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[APD] Dosing Ferts - Help Needed.



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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