BGA and Nutrient Deficiency?

[dw1305]

Hi all,
George's video was interesting.

Old leaves become algae magnets, and leaves grown in the atmosphere and then plunged in water, as you know, will be lost in time, and as they are gradually fading colonised by algae.

That is an issue, other than plants like Anubias barteri where leaves will survive and grow underwater, all the leaves that were formed emersed will senesce in the aquarium.

Lots of folk believe that lower light levels help control algae, I think, and I may be wrong, that apart from shade loving plants, all low light does is slow down photosynthesis - in plants and algae.

Light availability (<"Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)">) drives photosynthesis, the uptake of CO2 and mineral nutrients. Some plants <"will grow at low light levels">, and <"some won't">.

Personally I tend to regard all photosynthetic organisms as "plants", mainly because photosynthesis <"only evolved once"> and there is only one sun. I want conditions where plants grow - <"Algae Spores, CO2, Oxygen & Plant Growth">, after that we can worry about the type of "plant", growth rate etc..

cheers Darrel

 

[Zeus.]

Hi Darrel,
Thanks for your explanation. I have also fish so urea will be the way to go. Now where to get this stuff. Is something like this suitable.

When I used Urea pills for source of NO3, I started slowly increasing the percentage of NO3 target, then I ended up using Urea solely for NO3. However with my DIY auto doser and PLC I had a slight advantage of being able to dose very frequently so the NO2 levels never got high. One dose every 12 mins, so about 100 times a week. So basically the bacteria only got a little ' few drops' to convert at a time.

Not so much an issue with lean dosing and using urea prills as quite a few commercial products also use Urea products. But if dosing EI levels three times week that's a lot of urea in one dose. As for Front Loading and urea - I would not advise

 

[Sanniejop]

When I used Urea pills for source of NO3, I started slowly increasing the percentage of NO3 target, then I ended up using Urea solely for NO3. However with my DIY auto doser and PLC I had a slight advantage of being able to dose very frequently so the NO2 levels never got high. One dose every 12 mins, so about 100 times a week. So basically the bacteria only got a little ' few drops' to convert at a time.

Not so much an issue with lean dosing and using urea prills as quite a few commercial products also use Urea products. But if dosing EI levels three times week that's a lot of urea in one dose. As for Front Loading and urea - I would not advise

Hi Zeus,
Currently i dose every day once with PPSpro recipe and ppm's. But since i started measuring K i noticed accumulation of K. So know i left out the KSO4 from the recipe because i need the KNO3 for the N. When i can dose N seperately I can fine tune more.

I'm afraid my wife will not except the sound of running pumps every 12 min in our living room 😂. But dosing four times per day could maybe be acceptable.

@Zeus. You talk in past tense, so you are not practising this method anymore? For any reason related to urea?
Thanks for your reply

 

[Sanniejop]

Silly question maybe, but can you use AdBlue for diesel car engines for your aquarium? Apparently it is 32.5% urea. 67.5% demineralized water. 🤔 €1 - €1.20 per liter.

 

[Zeus.]

You talk in past tense, so you are not practising this method anymore? For any reason related to urea?

I moved and still in renovation and gave 500L tank to son as no where suitable in new home. So only have a 50l low tech very lean dosing - when I remember as tank just ticking over, DIY AIO made with urea prills. Next tank would strongly consider Front loading Macros with dry salts if tank size warranted it and Micros to suit

 

[Sanniejop]

I moved and still in renovation and gave 500L tank to son as no where suitable in new home. So only have a 50l low tech very lean dosing - when I remember as tank just ticking over, DIY AIO made with urea prills. Next tank would strongly consider Front loading Macros with dry salts if tank size warranted it and Micros to suit

Ah i understand.
Was is exactly meant with "front loading". Is this the adding of ferts to the water used for changes?
Thanks

 

[Zeus.]

Was is exactly meant with "front loading". Is this the adding of ferts to the water used for changes

When we add all the macros for the week straight after the water change. The rational behind it is that when we dose daily or every couple of days esp with the Maros we increase the TDS value of the water over the week, then we do a WC and a drops back down then we rise repeat and the TDS is going up all week then sudden drop down.
When we front load with all the Macros for the week the TDS remains reasonably stable for the week. Adding the Micros daily doesnt change the TDS much as they are very very small amounts compared to the Macros. So its all about stability of TDS over the week/moth/year.
Plus with front loading its much easier the Dry dose the salts esp in bigger tanks, dry dosing has less issues and is easy - just toss 'x' grams in of various salts when filling tank

 

[Sanniejop]

So its all about stability of TDS over the week/moth/year

Ok, i understand that the tds is more stable then. I just bought today a second hand automatic doser for spreading the dosages.😆 At least i will use it for the micros.
But does that front loading also mean that the amount of fertilizer available to the plants is less stable then? Because it will be decreasing over the longer period of time between dosing macros. I would think that that is more critical for plant growth than a stable tds which i asume is also partly determined by less important by products of the fertilization?
That brings me to some question marks that i have already for some time. In my older tank i indeed see a daily rise of the tds because i daily dose pps. But when i stop dosing i would expect that the tds would be decreasing because of the use of fertiliser. But that is, with this tank, not happening.
Currently i am also starting up a new tank and to my surprise i see that the tds is decreasing every day for the first two weeks. Maybe this has something to do with cec of the substrate, but i use plain gravel and sand.

Sorry for going completely of topic. Or maybe not completely because its about preventing deficiencies.

 

[Zeus.]

But does that front loading also mean that the amount of fertilizer available to the plants is less stable then?

Depends on low/lean you dose, if the ferts are not all used up by the end of week then they have been in abundance all week, so all is good.

I have read and been formed by several folk with many years experience that they have change to front loading and they was pleased with results, how much was emperors new clothes' syndrome I dunno. But it saves have a macro auto doser if nothing else