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[APD] Re: non-co2 tanks (25 gal)



> Ajit said:

> I would like to have specific guidelines for NON co2 --  25 gallon tank
> with respect to 1. frequency of water changes, 2. fertilisation  & 3. lighting.


Hello Ajit,

One of my tanks is a 29 gallon tall bowfront tank.  Here's what works for it:

1. Water changes - 50% once a week (my fish love it, the fish load in the
 tank is fairly high).

2. I use Flourish Excel as instructed on the bottle (big dose after a water
 change, little dose every other day).  This provides a little extra carbon 
without the CO2.  I use regular Flourish for Iron and traces as instructed
 on the bottle, twice a week.  If I let the tank go much more than 10-11 
days without the water change, I also have to add Flourish Potassium
 (K) or the plants start getting pinholes in their leaves.

3. I'm using a 55 W Power Compact.  It's a stock hood, 'All-Glass' brand, 5500 K.

To give you an idea of the growth, I prune every week or two, not always because
 it really needs it, but because I like to get my hands wet :-)  So far, Rotala Indica,
 Hygro Polysperma, Water Sprite, Annubis, Java Fern, and various crypts have
 grown with great success.  Light loving plants grow slowly until they get into the
 top 1/3 of this tank, then they drastically speed up.   At this lighting level with a
 tall tank, I've found that plants that like lots of light don't grow well in the corners
 - they prefer the middle of the tank, directly under the bulb.  You may not find
 that with a 25 gallon regular tank.  The substrate is SeaChem Onyx - that may
 affect the success as well. 

That said, it's important to understand that all this is dependant on your fish load,
plant load, and local water conditions.  I don't usually add N, P, or K because the
fish, food, and water supply it, but that may not be true in your tank.   While there
are target levels of these elements to shoot for, I don't think anyone can tell you 
exactly what you will need to add to get there since we don't know your tank and 
water conditions.  But this should get you close if you want to try it as a starting 
place.  And yes, there are other ways that work too!  If you don't have Flourish 
available, you can mix the PMDD for your iron and traces.  You can change water
less, and fertilize more.   Then watch the plants and see how they react, make
adjustments.

I've learned that 'listening' to the plants take time to learn, and learning it has been
one of the most rewarding parts of this hobby for me over the last three years.  
Sometimes I still don't understand them, even when they're shouting at me :-)

Hope this helps!

Terry Stambaugh
in Arizona 


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