the cause of dosing causing headaches because you think the dose is right but your tap water already has much of what you have dosed.
Fifth: make sure you know what you are getting into depending on the plants you are getting. Hornwort and elodia grow like weeds and will quickly cover the top of a tank if given the chance. Red melon sword will get much too large for a small tank as will most swords unless you limit their root base like you would a bonsai planting. The less room the roots have to grow the smaller the plant "should" stay. The main point is every plant has it's own "niche" and putting them in the right places and getting the right plants to fill the need for your tank will serve you better than just guessing about a plant because it looks good. Stay away from plants that don't like to be moved unless you are sure where they need to be. Never use a plant that is not aquatic, it will rot and create an ugly mess. Remember, as plants change, your needs to dose fertilizers will also.
Sixth: NO3 - 20 ppm, PO4 - 2ppm, Mg - 5-10 ppm, Potassium - 20 ppm, Iron - .1-.3 ppm. The most important part, the numbers are just numbers. They can and often need to be adjusted to your tanks needs. Potassium and Magnesium are absolutely needed to help plants use phosphates and nitrates. Just make sure you only realy dose enough to keep your plants from showing defficiencies and struggling. There is no real information out there about overdosing Mg or potassium but too much is never a good thing. Also, you really can't measure potassium and too much Mg can affect your Gh. What problems this causes, I don't know but it can't be a good thing and some fish really don't like a high Gh. Often your tap water has enough Mg, other times it does not. One very important item to remember, your plants require water changes just as much as your fish do to be healthy. Do not get test strips or a cheap generic test kit. Liquid regent test kits from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or from Nutrafin are good kits. And remember to shake them if they say to shake them and do so with some vigor. Undermixed test kits can give low and inaccurate readings.
Key things to remember: If it works for someone else, don’t expect it to work for you. There are so many parameters that make a huge difference that setting up your tank according to someone else’s is not a good idea. I have a 10 gallon with 16 fish and never need to dose NO3 nor PO4 because the fish provide plenty. I also only have 1 red melon sword and 2 small java ferns. Someone with the exact number of fish in a tank with 3 swords, elodia, hornwort and other plants will need to dose a lot more than I do. There is no one type of fertilizer nor company that is going to work for everyone. Many times flourish excel will work and CO2 is not needed in some tanks where others who seem to have a similar setup have weak plants and algae problems with any flourish product. Some will find a customized dosing system with all the nutrients separate will work best for them and others will have awesome results from a premixed fertilizer with everything in one product. Patience will serve you better than all the advice in the world. You also have the freedom to try anything and everything that you think might work.
Here is one point you must never forget! You can try anything you want to and do pretty much anything you want to try to get your plants to grow but your fish come first. Do not exceed the limits of what it tolerable to your fish or they will suffer and worst case, you will have nothing but a planted tank.
Edit May 12, 2006: Another thing to remember, once you think you have everything under control, something will change. My change is now I can't keep up with my PO4 but my NO3 is getting too high. Just shows that you always need to stay on top of your tank no matter how long it has been running the same path. Your lighting might start to wear out without noticing it. A plant might stunt and throw off your nutrient uptake. A fish might get a little older and start to produce a large amount of waste throwing your numbers off. Depending on your substrate, there could come a time that the capacity of the substrate could be reached as far as dealing with waste and nutrients and cause some huge nutrient spikes. As said before, always stay up with your testing because once you stop you are setting yourself up for something to change and cause a problem that could have been prevented.
This is what I have learned over the past months after my relentless questions. A lot has also come from the posts about your planted tanks. I know it is a major generalization but I think it works. Please let me know what I need to change and maybe I can contribute an intelligent article to the forum. All errors will be corrected as they are pointed out so pick it apart so we can get this right.
First: planted tanks need light. 1.5 watts per gallon is the low with 3.5 watts per gallon about the top end for a fairly easily managed tank. Also remember, this is for normal output flourescents. Other lighting will have different penetration and watts per gallon calculations. I think the important thing is your substrate should look naturally lighted, not dull and colorless nor bright and reflecting light. I think the best approach to lighting is to make sure you have a wide range of K, CRI, lumens, and other factor to make sure all the plants are getting the light specturm they need to be healthy. It will also ensure a wider spectrum, a wide range of CRI, K and lumens and hopefully provide a more natural looking lighted tank. And in the end, hoefully we will also get much healthier plants. That being said, if you have a fixture that can take 2 or more bulbs, make them all different or at least 2 of 2 different kind if you have a 4 slot fixture. By doing so you are getting the most with the least effort and covering a wide range of all the numbers, whatever true value they actually have. One more thing to add to this if there wasn't already enough. Reflectors need to be bright, preferably metal or a reflective metal tape, and need to contain the light to the tank top. Any light that escapes can greatly affect the amount of light that is actually getting into the tank.
Second, once you go above 1.5 watts per gallon, you need to add CO2. Regardless of how it is done, it will benefit the plants and limit algae.
Third: it doesn't matter how many or few plants you have, your dosing may never be like someone else’s. The number of fish you have may require you to dose everything or it may require you to dose only micros. Testing and developing a schedule helps but always be ready to change the dosing and schedule.
Fourth: Water changes and the parameters of your tap water are vital. Many factors determine if you have to dose and how much depending on how much you already have. Tap water can and often does have some if not all of the following: Magnesium, potassium, phosphates, nitrates, iron, micros, and other nutrients. This could have a huge effect on amounts you need to dose or very little effect at all. Tap water can often be the cause of dosing causing headaches because you think the dose is right but your tap water already has much of what you have dosed.
Fifth: make sure you know what you are getting into depending on the plants you are getting. Hornwort and elodia grow like weeds and will quickly cover the top of a tank if given the chance. Red melon sword will get much too large for a small tank as will most swords unless you limit their root base like you would a bonsai planting. The less room the roots have to grow the smaller the plant "should" stay. The main point is every plant has it's own "niche" and putting them in the right places and getting the right plants to fill the need for your tank will serve you better than just guessing about a plant because it looks good. Stay away from plants that don't like to be moved unless you are sure where they need to be. Never use a plant that is not aquatic, it will rot and create an ugly mess. Remember, as plants change, your needs to dose fertilizers will also.
Sixth: NO3 - 20 ppm, PO4 - 2ppm, Mg - 5-10 ppm, Potassium - 20 ppm, Iron - .1-.3 ppm. The most important part, the numbers are just numbers. They can and often need to be adjusted to your tanks needs. Potassium and Magnesium are absolutely needed to help plants use phosphates and nitrates. Just make sure you only realy dose enough to keep your plants from showing defficiencies and struggling. There is no real information out there about overdosing Mg or potassium but too much is never a good thing. Also, you really can't measure potassium and too much Mg can affect your Gh. What problems this causes, I don't know but it can't be a good thing and some fish really don't like a high Gh. Often your tap water has enough Mg, other times it does not. One very important item to remember, your plants require water changes just as much as your fish do to be healthy. Do not get test strips or a cheap generic test kit. Liquid regent test kits from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or from Nutrafin are good kits. And remember to shake them if they say to shake them and do so with some vigor. Undermixed test kits can give low and inaccurate readings.
Key things to remember: If it works for someone else, don’t expect it to work for you. There are so many parameters that make a huge difference that setting up your tank according to someone else’s is not a good idea. I have a 10 gallon with 16 fish and never need to dose NO3 nor PO4 because the fish provide plenty. I also only have 1 red melon sword and 2 small java ferns. Someone with the exact number of fish in a tank with 3 swords, elodia, hornwort and other plants will need to dose a lot more than I do. There is no one type of fertilizer nor company that is going to work for everyone. Many times flourish excel will work and CO2 is not needed in some tanks where others who seem to have a similar setup have weak plants and algae problems with any flourish product. Some will find a customized dosing system with all the nutrients separate will work best for them and others will have awesome results from a premixed fertilizer with everything in one product. Patience will serve you better than all the advice in the world. You also have the freedom to try anything and everything that you think might work.
Here is one point you must never forget! You can try anything you want to and do pretty much anything you want to try to get your plants to grow but your fish come first. Do not exceed the limits of what it tolerable to your fish or they will suffer and worst case, you will have nothing but a planted tank.
Edit May 12, 2006: Another thing to remember, once you think you have everything under control, something will change. My change is now I can't keep up with my PO4 but my NO3 is getting too high. Just shows that you always need to stay on top of your tank no matter how long it has been running the same path. Your lighting might start to wear out without noticing it. A plant might stunt and throw off your nutrient uptake. A fish might get a little older and start to produce a large amount of waste throwing your numbers off. Depending on your substrate, there could come a time that the capacity of the substrate could be reached as far as dealing with waste and nutrients and cause some huge nutrient spikes. As said before, always stay up with your testing because once you stop you are setting yourself up for something to change and cause a problem that could have been prevented.
Especially if they were all nocturnal and liked to hide in the substrate. 
