Revitalising my tank, help with water parameters

[ThievingSix]

So I realised i've been neglecting my planted tank for a while, only doing one 50-70% water change every 2-3 weeks, my CO2 tank was slowly running out, the diffuser was clogged with algae. I got slack and wasn't adding any ferts. I was basically just growing algae. Had a spike of Blue-green algae which subsided on its own.

My water testing revealed

pH = 7.6
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 80+, it was a fairly dark red on the API scale, but not as dark as the highest.
Phosphate = 0.5ppm(maybe 1ppm, hard to tell on the API test kit)
kH = 4dkh
gH = 7dgh
CO2(using the table estimate) = 4mg/L

So yesterday I gravel vacced the substrate and removed a tonne of waste, cleaned 1 of my 2 filters completely. Did an 70% water change. Added 200ml of purigen to my filter. I purchased a new CO2 tank and a CO2 reactor and started running it. I scrapped down all the walls of algae and cleaned my plants a little(i seem to have a mix of blue green, green spot and black beard algae. No signs of brown algae, or any hair type algae. I also purchased a bunch of ferts and a dosing pump to automate that side of things.

This resulted in the following

pH = 7.4
Nitrate = ~20-30ppm(which makes sense because the 70% change reduced nitrates by almost exactly 70%)
kH = 3dkh
CO2 = 3mg/L(only started running the CO2 1 hr ago)
Crystal clear water!!!

I have a couple of questions

1. I never really mastered titrating the CO2, how do people do it? I started at 1 bubble per second, I was thinking of gradually increasing to 2/3 per second and watch pH and kH. Does this sound correct? Should i be running it 24/7 or only when the lights are on(which is what i'm doing now)?

2. How/when do i start dosing ferts. Im concerned dosing to much to quickly will cause my algae to grow again. Do i wait till CO2 levels rise, or dose them straight away?I bought the seachem range of NPK. I also have dry ferts which i neglected mixing up ages ago. What should i be aiming for with each of these ferts, do you guys dose to the appearance of plants, or to specific water levels.

3. What is everyones opinions on LED lights. My aquarium is probably 2 years old and i've never changed the T5 stock bulbs on my rio 240L, but i'm thinking of switching to LED's. Should i stick with bulbs or switch?

4. The most important question, HOW do i grow plants and not algae!!. Is Low co2 and high nitrates the culprit?

 

[splattered]

First let me say I wouldn't have done all that on the same day with fish in.I'd spread it out over a week. But anyway the method I use is the estimated index. The EI method is to dose high ferts, high light, and high co2 to start. Use the drop checker but any excess fertilizer is thrown out with your weekly WC so you can't burn them as long as you keep a rigid schedule.
I'm switching to led. It's amazing what they do. You can link them to your device with Bluetooth/android and it's all customizable. Never have to change a bulb. And if you really want you can make your own from led strips. It's literally like seeing your tank in hd with full spectrum I was blown away. Like seeing my tanks in a whole new light, right?

 

[splattered]

Plant heavy and once everything settles into your routine the algae won't be able to compete

 

[fishenthusiast]

So I realised i've been neglecting my planted tank for a while, only doing one 50-70% water change every 2-3 weeks, my CO2 tank was slowly running out, the diffuser was clogged with algae. I got slack and wasn't adding any ferts. I was basically just growing algae. Had a spike of Blue-green algae which subsided on its own.



My water testing revealed



pH = 7.6

Ammonia = 0

Nitrite = 0

Nitrate = 80+, it was a fairly dark red on the API scale, but not as dark as the highest.

Phosphate = 0.5ppm(maybe 1ppm, hard to tell on the API test kit)

kH = 4dkh

gH = 7dgh

CO2(using the table estimate) = 4mg/L



So yesterday I gravel vacced the substrate and removed a tonne of waste, cleaned 1 of my 2 filters completely. Did an 70% water change. Added 200ml of purigen to my filter. I purchased a new CO2 tank and a CO2 reactor and started running it. I scrapped down all the walls of algae and cleaned my plants a little(i seem to have a mix of blue green, green spot and black beard algae. No signs of brown algae, or any hair type algae. I also purchased a bunch of ferts and a dosing pump to automate that side of things.



This resulted in the following



pH = 7.4

Nitrate = ~20-30ppm(which makes sense because the 70% change reduced nitrates by almost exactly 70%)

kH = 3dkh

CO2 = 3mg/L(only started running the CO2 1 hr ago)

Crystal clear water!!!



I have a couple of questions



1. I never really mastered titrating the CO2, how do people do it? I started at 1 bubble per second, I was thinking of gradually increasing to 2/3 per second and watch pH and kH. Does this sound correct? Should i be running it 24/7 or only when the lights are on(which is what i'm doing now)?



2. How/when do i start dosing ferts. Im concerned dosing to much to quickly will cause my algae to grow again. Do i wait till CO2 levels rise, or dose them straight away?I bought the seachem range of NPK. I also have dry ferts which i neglected mixing up ages ago. What should i be aiming for with each of these ferts, do you guys dose to the appearance of plants, or to specific water levels.



3. What is everyones opinions on LED lights. My aquarium is probably 2 years old and i've never changed the T5 stock bulbs on my rio 240L, but i'm thinking of switching to LED's. Should i stick with bulbs or switch?



4. The most important question, HOW do i grow plants and not algae!!. Is Low co2 and high nitrates the culprit?

1. The best option would be to get a pH controller to hook up to your CO2 system. Run your pressurized CO2 1-2 hours before the light turns on, and have it turn off 1-2 hours before the lights turn off.

2. Fert dosing strongly depends on your lighting. Take a look at the following article: (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/introduction-fertilizing-planted-tank/). Aim for at least 1 ppm phosphate and 10 ppm nitrate. My tank runs on 10 ppm nitrate and 2 ppm phosphate, and there are no signs of algae (it is low light though). With higher lighting, green spot algae (GSA) can become an issue, so more phosphate may be needed in your case (5 ppm). I recommend PPS-Pro. It is more lean, and weekly 50% water changes usually aren't as necessary as it is the case with EI. You may have to adjust the formula to suit your tank. Some don't use nitrate, and some double their phosphate. Regardless, 30-50% weekly water changes are beneficial to a planted tank for removing waste and getting rid of accumulated nutrients.

3. I like LEDs. My Finnex Planted+ 24/7 comes with a dimmer, which allows me to better control the lighting level. When I ran a T5 HO light, I changed bulbs yearly. In the end, it is up to you. As long as the plants receive photons for photosynthesis and the CO2 and nutrients are in a balance with the lighting, the plants will grow. LEDs are generally more economical in the long run, but some swear by T5s.

4. I'd probably have to write a huge amount for this one, so I'm going to provide a couple videos. https://youtu.be/b3ZMlU0gv_c
https://youtu.be/wu8jqZMdK_w

It is all about balance. Lighting, CO2, and nutrients. Water changes and water flow are also important.