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RE:87 gallon tank/DIY CO2



>Hello, I have read a number of letters regarding growth of plants being
>limited due to lack of phosphates with great interest.  I have an 87 gal
>heavily planted medium fish load tank.
>After have a bout with BBA which I solved by water changes (I had high
>phosphates) and using phosp-sorb for a month and a hydrogen peroxide
>treatment I basically got rid of all the BBA and only have some spot
>algae and the occasional bout of green water (explained later).
>
>My problem is no I never have ANY phosphates in the water... I always
>read 0 (no P in tap water).  Now while there is no algae growth other
>than spot algae the plant growth is nothing special. I'm not using the
>phosp-sorb anymore and the fish/food doesn't seem to add enough P.
>
>My tank is 87 gal, 2x 175W MH lights, fertilize with PMDD, KH 8, GH 4,
>PH 6.8, NO3 10ppm , PO4 0, Fe .1, and DIY CO2 injection.
>My problem is that the N increases over time.  I had hoped that the
>plants good growth would keep the N down but it seems with no Phosphates
>they don't grow fast enough and the N rises.
>Now when the N hits a certain level (usually 40ppm) I get a green water
>bloom.  I can do a water change to keep the N down but then my water
>chemistry is blown (we have hard water here).

You have DIY yeast on a 2 x 175 watt tank that is 87 gallons?
There's your problem. Check your PH at night and the morning. I bet it is
all over.
If you can afford the lights...... then get the CO2 gas tank. You'll save
yourself lots of grief.
A KH of 8 and a GH of 4  would be very tough to stablize with DIY CO2. I
need 4 plus bottles and a a  specially designed CO2 reactor  to keep mine
down in a 90 gallon at gh of 9 and a KH of 5.  
I've been at it a long time and unless you have many yeast bottles going or
something else going on with the ph reading something is a miss. I just
can't see you having this much CO2 all that light and high NO3. Plants will
suck it out unless you have a bad PH reading or something.

>
>So I'm think of trying the following.. (here is where I need the hints!)
>
>- Starting to use TMG fert.  Thinking maybe I'm missing some micro
>nutrients although I had hoped they would be in the tap water (no growth
>increase when doing a water change)

Adding some nutrients such as TMG will sure help. You need a balance of
light/CO2(I bet this is your problem)/trace/macro elements(you likely need
more trace elements....test for iron and see if you have enough) and fish
load/maintenance etc.

>
>- Using Jobe's sticks in the substrate. Question! The Jobe stick
>recommended is LOW in Phosphates... since this is where I think the prob
>is wouldn't I want low N and high P??
>Already have enough N in the water.

See above. You should have little

>- Adding Phosphates directly to the water  while making some sort of
>live sacrifice to the fish tank god not to bury me in a tankwide coating
>of green furry stuff.
>
>Thanks for your help
>Peter