Planted tank stats - we're up and running!

[Punkymom]

Ok, stats of the tank are:

20 Long
130 watts
AquaClear filter for 20 gal
Red Sea CO2 system

Occupants:
4 Leopard Cories (black band over eye)
5 Von Rio Tetras
1 Dwarf Flame Gourami

Plants:
Straight Vallisneria
Wendt's Cryptocoryne
Dwarf Sagittaria
Ludwigia
Anacharis
Cabomba
Java Fern
A couple other cryptocorynes and a couple others I'm not sure the names of. I dosed with iron and potassium once since all the plants have been in there. I'm not sure how often to do this, so any suggestions in that area? Also, I have the filter on the lowest setting to keep the CO2 from dispersing out of the aquarium too quickly. The water on the opposite side of the tank is almost still. Also, this is an open topped tank with the light on legs. Any advice so far? There is also flourite in the gravel. I have not added any fertilizer. I cycled with Bio-Spira.

 

[medge00]

when did you set up, today? if yes, hold off on your ferts for 2 weeks or so... also, with that much light, you may run into a little algae. try to keep your co2 levels up... check out the planted tank sticky and www.rexgrigg.com for fert levels... what trace fertilizer do you have? what are your co2/ph/kh/nitrate levels? how are you loving your planted tank?! fun, huh? do you have pics?

 

[Punkymom]

I've had it up and running completely since Sat. I set the tank up and got it running a few days before that, though. I cycled with Bio Spira and my levels last time I tested were 5 for Nitrates. I consider this normal. I'm already seeing some new growth even though I haven't gotten the timers for the lights and CO2 system yet so they aren't running 12 hours yet. Fish are loving it. I have the Secham trace elements I think...I'll have to get back to you on the other levels.

 

[malkore]

First off, SeaChem Flourish Trace is a waste of money. it's nothing more than very hard spring water...and with over 6wpg, it's not even a drop in the bucket. You'll need to use regular Flourish plant fert as a trace dose as it is...and I hope you have potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate/chloride, and some form of phosphorus on hand...or this will get very messy.

Even with all those on hand, this tank is going to be a monster to maintain. You may very likely have to dose macros every day just to keep up.

 

[travis simonson]

Ahhhh, very nice set up I love bright lights and CO2 but you may have to go through some headaches before you find the balance point. Your best bet is to keep CO2 levels way up (25-30 ppm) with that much light, and get your macronutrient levels (nitrates, phosphates, potassium) balanced out. I recommend trying to maintain 10-15 ppm nitrates, 1 ppm phosphates, and anywhere from 10-20 ppm potassium. You'll need a good nutrient calculator to help. This one works great:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/download/aquacalc_setup.exe

I would recommend ordering dry fertilizers from www.gregwatson.com and mixing them yourself because Seachem will cost you an arm and a leg over the long run. You'll also need a good micronutrient/trace fertilizer. Greg Watson sells CSM+B by the pound and it works very well. And if all this seems confusing I would recommend studying up on fertilization because Malkore is right, your tank is going to be a challenge to keep balanced with that much light, but it sure sounds fun

 

[Punkymom]

Wow this is my biggest challenge yet as far as aquariums go...but of my 3 tanks, this one is my favorite. I love watching the fish and looking at the plants...I almost like the plants more than the fish...thanks for the advise...all is appreciated. Do you think I'd be better off with only having one of the bulbs on for a while until I get some growth? Or should I just let it go full throttle?

 

[Punkymom]

Oh, um...I don't know how to test for all these things you guys are talking about...where can I find a good test kit?

 

[malkore]

All you really need is a freshwater master test kit, a nitrate kit (if its not included in the master kit) and a phosphate kit. I only trust SeaChem's phosphate kit...it'll run about $10 online at drsfostersmith.com

I'd run both bulbs, and use this ph/Kh chart to see what your CO2 levels are at.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm (its also a really good article about how CO2 affects your water chemistry)

 

[BeerBotia]

You'll need a few test kits from what I've researched so far. Admittedly, I'm a plant newbie, but this is what I've picked up so far:

NO3
PO4
pH
kH
GH

You need kH and pH to determine CO2. GH is nice to know, but kH is more important. High PO4 seems to encourage algae, NO3 is needed by the plants.

Hopefully some more experienced ppl can explain more.

Good Luck!

 

[medge00]

do you have to run both bulbs? can you run one for the entire photo period and the 2nd one for a say, 3 hr. chunk in the middle? just a thought

 

[Punkymom]

what does that CSM+B have in it? Do I need it in addition to the Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Sulfate, Calcium Chloride (is this the right one?), and Mono Potassium Phosphate?

 

[malkore]

CSM+B is your trace nutrient mix - copper, a little iron, boron, molybdemum. You can find a full list of ingredient on teh web, and I think at gregwatson.com even

 

[sawallace]

High PO4 seems to encourage algae

As far as I know, this is a myth, nutrient imbalances and Ammonia are probable causes for algae. You're more likely to run into trouble if your levels are too low, rather than a little high. (luxury uptake) With >6WPG you're more likely to fall into this category.

CO2, PO4, NO3, K are all needed for plants, as well as traces such as Mg, Ca, and Fe (to name a few). As far as i can tell, most people only test for NO3, PO4, pH and kH. I personally test for N03, PO4, pH, Gh, Kh, and Ca. Traces and K are the only unknowns.

 

[Punkymom]

Do they sell a test for calcium? Or if they don't, how do you test for it? Lost one tetra yesterday...took him out and tested the water as soon as I got him out. Everything is fine so far. I made my order out to that place that sells the dry stuff...it's shipping today. Also ordered the phosphate kit. I'm thinking about setting this thing up in my 30. It's currently home to goldfish, but I was thinking I might have better luck this way. What do you think?

 

[Punkymom]

Ok. Levels are as follows:

pH 7.0
KH 5 degrees 89 ppm
CO2 15 ppm

Is this good? What can I do differently?

 

[sawallace]

There are tests for Calcium, I use Hagen. There is a different method (slightly) to test ca for freshwater. Your substrate/tap may have enough and you may not need to dose Ca though. I mentioned it because some people use RO/DI water and have to add Ca.

The only thing that needs improvement (from what information you supplied) is your CO2 level. It should be 25-30 ppm. Strive for 30ppm. Adjust it slowly, test the next day, make adjustments as necessary.

KH just needs to be above 3dKH with CO2 injection.

pH is not that important, it will end up lower with more CO2

NO3 and PO4 are others that you should test for at the very least.

 

[Punkymom]

How do I increase the CO2 levels if the little machine thingy is running full blast? Put a stronger power head on it?

 

[Punkymom]

Do I need Magnesium Sulfate as well? I got my stuff in the mail today. This is what I got: CSM+B, Potassium Nitrate, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sulfate, and Mono Potassium Phosphate. Anything else I need? I also got my Phosphate test kit. Also, how do I mix these?

 

[travis simonson]

You can use Chuck's calculator to figure mixing amounts if you want to make solutions, but it is easy enough to dry dose the fertilizers too. The calculator will help you figure the amounts to dry dose as well, just make sure to check the button that says: 'Add dry compound directly to tank' when calculating dry dosages. And hopefully you won't do what I did and get teaspoons and tablespoons mixed up - that was a bad one :x I dose potassium nitrate (KNO3), potassium sulfate (K2SO4), and monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) together, every other day - enough to keep my NO3 levels at 10-15 ppm, and PO4 levels at .5-1.0 ppm. Potassium levels are a little trickier to measure. There is no reliable test kit made for K. The consensus seems to be that you want levels to be between 10 and 20 ppm. KNO3 provides quite a bit of potassium so you may not need to dose much K2SO4 at all, if any. I would add enough to your tank once per week to give 10 ppm and call it good. It really isn't nearly as important as NO3 or PO4. If you notice pinhole damage to older leaves you might want to increase dosing of K2SO4, but it's not something I would really worry about right now. Malkore's got more experience with potassium dosing than I do so he may have more to add.

On the days I don't dose KNO3 and KH2PO4 I dose trace elements. I make a trace mix using 500 ml of water, 1 tablespoon CSM+B and 1 tablespoon Magnesium sulfate. I dose 5 ml of this solution for every 20 gallons of tank water. You may need more or less, just keep an eye on plants like Anubias or Wisteria and watch for any yellowing of the leaves. If you see yellowing, increase trace dosing little by little until it goes away.

As far as the calcium chloride goes, I don't use it as I harden my water with sodium bicarbonate, but if you've got soft water it will work to bring your hardness up. I don't want to comment on that one because I don't have any experience using it.

And once a week do a 50-70% water change to 'reset' nutrient levels. I know it's sort of a pain, but if you follow these basic guidelines you will have much better luck in the battle against algae. Hope this helps