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Iron/Calcium/greenwater, etc
Hi everyone. I bought a few new test kits to verify or debunk some theories
about my tanks, but have a few questions about proper levels.
Iron: My new Red Sea iron kit is showing 0.1 ppm in my two planted tanks. Is
this enough? What do you shoot for? I'm seeing some signs of chlorosis in
one of the tanks. Is there a good way to add iron without otherwise feeding
algae?
Calcium: This Hagen kit "for freshwater and saltwater" gives the impression
in the instructions that it maybe isn't really for freshwater. The first
level in the test is 20ppm, and I'm not hitting that in either plant tank.
Whats the number to shoot for? Some swords are growing stunted. I know my
tapwater has very little calcium, and in recent weeks I've started adding
shell grit from my saltwater to the filtration, and that is bringing the KH
up a bit (3-5 degrees, which is much higher than the tapwater).
I also just purchased a HUGE bag (25lbs?) of calcium carbonate limestone
from a home store for like $3. I'm not 100% sure how to administer it
though. A little in the filter? push some into the substrate? Just sprinkle
it in?
I also found the famous jobe's spikes for a whopping 99 cents for a package
of 50 or so.
My 55 gallon tank has a pretty bad greenwater problem right now. I've read
everything in The Krib about greenwater, but the info there is very
contradictory. I think there may be several causes of greenwater. Lack of
nitrogen is certainly NOT my problem in the affected tank, in fact nitrates
are so high I'm changing the water frequently to get them down. The
unaffected tank has much lower nitrates. I did recently move a few new fish
into the green tank -- something must have messed up the balance. Any ideas
would be appreciated. I know I can clear it up with a flocculent, but I'm
looking for a more permanent systemic solution. I have moved a few more
fast-growing plants in there in an effort to out-compete the algae, but i
haven't had time to see if that works. I think my CO2 levels are really low
in this tank - will CO2 affect algae? In general, I've not been really
feeding the plants in this tank for fear of feeding the algae, but that may
be a totally wrong approach.