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Newly planted tank=stagnant

3K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  fishyface 
#1 ·
Hey all, I've kept several successful tanks on the PPS Pro method and have just started another for the first time in years. Problem is nothings really happening and I've got no idea where to turn, hopefully I can find the answer here.

Tand specs:

3 week old 75g moderately planted.
Pressurized co2 (bpm is very high, difficult to count)
ADA Aquasoil
Plants are barely growing, GDA is on the glass and starting to show on the substrate and green strands of algae starting. I was doing 50% w/c every other day, tank still seems slightly hazy.
8 hour light cycle (4 x 54w T5 HO)

Parameters as follows:
pH: 6.2
KH: 2
GH: 5
Nitrate: 30-35
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: .5

PO4 seems low so I just added a touch before posting. Also since I've been noticing low PO4 levels I've doubled the amount that the macro recipe stipulates.

That seems to be about all I can think of at the moment, hopefully someone can see where my issue is.

Thanks,

ps only inhabitants at this time are about a dozen nerites.
 
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#2 ·
Anyone around for comment here?

Since the last post I'm finding that my nitrates are climbing and PO4 is dropping.

Nitrate: 40
PO4: 1, however I've been continuing to dry dose daily to bring it up a touch.

Seems like I'll have to tweek the recipe again by a fair amount...
 
#4 ·
Some are growing slowly and some are somewhat deteriorating. I don't have pics at the moment as I'm out of the house but I'll try to get some later.

As for the Aquasoil and ferts, well first time with this substrate and every other tank I've ran I've dosed it. Should I not be dosing even though I've got fairly high might and co2?

Cheers,
 
#5 ·
Despite your ammonia readings I'd watch them pretty carefully. Usually aquasoil releases a lot of ammonia during the first few weeks which can cause plant burns. If this is the case then lots of water changes are necessary to deplete the soil of ammonia.

Aquasoil has a schedule for dosing fertilizers, mainly potassium, but you should try stick to their recommendations. It was designed with those ferts in mind and adding more ferts is unnecessary.

I'll need to see pictures of your plants to give you more specific help.
 
#7 ·
Despite your ammonia readings I'd watch them pretty carefully. Usually aquasoil releases a lot of ammonia during the first few weeks which can cause plant burns. If this is the case then lots of water changes are necessary to deplete the soil of ammonia.

Aquasoil has a schedule for dosing fertilizers, mainly potassium, but you should try stick to their recommendations. It was designed with those ferts in mind and adding more ferts is unnecessary.

I'll need to see pictures of your plants to give you more specific help.
My highest ammonia reading so far was 12 days after the start of the tank/4ppm since then it's just been dropping. Maybe for the moment I'll cut back on the ferts, keep testing and see what I get.

I just did a w/c so I'll have to wait for pic's, tank looks like it's filled with 7-UP right now.
 
#6 ·
Keep in mind that if you are using AquaSoil made within the last year you may have gotten some from the batch from hell. For once you will have to increase the Phosphates to ungodly levels because apparently the AquaSoil does something to them. This may work but with high Phosphate no normal person can expect a stable tank. The CO2 and the light needs to go sky high and even then that batch of AquaSoil doesn't let the plants grow too well.

ADA has not officially responded to any inquiries about that batch but when using it plants like HC and Staurogyne just flat out refuse to grow.

If the AquaSoil is not the problem then I'd make sure that there is enough surface movement in your tank. Gas exchange definitely can make a difference in the plant growth. With pH of 6.2 the biofilter is severely suppressed. That may not have any connection with the plants being stagnant but notice that you are starting to push things into extremes - pH and NO3, tons of the most efficient lights we can get, plus increased P now. Also with a suppressed biofilter any small algae problem that may arise will have a way bigger chance to turn into a disaster. Get down to basics - check everything you do from the viewpoint of common sense.
 
#8 ·
Hey Niko, thanks for the reply. Yes, seemed like my nitrates were building and po4 was dropping, I was thinking maybe the lack of nitrates being used was due to a po4 deficiency(laymans diagnosis ;)). I'll also try and get better gas exchange.

Water here is severely soft, like 0gh and 0kh so I've been trying to bump those numbers a bit. Been buffering to about 2 kh and gh to about 6ish. Should I continue doing this or do you recommend something else?

I'm doing my best to be logical here but I've always pretty much had a cut and dry planted tank with exception of a few hitches of course. This time seems to be throwing my logic out the window a bit. :)

Cheers,
 
#10 · (Edited)
So an update for now. I've since stopped dosing PPS and started dosing glutaraldehyde to help combat algae and hopefully give a little kickstart. I've also taken the advice to get a surface skimmer and so far the tank seems to have taken off so it seems. Plants are pearling like mad,the waters cleared up quite a bit and ammonia and nitrites have dropped to 0. Still have some gda but nothing more than the average tank I'm sure.

We'll see what happens in the next week or two, hopefully it'll continue down the happy-path. Thanks for your help guys!

ps quick question about kh, I keep adding about 5tsp of alk buffer and by the end of the next day it seems to be dropping a fair amount. Today it was 3dkh. Should I be buffering more?
 
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