[wantplantsnotwork]

Please excuse the placement, maybe I should have posted in the 'new to tank section', I hope it does not seem I am pestering..

I just got my 90, and I am gathering together the project.

I just went out today and bought another light to bring me a total of 240 watts of power compact lighting on my 90 gallon AGA tank. I am not against going CO2 now, and am strongly considering it. But if I dont, would this still fall into a low light tank, or is this enough to order the 'regular plants' instead of the low light assortment? I understand that CO2 accelerates the whole process, and things will be slower non CO2, a perfectly acceptable (to me!) outcome. I will have a pretty good stocking of fish, and hope that the majority (assuming non CO2) of the nutrients needed will come from that.

SO: will this level of light a) be an algae problem(non CO2?), and, b) allow me to try higher level plants other than those offered on the 'low light' assortments?

100% flourite
ehiem 2229 (simulated) wet/dry and a HOB

CO2? Does anyone run just a little CO2 so as not to be full throttle on the tank? Say 6ppm instead of the target 15-30? Also, how long would a 20 lb tank last on a 90 gallon tank? Weels? Months? Year?

I have a few test kits to order, PO4, maybe PO3. Should I order up some ferts right of the bat? I am thinking the soil pellets, but don't know what to order for the column. Flourish? It comes in so many flavors! (plain, N,P,K)

I have so many questions, thanks for reading this far! Is there a chart somewhere that helps the inexperianced with problems, i.e., yellow tips, look for this, holes in leaves, look for that. Kinda like the one for spark plugs when you pull them out of your cars?

And lastly, lets say you get it really cooking for a long time at optimum CO2 levels, and you run out of CO2 (is that 500 lbs on the gauge?). What happens if you can not get more for a few days? Crash?

If I do go CO2, it will be a full boat system that would have the regulator, solinoid, etc.

Thanks for any experianced advice!

 

[plantbrain]

That's a high light tank, 160w would be more than enough for a non CO2 method. Adding CO2 at 160 would help greatly, adding at higher light will certainly help even more.

In a non CO2 plant tank, the fish can generally supply enough nutrients for the plants. They add some soil or peat/mulm to get things started up, then the fish waste starts to feed the plants later.

When you add CO2, unless it's a low light/high fish load with good CO2(30ppm) you will need to dose.

Don't worry, dosing is easy, cheaper than sin and feeding fish is tougher/more of a chore.

A 90 gal with 240w:
1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 2-3x a week
1/2 teaspoon K2SO4 after water change
1/8" teaspoon 2-3x a week KH2PO4
2-3x a week 15-20mls of trace mix(Flourish etc).

Add KNO3/KH2PO4 on same day of the water change(right afterwards)
The following "off" day add the traces.

Weekly 50-60% water change with tap water.
Keep CO2 at 25-30ppm.

Repeat.

A 20 lb tank will last about 3 years on average, maybe a tad longer.
I get about 1 year's worth on 160 gal worth of tanks for a 10lb tank.

I'd not bother buying the test kits except for GH/KH and pH( a pH meter would be nicer).

If you run out of CO2, leave the lights off till you get more.
Or: use less light.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[wantplantsnotwork]

Tom, thanks. I have been reading your posts non stop!

So, with the amount of light I have available, (certainly easy to throttle back!) if I stay non CO2, would there be problems? I got a deal on the second light, the LFS is going belly up.

EDIT: I guess you answered that. Throttle back on the light if no CO2!

IOW, how does a high light, high bio load, no CO2 tank react?

The dosing can be managed if I do decide to inject....

I would have to train my better half for when I fly out of town.

Many thanks for your reply, and all the reading you have given us!

Peter

 

[wantplantsnotwork]

A 90 gal with 240w:
1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 2-3x a week
1/2 teaspoon K2SO4 after water change
1/8" teaspoon 2-3x a week KH2PO4
2-3x a week 15-20mls of trace mix(Flourish etc).

Add KNO3/KH2PO4 on same day of the water change(right afterwards)
The following "off" day add the traces.

Weekly 50-60% water change with tap water.
Keep CO2 at 25-30ppm.

Another newbe question: Where do you source KNO3? And the measurements are liqued or powder mixed in to a liqued? K2s04 pottasium sullfate from ?

Once I get going into a ritual, I should be grinning.

Thanks!

 

[whiskey]

You asked if anyone just injects a little co2, I have a tank that has 2 w/g over it and it is a tall tank. In this tank I keep co2 levels at about 8ppm, it does not need more, probably does not need it at all but it helps keep algae down.

In a high light tank you have to make sure algae does not grow, the way to do this is to have the plants out-compeate the algae for nutreants and light. If there is not enough co2 then the plants groth will be stunted and you open the door for algae. Same with ferts you want to keep a balance so the plants grow as fast as possable and make it impossable for lower forms of plant life (algae) to take over.

You can buy dry ferts for like $1 per pound and that is enough to last you like 1 year per fert, or you could get the flourish stuff and spend much more.

chucks planted AQ caculator will tell you how to mix the fert into a sulution and I reccomend you do that for ease and accuracy of dosing.

There are cheaper places, but you can buy dry ferts here
http://www.gregwatson.com/products.asp?cat=8

How to tell if you are lacking some minarals
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

To download the fert mixing sulution caculator
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_aquacalc.htm

Have fun, that is what this hobby is all about,
Whiskey