[dawntwister]

Where are you getting the clay? What is the brand?

Having that much lighting with PC you will be fine (548/130=4.2wpg).

It's cheaper using dry fertilizer's.

How did you come up with this formula? BTW the wpg rule was based on T12 light bulbs.

Do you have a good reflector to get the light to the bottom of the tank?

If you need ferts depends on how your plants grow and if you get algae. Have found best to look at algae as weeds in the garden, thus get good plant growth and you keep algae under control. So I think having a few fast grower plants like Egeria densa helps keep the algae under control. Egeria densa is a floating plant but can be put in the substrate.

Marsilea minuta is a low plant used for ground cover.

I have found to keep BBA under control I need to add KNO3, potassium nitrate, daily or add a diy Co2 system. Possibly because my water is very soft.

Info on ferts and cheep
Rex Grigg

Hoppy's diy Co2 experiment
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/78505-rfug-blast-past-diy.html

 

[dawntwister]

The clay substrate I'm getting is SMS Charcoal or Oil Dry, it's just fired clay and it's very cheap.

How about mixing it in with dirt, similar to the El Natural method, for it doesn't contain many nutrients?

Some use eggcrates, used under flouresant lights, to raise the substrate.
Google terraces
http://www.aquabotanic.com/dutchsecrets.htm

 

[dawntwister]

548 is the wattage per Psittac calculation.
130 is the gallon of the tank

I googled it but I don't understand it. I am a little rusty with formulas. Would give me a simple formula, please.

 

[dawntwister]

Sure no problem.

let's say you had a 20 gallon tank with 60 watts of lighting.
60watts/20gallons=3wpg

That is the wpg rule which I read is based on T12 bulbs.

What is the formula for the Psittac calculation?

 

[dawntwister]

I just got done putting 100lbs of substrate in and it's rather thick.

I have read it is best to keep the substrate about 1 in deep to avoid having an excess of H2S

Hydrogen sulfide( H2S)=EGG ODOR
It is present in all soils. It takes some oxygen to cure it. Bacteria will reduce the H2S if they have oxygen as a nutrient. Plants will release O2 into the soil to help this process. If you have a section of your aquarium that is prone to H2S then planting an emergent plant there should cure your problems. An emergent plant will have good O2 reserves and grow its roots quickly.

 

[dawntwister]

The above post is assuming they are the same bulb just one has a t12 diameter and the other having a t5

Oh, now I see he has 3 bulbs.:fish: I had googled Psittac formula and saw something with a formula.