Am i missing anything)?

[Chrispowell]

Morning all,

I'm using Pure RO water, adding masterline 1 and 2 and calcium chloride to the water at waterchange.

Tank is 240L, I'm adding 6ml of masterline 2 a day (macros) and 5ml a day masterline 1 (micros).

I add 5g of calcium to 100L of water at every water change.

Can't find the PPM of masterline but added screenshot of the contents

Thanks for any help

Chris

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I'm using Pure RO water, adding masterline 1 and 2 and calcium chloride to the water at water change. Tank is 240L, I'm adding 6ml of masterline 2 a day (macros) and 5ml a day masterline 1 (micros).

They should be all right. <"The price"> would put me off, but they <"look fine in terms of composition">. @Happi might have suggestions for whether that is an appropriate dosing regime.

Plants don't care where their nutrients come from, they just <"need all fourteen"> (or seventeen) of them, just in widely differing amounts. It doesn't tell you what form the nitrogen (N) is in, but you can convert to the nitrate (NO3-) by multiplying 0.81 by 4.43 = 3.6% NO3.

I add 5g of calcium to 100L of water at every water change.

Calcium or calcium chloride (CaCl2.2H2O)? Assuming it is 5g of calcium? that is 5000 mg and mg /L are equivalent to ppm, so 5000 /100 = 50 ppm Ca. If its calcium chloride (CaCl2.2H2O)? then it is 40 (RAM Ca) / 147 (RMM CaCl2.2H2O) = 27% and (50 x 0.27) 13.6 ppm Ca added.

If it is 50 ppm Ca? I'd half it (so 2.5g of Ca).

cheers Darrel

 

[Chrispowell]

Thanks Darrel,

Really helpful post! It's Calcium Chloride ( food grade) so according to your calculations the ppm looks about right.

Growth rate is generally quite slow and rotala rotundifolia still struggles to grow. Good 1.2 ph drop come lights on (7.4 > 6.2). Perhaps I will give the plants a few weeks to adjust to this fert regime and then up the lights a little.. hair algae currently, but some plants have shown a
Stress signals with 53B completely turning to mush and another plant shedding all its lower leaves.

This was the reason for switching from diy to pre mixed ferts - my assumption that my diy or remineralisation must have been off.

Thanks
Chris

 

[Chrispowell]

The limnophila hippuridoides dropped all lower leaves on the stem but new growth looks healthier.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Thanks Darrel, Really helpful post

I'm pleased it has been of use.

Growth rate is generally quite slow and rotala rotundifolia still struggles to grow. Good 1.2 ph drop come lights on (7.4 > 6.2).

Rotala rotundifolia is a plant that has come up a lot in terms of <"either growing like a weed">, or <"not growing">, the latter particularly in harder water. Plants can only make use of the extra CO2 if none of the mineral nutrients are missing. That was one of the reasons for choosing a floating plant for the <"Duckweed Index">, they have the <"aerial advantage">, access to the atmospheric <"419 ppm CO2"> and this takes CO2 availability out of the equation.

This was the reason for switching from diy to pre mixed ferts - my assumption that my diy or remineralisation must have been off.

It might be the <"assembly line aspect of Liebig's limiting nutrient">. For most nutrients it doesn't make any difference, the plant can only take them up as ions from solution and every potassium (K+) ion etc is the <"same as every other one">.

Iron (Fe) is the nutrient that we often have problems with ("where the assembly line breaks down") purely because it is <"difficult to keep in solution"> (as Fe++(+) ions).

The limnophila hippuridoides dropped all lower leaves on the stem but new growth looks healthier.

That might suggest that iron has become available again, purely because iron isn't mobile within the plant and it is only new leaves that would be healthier. Have a look at <"Duckweed Index says Nitrogen please?">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Happi]

@Chrispowell

Tank 240L

Daily Doses look something like this:

6ml of Masterline 2 a day (Macros)
N 0.2025 (0.896 NO3)
P 0.05
K 1.185
Mg 0.0888

5ml of Masterline 1 a day (Micros)
Fe 0.0563
Mn 0.0146
B 0.01037
Zn 0.013
Cu 0.00233
Mo 0.00155

I Would suggest using Calcium Sulphate and Magnessium Sulphate for the GH, I usually advice against adding so much Cl in the water. or you can combine the Calcium Sulphate , Calcium Chloride and Magnessium Sulphate, something like 24 ppm Ca and 8 ppm Mg, keep the Cl low, between 2-5 ppm.

 

[Chrispowell]

@Happi thankyou!

Would you recommend I stick with current dosage or increase? I'm not knowledgeable to spot the early signs or decreasing plant health so would rather be ahead of the game... espixally as I plan to increase light

Thankyou both for such good replies, iron looks to be the missing ion before switching ferts

 

[Happi]

Growth rate is generally quite slow and rotala rotundifolia still struggles to grow. Good 1.2 ph drop come lights on (7.4 > 6.2). Perhaps I will give the plants a few weeks to adjust to this fert regime and then up the lights a little.. hair algae currently, but some plants have shown a
Stress signals with 53B completely turning to mush and another plant shedding all its lower leaves.

This was the reason for switching from diy to pre mixed ferts - my assumption that my diy or remineralisation must have been off.

I'm using Pure RO water, adding masterline 1 and 2 and calcium chloride to the water at waterchange.

Tank is 240L, I'm adding 6ml of masterline 2 a day (macros) and 5ml a day masterline 1 (micros).

I add 5g of calcium to 100L of water at every water change.

Am surprise to see that you have 7.4 PH to begin with while using RO water. what kind of substrate are you using? eco complete or something similar? doubt you use ADA soil or something similar because i would expect the PH to be in 5.5-6.5 range naturally. can you share a picture of your tank and give more details on the substrate, filtration, Co2 etc. ?

 

[Chrispowell]

Hi Happi,

Interesting you make this point, ph probe was new 2 months ago and calibrated with premixed ph7 and 4 solution. Tank details are below, substrate is ada amazonia 2, seiryu rocks are the only I have that should raise ph.. about 30kg worth.

ADA 90H - 90cm x45cm x 60cm around 230L
Light is a Twinstar 900s half power - Light on 14:00 - 21:00 - 7 Hours
Inline atomiser - Turns on at 07:30 - 20:00 - Drop checker is lime green at lights on
RO water re-minalised with calcium chloride

 

[Chrispowell]

TDS seems to rise around 15 a day, I aim for 140 at water change

 

[Chrispowell]

I must add that the images were taken this evening but I only started the new ferts last weekend.

I think I can see the start of new improved growth

 

[Happi]

Hi Happi,

Interesting you make this point, ph probe was new 2 months ago and calibrated with premixed ph7 and 4 solution. Tank details are below, substrate is ada amazonia 2, seiryu rocks are the only I have that should raise ph.. about 30kg worth.

ADA 90H - 90cm x45cm x 60cm around 230L
Light is a Twinstar 900s half power - Light on 14:00 - 21:00 - 7 Hours
Inline atomiser - Turns on at 07:30 - 20:00 - Drop checker is lime green at lights on
RO water re-minalised with calcium chloride

i strongly believe some of your problems could be related to Seiryu Rocks. have you ever tested the GH and KH to see what reading you get ? I have read some stories where these rocks raised the tank PH and took KH/GH in the 10-20 range within few days or weeks. check the TDS as well if you can, I would assume its in the upper 150-200 range?

@Happi thankyou!

Would you recommend I stick with current dosage or increase? I'm not knowledgeable to spot the early signs or decreasing plant health so would rather be ahead of the game... espixally as I plan to increase light

Thankyou both for such good replies, iron looks to be the missing ion before switching ferts

high PH/KH can hinder the plant health even if you were dosing appropriately, lets try to figure that out first and go from there.

iron looks to be the missing ion before switching ferts

I quite didn't understand this quote. can you clarify ?

 

[Happi]

TDS seems to rise around 15 a day, I aim for 140 at water change

some of that is coming from the fertilizer and some of that might be coming from those rocks as well. anyway, the more CO2 you inject, the faster those rocks will release the GH/KH in the water.

I must add that the images were taken this evening but I only started the new ferts last weekend.

I think I can see the start of new improved growth

one week is not enough, give it a at least 2 weeks to one month and compare before and after to see where the plant stand.

 

[Chrispowell]

Re-calibrated the ph monitor yesterday. This morning half hour before lights on...

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

i strongly believe some of your problems could be related to Seiryu Rocks....and some of that might be coming from those rocks as well. anyway, the more CO2 you inject, the faster those rocks will release the GH/KH in the water.

Am surprise to see that you have 7.4 PH to begin with while using RO water. what kind of substrate are you using?

I'd tend to agree with @Happi, in many ways you've lost all the advantage of the RO water with the limestone rocks , because H2O is a <"very efficient solvent">.

If you are adding CO2 as well? Then that is a double whammy, because you've changed the <"effective CO2 concentration"> and more limestone (CaCO3) will go into solution. Technically CaCO3 is <"insoluble in water">, but soluble in acids and your RO is a weak acid, that becomes more acidic, when the CO2 is on.

If you have hard water, that is <"fully saturated with calcium carbonate (CaCO3)"> (as Ca++ and 2HCO3- ions), it will be about 17 dGH & 17 dKH and if you have limestone rocks (even really soft ones like chalk) then they <"won't dissolve for all of eternity">, because the water is already fully saturated with Ca++ and 2HCO3- ions.

These are <"Neothauma shells in Lake Tanganyika">.

one week is not enough, give it a at least 2 weeks to one month and compare before and after to see where the plant stand.

Good advice.

cheers Darrel

 

[Chrispowell]

Thanks both of you....

Today I decided to rip all the rock out and replace with frodo stone.. obviously this made a huge mess so it will take Mr a couple of days to tidy up and get things how I want them.

One observation was that all plants had terribly sad looking roots.. please see images... thoughts?

Thanks

Chris

 

[hypnogogia]

One observation was that all plants had terribly sad looking roots.. please see images... thoughts?

What's your substrate?

 

[Chrispowell]

Amazonia 2

 

[hypnogogia]

Amazonia 2

So nutrient rich then. Odd that the roots are not better developed.

 

[Chrispowell]

Morning all,

So following the thought process that my rocks were probably playing with the water chemistry too much I ripped out all the seiyru rock and replaced with frodo stone.

With this being inert I am hopeful my water softness will decrease and with it the ph and tds.

To further try and swing the odds me my favour I purchased some new plants to try and increase healthy plant growth and tale the advantage away from algae.

I added Myriophyllum mattogrossense, Hottonia palustris and Ceratopteris thalictroides.

After the first 100L water change the ph seems to have settled around 6.5 before co2 injection. Basically a 1.0 drop compared with using the seiryu.

Keep the advice coming all, thanks for the help so far

Chris