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Re: [APD] Dosing Ferts - Help Needed.



I think, for 5 watts per gallon, you should dose more nitrate per week, 
at least 10-15 ppm, and add some phosphate, like about 1-2 ppm.  I'm 
not sure that DIY CO2 will ever be adequate with that much light, 
unless you use something like three bottles, renewing one every week.  
You need Nitrate, Phosphate, CO2, Potassium and traces, plus you need 
to be sure the Calcium and Magnesium are adequate, which they usually 
are for most tap water.  I only have 51 watts of NO fluorescent light 
on my 29 gallon, and I dose about 1 ppm phosphate and 10 ppm nitrate 
about every other day, plus using CO2.  I am getting my algae under 
control, but if I slack up on the nitrate and phosphate I get it 
started again on the glass.

Vaughn H.

On Wednesday, February 15, 2006, at 05:40 PM, Matthew Jarsky wrote:

> Hello!
>
> I have been keeping a planted tank for years now, but I really haven't
> had much luck with it except for right at the start (2000) and very
> recently (last 3 months). I have fumbled around, trying to get by
> without test kits and I thought I was finally going to succeed when the
> estimative index method appeared on the scene, but I am still having
> trouble figuring out how much of which nutrients to dose.
>
> This is my set-up (img: http://tinyurl.com/9oske) :
> 33 gallon tank
> 175w metal halide pendant (img: http://tinyurl.com/9sgwa)
> Fluval 304
> 150w heater
> Fluorite substrate
> DIY CO2
> 35-30% water change weekly
>
> I don't test these days, but when I did, my pH would get as low as 6.8
> when the yeast & sugar were fresh.
>
> The tank has suffered from hair algae and a tiny bit of BGA. At the 
> last
> waterchange I upped the doses of things a bit and the plants seem to be
> doing better and the algae has perhaps eased off.
>
> Using Chuck Gadd's calculators, I have figured out my weekly dosing as
> follows:
> KNO3: 1 ml (target: 5ppm Nitrate)
> K2SO4: 5.5 ml (target: 20 ppm K)
> MgSO4: 12-25 ml (target: 5-10 ppm Mg) - I have been dosing about 15 ml.
>
> On top of that I add:
> 1 cap of Seachem Flourish
> 1 cap of Seachem Iron
> 1 ml hydroponic trace mix.
>
>
> I have two questions. Firstly, is that about right for the weekly dose?
> And secondly, what should I be dosing through the week?
>
> Thanks in advance.
> Matt
>
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