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Re:PMDD for non CO2




> Can PMDD be used for lower light tanks that don't use CO2?
> I'm setting up a 130 gallon tank that will have 200 watts of NO flourescent
> lighting. Substrate fertilizer will be with Root tabs plus iron and Jobes
> sticks.
> The plants will be Crypt balansae, jungle val, tiger lotus, and dwarf sag with
> some anubias, java moss, and bolbitis tied to the driftwood.
> 
> Later
> 
> James

I would not.
 Perhaps some K2SO4.

Let me pose a question to your question.
If a plant is roughly 40% carbon and about 3% PMDD, would adding CO2 or PMDD
be more prudent if your goal is have better plant growth? If you are asking
to add PMDD you obviously desire better plants growth.

If you want the plants to grow fast, add CO2 AND perhaps some P.M.D.D. not
simply PMDD by itself. That's the idea behind the non CO2 thing, fish/plant
balances, less maintenance slower growth etc. Not using/needing the PMDD at
all. When you add the CO2 in a low light tank such as yours, adding PMDD
could easily be accomplished once a week rather than every 2-3 days.

If you decide to do this CO2 and weekly doses of PMDD, I really think you
will find it to be a very nice but slow enough growing tank to easily manage
and still have it look very nice. You will not need to prune often anyway,
you simply have slower growing plants to begin with. A gas CO2 system will
be needed for a 130 gallon tank. But you could pay for that system in plant
trimmings alone inside a year's time.

If you want a bit more nutrients and want to stick with the non CO2 method
add more algae eaters/regular fish and then feed more. Fish look much nicer
than PMDD don't you think?

Regards, 
Tom Barr