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RE: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #61
On Sunday, February 01, 1998 3:48 PM, Aquatic Plants Digest
[SMTP:Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com] wrote:
> From: Petemohan at aol_com
> Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #59
>
> In a message dated 98-01-31 16:10:32 EST, Mark writes:
>
> << My 55g planted discus tank is doing quite well thanks in large part
> >to information from this list. It is doing so well, in fact, that is
> >is
> >using up nitrates faster than my fish can produce them. As a matter of
> >fact, my nitrates read zero with a Red Sea test kit. >>
>
> As Chetlen suspected in her reply to Mark, my experiences suggest that
adding
> KNO3 is a good way to dose extra nitrogen. I'm using the "standard" PMDD
> formulation in our planted aquariums and have found that in my particular
set-
> up (150 gallon with lots of Amazon swords, Rotala, and Hygro with 2 175
watt
> 5500K MH lamps and CO2 ) nitrogen is used up very quickly and weekly
tests
> were often showing ~0 ppm. I made up a second nutrient additive just
> containing the same concentration of KNO3 used in PMDD. Right now I'm
adding
> equal amounts (5 ml) of the two solutions daily (doubling the original
> KNO3 dose) and this appears to have solved the problem.
A note of caution:
I went through much the same experience and for a time used the same
solution - dosing the PMDD sample recipe according to the results of my
iron tests and then adding KNO3 as required to keep the nitrate level >0.
When first I began this I too saw obvious improvement for time.
Eventually however things took a turn for the worse again - the tanks had
become K limited.
My current approach is to split the PMDD recipe in half. I have a solution
with the trace element mix and MgSO4 in it and dose this as required to
keep my iron test happy. I have a second solution with KNO3 and K2SO4 and
dose this as required to keep my nitrate test happy.
This seems to work better for me.
YMMV
Frank.
-----
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something in the universe, or in the unconscious responds as if
to an invitation. - Jean Shinoda Bolen
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