# Lush max



## Lgtuk (29 Aug 2017)

I have read some posts where people say all ready mixed ferts are the same but from what I have just seen over the past 3 weeks that is defiantly not true.

I have always had a little hair algae growing in the background which I could not get rid of and I was using Columbia flora grow. I went away for the week and came back to utter moss devastation 




I have now switched to Lush max as I saw someone was very happy with the results. I went away for another week and came back today to this



Not a spot of hair algae and plants looking the healthiest I've seen them for ages. And I didn't have to get the peroxide out in the end.

I am a happy man  anyone else had experiences like this?


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## Franks (30 Aug 2017)

Yup. That's why I've been using it for 3 years. £6 delivered for what works out at around a years ferts on my 150ltr 


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## woodster (31 Aug 2017)

Hi, could you tell me were you buy this as he no longer has it on ebay, cheers Mark.


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## Lgtuk (31 Aug 2017)

woodster said:


> Hi, could you tell me were you buy this as he no longer has it on ebay, cheers Mark.



Hi I thought the same yesterday but messaged them and they are on holiday till the 1st Sept. They said they would list it all on their return.


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## woodster (31 Aug 2017)

Hi, thanks for the reply.


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## bhavik (4 Sep 2017)

hi how much are you dosing daily and how big is your tank?
do you add anything else to your tank or co2?
also which lights are you running?
thanks


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## Franks (4 Sep 2017)

The instructions state something like 5ml for 150ltr. I dose 10ml per day because under intense light I could see my S REPENS paling and losing lower leaves.

A high energy aquarium will always need more nutrients. You need to assess Plant responses so start by following their instructions and go from there


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## Lgtuk (4 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> hi how much are you dosing daily and how big is your tank?
> do you add anything else to your tank or co2?
> also which lights are you running?
> thanks



I will need to check on the packet when I get home for the exact dose. There is a dose option once per week for low tech tank and a dose once a day for high tech tank.

My tank is 260ltr I am running diy co2 and have been able to up my lighting on my Fluval F&P 2 to 100% for 10 hours per day with no algae growth. I dose once per day.


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## Lgtuk (4 Sep 2017)




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## bhavik (4 Sep 2017)

ok thats fine no worries! i think i am in between low and high tech tank.

I have a 200L tank and not adding any co2 and have 2 x 25 watts fluval aquaskys on my tank which i run about 9-10 hours a day which just replaced 2 t8s
just not sure how much to add an having problem with growing plants :/
they arent growing taller expect the ludwigia but producing new leaves and everything just not growing tall.
Also the ludwigia lower leaves are brownish not sure why :/

how much do you add per day?


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## Lgtuk (4 Sep 2017)

I am doing roughly 5ml per day as I consider my co2 dosing to be on the low end of the scale being one bottle diy co2 in a 260ltr tank.

How much have you been dosing? I was experiencing stunted growth and plants growing close to the ground with my last ferts, I could be wrong but I put it down to under fertilizing.

I am also growing in crushed coral which isn't normally recommended one of the reason being it doesn't hold onto any nutrients so maybe why I struggled with the last ferts.

I am not an expert though I am learning as I go and someone more experienced might correct me

If it was me, if your not already I would try dosing at high tech level for a week or two and see how your plants react.


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## bhavik (4 Sep 2017)

Well I haven't really been dosing continuously as I felt like it wasn't really working so would dose the ferts when I think I need to. 

But like you said I think i'll give it a go and start dosing high tech for about 2 weeks and see what happens. I was thinking about dosing about 10 ml per day would that be enough?

Also should I dim the brightness of my lights so it would encourage the plants to go taller towards the light? Or should I keep them at a 100%?


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## Lgtuk (5 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> Well I haven't really been dosing continuously as I felt like it wasn't really working so would dose the ferts when I think I need to.
> 
> But like you said I think i'll give it a go and start dosing high tech for about 2 weeks and see what happens. I was thinking about dosing about 10 ml per day would that be enough?
> 
> Also should I dim the brightness of my lights so it would encourage the plants to go taller towards the light? Or should I keep them at a 100%?



You have a 200ltr tank so I would do the recommended 5ml per day. 

Only change one thing at a time otherwise if you get an improvement or it gets worse you don't know which change did it.

I would suggest leave your lights on their current setting and up the dose to the above and see how that goes.


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## Franks (6 Sep 2017)

Also, be consistent with your dose regime. There's no need not to. Just banging in some in every now and then isn't a great way to fertilize. 


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## bhavik (6 Sep 2017)

Ok that's fine I'm going to rest set the tank with a water change and put the lights to how they were and start doing 5ml per day. 

I wanted to ask I go to work every other day so was wondering to keep the dosing consistent can I add the ferts anytime before the lights turn on?


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## Franks (6 Sep 2017)

That's what I do. Get up, have coffee, dose fert, go to work.


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## Lgtuk (6 Sep 2017)

I have been adding mine everyday before I go to work at 0700 when I feed my fish. My lights don't come on until 1200 hasn't made a difference to my tank.


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## bhavik (6 Sep 2017)

Oh ok I thought the time you dose makes a difference 
Ok so done about 50% water change today cleaned the filter and added 10 ml of lush max

And will be adding everyday for 2 weeks and have I left the lights on 100% brightness 

Is there anything else?


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## Lgtuk (6 Sep 2017)

No just the waiting game now. Hopefully you will see improvements in a weeks time.

If nothing improves it must be something else.


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## bhavik (6 Sep 2017)

What else could it be if this doesn't work :/


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## bhavik (6 Sep 2017)

Oh and I also added some root tabs as well


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## Lgtuk (7 Sep 2017)

This could be a long reply but as i am at work here's some food for thought: 

Lighting stregth, lighting periods, water quality, substrate, ferts, water flow rates, filter media, type of plants and these are just what my limited knowledge can think of there is probably far more things.

I was told a while ago just pick one thing and adjust it. Wait for any reaction good or bad then pick something else to work on.


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## Lgtuk (7 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> Oh and I also added some root tabs as well



Yes I use seachem root tabs as they are supposed to last 3 months at a time.


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## bhavik (11 Sep 2017)

I don't think I'm seeing much improve tbh
What I am thinking of doing is just starting off with just white leds on and see how that goes as I don't really know what combination of red blue green like I should keep. 
Would that have any affect of the plants not growing right?

Also could it also be that the lush max fert is a couple of weeks old?
This one is nearly finished so going to make a new one


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## Lgtuk (11 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> I don't think I'm seeing much improve tbh
> What I am thinking of doing is just starting off with just white leds on and see how that goes as I don't really know what combination of red blue green like I should keep.
> Would that have any affect of the plants not growing right?



Its only been 5 days  I am not too sure about what ratios of red/blue/green should be in lights I think that is one that needs to be aimed at a lighting topic. Have you got any pictures of the plants you are having problems with?



bhavik said:


> Also could it also be that the lush max fert is a couple of weeks old?
> This one is nearly finished so going to make a new one



I don't know how long it keeps for once made, I can't see that it would go off but it may separate the heavier and lighter elements meaning deficiencies in some nutrients until you get to the bottom of the bottle.

I made my first lot up but didn't like how it settled in the bottle. I dose the powder straight into the tank now using a level medicine spoon to measure 5ml of powder for each dose.

This isn't how it directs the use of the powder but works for me.


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## bhavik (13 Sep 2017)

Yeah sure here are a couple of picture of what my plants look like. They basically look like crap and aren't really growing tall :/ 


Well I'm at the end of the bottle basically going to finish this off and then create a new one 

Would you say I should add the power directly or make it into a solution?


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## bhavik (13 Sep 2017)

The BBA only recently happened on the amazon swords i think.

Feel like just tearing my plants out and binning them its frustrating


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## Lgtuk (13 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> Yeah sure here are a couple of picture of what my plants look like. They basically look like crap and aren't really growing tall :/
> 
> 
> Well I'm at the end of the bottle basically going to finish this off and then create a new one
> ...



That is how my plants looked before i used the Lush max. 

Have you got a good strong flow from the filter? As plants like good flow.

Hopefully someone can advise what is wrong by looking at the pictures.


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## bhavik (15 Sep 2017)

Well yeah they are moving in the flow esp near the substrate as I have had a spray bar in the output of the filter 
But as the tank is long the flow becomes low across the tank 

Could some one help me out as to what's going on please!


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## bhavik (16 Sep 2017)

Could someone please help me out?
thanks


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## ManDrawer (20 Sep 2017)

bhavik said:


> Could someone please help me out?
> thanks



I'm no expert but I will try to help. (also my apologies if I skipped some of your previous posts)

Could be many things, not enough light, not enough or bad flow in the tank, lack or fluctuating CO2 levels are the first to look at. Ferts without enough light and CO2 will cause algae as your plants won't be using it.

"https://www.thespruce.com/brown-aquarium-algae-1378629
*Brown algae* is a common occurrence in a newly set up *aquarium*. It is generally caused by too little light, an excess of silicates, an abundance of nutrients, and too little oxygen. Silicates can build up through tap water that is high in silicic acid, and silicates that leech from some types of substrates"

How long do you have this tank setup? Whats the distance from light to substrate? Is that an air stone by your intake? (If so I wouldn't recommend an air stone in a planted tank) you need surface agitation to get oxygen in the water and an air stone removes all CO2 fast.

If you want a low tech aquarium I would remove that air stone, get a proper flow rate with some surface agitation and use liquid CO2. You need to balance it all out, too much or too little of something will cause issues. Also split your light cycle in two so that the CO2 levels can build up.


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## Gerryf77 (26 Oct 2017)

I'm using this as well but was wondering can it harm fish with to much and how much would be to much. I have a 120l community tank low tech


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