2
Here's my p04 2.8-3+ depending on angle light I look at it from
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Green hair, bga and staghorn 
2
I have bga, green hair and staghorn, I don't know what's going on so I'm going to ask a few questions as I've exhausted everything else that's been recommended for me to try, increasing ferts, lowing ferts, lowering light, adding more plants, heavy gravel Vacs, light gravel Vacs etc etc.
1.) could me running my light so low on intensity for a short photo period be causing this? Or maybe color spectrum In the light itself? Reason I ask about spectrum is on the preset for planted in my fluval 3.0, blue is at 20% I have my custom running 35% blue, all other values in planted are almost maxed mine is all 55% with blue and cool white at 35 all. Other color spectrums are 45-55.
2.) I know i don't have a good flow pattern and I know i still have gravel dust in the tank from my gravel not rinsing all the way, would adding a powerhead help I have 2 aquaclear hob's so a powerhead would cause a cross flow? As far as the dust there's no way to get it out unless I remove everything, add a binder)/ clarifier and let it run unless you all. Know a trick to it?
3.) am I dosing to much ferts for to low of light, 6 ml a week with my light running at approx 45% for 4.5 hours. If so would I lower ferts or increase light?
My plants are filling in and I'm getting more but I don't want to add more atm due to the algae issues I'm having, it's not extremely bad it's just frustrating me, mostly the bga as I know that will kill my plants so I'm wondering if there's a product like chemiclean (for bga) that will help with all the algae.
I have a theory that running my light at 45% with a high blue spectrum for 4.5 hours dosing 6 ml of thrive could be the cause as im not pushing the plants with light so they consume the nutrients I'm. Adding giving algae free reign... Could this be the issue?
I can't seem to balance this tank out for the life of me to the point in pulling my hair out.
Here's pics of the planted preset
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Here's a Pic of what I was running for my custom
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1.) could me running my light so low on intensity for a short photo period be causing this? Or maybe color spectrum In the light itself? Reason I ask about spectrum is on the preset for planted in my fluval 3.0, blue is at 20% I have my custom running 35% blue, all other values in planted are almost maxed mine is all 55% with blue and cool white at 35 all. Other color spectrums are 45-55.
2.) I know i don't have a good flow pattern and I know i still have gravel dust in the tank from my gravel not rinsing all the way, would adding a powerhead help I have 2 aquaclear hob's so a powerhead would cause a cross flow? As far as the dust there's no way to get it out unless I remove everything, add a binder)/ clarifier and let it run unless you all. Know a trick to it?
3.) am I dosing to much ferts for to low of light, 6 ml a week with my light running at approx 45% for 4.5 hours. If so would I lower ferts or increase light?
My plants are filling in and I'm getting more but I don't want to add more atm due to the algae issues I'm having, it's not extremely bad it's just frustrating me, mostly the bga as I know that will kill my plants so I'm wondering if there's a product like chemiclean (for bga) that will help with all the algae.
I have a theory that running my light at 45% with a high blue spectrum for 4.5 hours dosing 6 ml of thrive could be the cause as im not pushing the plants with light so they consume the nutrients I'm. Adding giving algae free reign... Could this be the issue?
I can't seem to balance this tank out for the life of me to the point in pulling my hair out.
Here's pics of the planted preset
Here's a Pic of what I was running for my custom
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21 - 34 of 34 Posts
2
I only buy cheap API nitrate and phosphate kits. I looked for vendors page on this forum and you can find those for decent price. Their color charts are not easy to read, but I have a trick. My tanks are heavily planted, so I must always keep pure KNO3 and KHPO4 solid powders (cheap from Amazon) to add them, because fish feeding often do not produce enough of those. I try to keep 10ppm nitrates and 1.3ppm Phosphates. So I have a bottle in which I keep the solution of 20ppm nitrates and 2.6 ppm Phosphates which I prepared by weigh using scales (it takes several dilutions to prepare, but you make a lot at the same time and it lasts over a year). When I test the 5 ml of aquarium water, I also "test" 5 ml of these solutions. If needed I dilute a part of them twice. Side-by-side on a piece of white paper they are very easy to compare.
I never claimed that my recipe for starting a planted tank is the best, it is just the best way I personally found over many years and, therefore, the best advice I am capable of giving
Same with Nitrates/Phosphates ratios and concentrations... just what works best for my heavily planted tanks with CO2 supply.
A small CO2 gas-tank can be swiped to a new one for $25 once a year in a local airgas store (in aquatic stores they charge too much). The big investment is just to buy the first gas-tank and reductor, which I did so many years ago I do not remember the pricing. Probably $150-200?
I never claimed that my recipe for starting a planted tank is the best, it is just the best way I personally found over many years and, therefore, the best advice I am capable of giving
Same with Nitrates/Phosphates ratios and concentrations... just what works best for my heavily planted tanks with CO2 supply.
A small CO2 gas-tank can be swiped to a new one for $25 once a year in a local airgas store (in aquatic stores they charge too much). The big investment is just to buy the first gas-tank and reductor, which I did so many years ago I do not remember the pricing. Probably $150-200?
2
I use seachem phosphate test kit, I have every kit plus tds to test my water, I do however need a new nitrate kit as api is very innacurate and hard for me to read (30-60 looks exactly the same color to me), I've heard reports where people said their api kit read 40 but when they tested with nutrafin or salifert it was 10-20,i think my main issue is lack of plants it's sparsely planted with low nutrient consuming plants, my plants actually pearled for the first time today, I don't know if that's a good thing or bad in a low tech tank because pearling is a plant that's saturated in oxygen.I only buy cheap API nitrate and phosphate kits. I looked for vendors page on this forum and you can find those for decent price. Their color charts are not easy to read, but I have a trick. My tanks are heavily planted, so I must always keep pure KNO3 and KHPO4 solid powders (cheap from Amazon) to add them, because fish feeding often do not produce enough of those. I try to keep 10ppm nitrates and 1.3ppm Phosphates. So I have a bottle in which I keep the solution of 20ppm nitrates and 2.6 ppm Phosphates which I prepared by weigh using scales (it takes several dilutions to prepare, but you make a lot at the same time and it lasts over a year). When I test the 5 ml of aquarium water, I also "test" 5 ml of these solutions. If needed I dilute a part of them twice. Side-by-side on a piece of white paper they are very easy to compare.
I never claimed that my recipe for starting a planted tank is the best, it is just the best way I personally found over many years and, therefore, the best advice I am capable of giving
Same with Nitrates/Phosphates ratios and concentrations... just what works best for my heavily planted tanks with CO2 supply.
A small CO2 gas-tank can be swiped to a new one for $25 once a year in a local airgas store (in aquatic stores they charge too much). The big investment is just to buy the first gas-tank and reductor, which I did so many years ago I do not remember the pricing. Probably $150-200?
I've also priced co2 systems with a 5 gallon tank and they are well Over 200, tank, solenoid, drop checker, timer, diffuser, tubing, etc etc, not to mention I actually need a new tank as Mines 25 years old with the silicone not in to great of condition, I need to switch over to a canister filter for flow and flow pattern, there's a lot of things I have to do before I even think about adding co2.
This is my tank, and as you can see I simply need more plants
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Yeah dennis just told me that, ho-li-
I know his plants are nice but ouuuuuuchSent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
21 - 34 of 34 Posts
