Re: [APD] Strange nutrient absorption problem

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

First, be sure that your nitrate tests are giving accurate
readings. Do yo have any corroboration from other testing?

If you have a high fish load, it's not hard to be adding
enough nitrates from the fish food that no suppplementation
is necessary even if there is virtually no nitrates coming
in via the tap water.

If fish food is your only source of nitrates bringin your
up over about 5-10 ppm, then adjust your water change
amounts or schedule to bring the nitrtes back down in to
that range. Cleaning your mechanical filtration media more
often can also help. Also long as the detritus in inthe
water system, it continues to add to the nitrates in the
water.

Sounds like a lot of potassium to me. You add in one dose
about twice what I do all week with 50% water changes
weekly.

I'd like to measure the ortho-phosphates to see if you need
to add as much as you are adding. try to target your
phosphates for a level about one tenth you nitrate level
(0.5-1.0 ppm).

Adding plant food sticks to the substrate can give a plant
a big boost but it can easily diffuse into the water column
and might be a major source of your water column nitrates.

Scott H.

--- Kevin Sheller <kevmo at arenafan_com> wrote:
> I'm having some problems. Here's some stats before we get
> to the problem...
> 
> 75 Gallon
> 1 year and 1 month old
> 192 watts of standard fluorescents (two 3-bulb T8 hoods ?
> I haven?t changed
> the bulbs yet)
> Medium-high fish load (12 large rainbows, 4 rosey barbs,
> standard algae
> crew)
> PH: 6.6 ? 6.8 (canister CO2 -- haven't had to refill it
> yet)
> Nitrate: 17.6 ppm (I don?t add any extra)
> Iron & Traces: TMG, 2-3 x per week
> Potassium: 1 teaspoon potassium sulfate, 2-3 times per
> week
> Phosphate: 1/8 teaspoon mono potassium phosphate 2-3
> times per week
> Water changes: 40% once a week
> 
> Plants: lots of the clover groundcover stuff (not
> glossostigma, the
> slower-growing, dark green stuff) Madagascar lace,
> apontageton ulvacius
> (which isn?t growing well without jobe?s sticks) lots of
> dwarf sag, some
> crypts, rotala macrandra (another that needs jobe?s
> sticks) rotala
> rotundifolia, anubias barteri, giant hygro (which has
> just stopped growing
> altogether ? not pinhole leaves ? just stopped growing.)
> 
> Problems: Plants don?t seem to be absorbing the nitrate
> much. I don?t have
> to add any, and it still seems to go up over time. Not as
> much pearling as I
> used to have. The plants don?t do as well unless I
> supplement with jobe?s
> sticks... Today I?m starting to get a bloom (bacteria or
> algae ? not sure
> which yet). The plants need SOMETHING they aren?t
> getting, but I can't
> figure out what.
> 
> Kevmo
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
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=====
S. Hieber

-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Amano Returns
to the AGA Annual Convention
Nov 12, 13 & 14, 2004 -- Crystal City, Virginia

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