[hlx]

I got my first 3wpg, CO2 enriched tank up and running and have been very pleased so far. Shortly after adding a lot of plants, I started noticing pearling for the first time. A lot more exciting than pictures!

Not knowing really how much to dose of anything, I put in what should be about 10ppm N, .5ppm P, unknown ppm K, and "some" Flourish (not really into measuring). Since things are growing in and the tank is really still cycling (only 6 otos at this point), I figured all is subject to change.

My basic dosing thought was that as long as everything is pearling when I get home in the evening, there must be "enough" of everything. Is this naive?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[MiamiAG]

Harold,

Congratulations! Very exciting.

As plants settle in, I usually go light on the dosing. I then gradually ramp up to what is needed. You will find that in a high light/CO2 tank, things can go wrong very quickly. Therefore, it is important to be proactive.

What fertilizers are you using? Take the time now to calculate how much of each nutrient will get you to the recommended nutrient levels and consistently add them to the tank. Be religious about your large water changes in order to minimize toxicity issues.

Let us know how it is going.

Good luck!

 

[Steve Pituch]

10 ppm NO3. If you use KNO3 you don't have to worry about K.

.5 to 1 ppm PO4 is good

Flourish: 5ml per 20 gallons ( I think this will give you .1 to .2 ppm Fe per week)

do the above twice per week.

Do one 50% water change once per week just after cleaning the tank and just before adding the nutrients.

Steve Pituch

PS current thinking is to use 1 to 2 ppm Fe instead of .1 to .2 ppm Fe. If you use Plantex CSM+B instead of flourish you will be able to afford this. I got my CSM+B feom Greg Watson at
http://www.gregwatson.com/

 

[Laith]

...current thinking is to use 1 to 2 ppm Fe instead of .1 to .2 ppm Fe.

That's very interesting... can you point me to any articles/threads that explain this idea a bit more? thanks!

 

[Edward]

My basic dosing thought was that as long as everything is pearling when I get home in the evening, there must be "enough" of everything.

Not necessarily. Pearling occurs after water change and also when water gets saturated with O2. You may still have deficiency with pearling plants.

Edward