Indeed. Most people I know always use weekly amounts unless otherwise specified. Its just a bit easier to talk weekly because theres a lot of variation in how often people dose.
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Consistency Deficiency
- Thread starter Hufsa
- Start date
_Maq_
Member
I've checked your micros numbers. Perhaps you remember that I always relate micros to phosphorus through Marschner's numbers. As such, molybdenum is (as usual) insane, while boron and esp. zinc are in surprisingly modest (but not insufficient) amount. I think it relates to assumed use of tap water, because both boron and zinc are far less toxic for humans and so are seldom removed from tap water (unlike Fe, Mn, and sometimes Cu).
Still, micros dosing is highly individual. You speak about strong/weak chelates, and I would say that below pH = 7 no chelates are needed. (I do NOT suggest you get rid of chelated iron, I mean it just as an example.)
With increased dosing of a blend of nutrients, you expect a specific nutrient to be the cause of an effect. Yet even so, it may tell us something.
Ideally, you should dose some ammonium-containing blend (Tropica or Arctica, that doesn't matter), and then one day make a big WC and start dosing the same blend but with nitrates instead of ammonium (urea). And we shall see!
Still, micros dosing is highly individual. You speak about strong/weak chelates, and I would say that below pH = 7 no chelates are needed. (I do NOT suggest you get rid of chelated iron, I mean it just as an example.)
This betrays your prejudice.
With increased dosing of a blend of nutrients, you expect a specific nutrient to be the cause of an effect. Yet even so, it may tell us something. Ideally, you should dose some ammonium-containing blend (Tropica or Arctica, that doesn't matter), and then one day make a big WC and start dosing the same blend but with nitrates instead of ammonium (urea). And we shall see!
Well yeah?This betrays your prejudice.
It would be very strange of me to suggest stopping Urea/Ammonia dosing to try to fix a thread algae problem, if I didnt think urea/ammonia had anything to do with thread algae 🙃😉Im not sure there are any of us who are not prejudiced or biased in some way. It matters more what you do with it I think.
The amount going into the tank would be the same whether I feel one way about it or another, so its the observation of any results that could be affected by bias.
Still, ive been wrong about what I think might happen so many times before. And im very careful to evaluate what I observe in as neutral a way as I can.
Im always trying to think if there are other possible explanations that could result in what im seeing.
If people arent satisfied with this then they must unfortunately look elsewhere for experiments 😋
Increasing the dose of Tropica wasnt primarily meant to test if increasing ammonia increases thread algae. If I wanted to test that it would be more appropriate to pour some ammonium sulfate in the tank.
Thats not what im looking to do though. It wasnt many posts ago where I said I think I should do less testing and more enjoying, not more testing. I guess old habits die hard though 😁
Increasing the dose was to see if I could bridge the gap in fertiliser performance between the quarantine tank and the main tank. It would give me a week+ so to figure out what to make and to actually mix the DIY ferts.
Its a pretty short time to run a dosing level on, but im not buying another bottle of premade fert, I just thought it would be nice to use it up.
That was my proposed procedure. At the end of the Tropica bottle, switch to DIY imitation of Tropica that only has NO3 nitrogen.Ideally, you should dose some ammonium-containing blend (Tropica or Arctica, that doesn't matter), and then one day make a big WC and start dosing the same blend but with nitrates instead of ammonium (urea). And we shall see!
It would mean not adjusting the micros back to previous working DIY recipe, and it would mean postponing any use of the algaecide.
Im not sure if I should or not. I would like to not test so much, but still, if adjustment of macro + algaecide worked, we wouldnt know which one did it, or if maybe they were both needed.
That would be a bit of a bummer, because the situation is pretty prime for testing something like this. I think I will need a few days to consider.
So far im really leaning towards no testing, sticking to the original plan.
I havent been enjoying the aquarium for...🤔 I dont even know how long ago last time was 😕 Since summer last year? I guess.
Its hard to care for a high tech tank that you dont really enjoy, it takes a lot of work.
I think I need to do less experimenting and just try to focus on slightly easier ways to enjoy the tank. Like not having massive amounts of algae, and having decent plant growth.
I do enjoy experimenting too, but if its not backed up by any regular "tank is working ok"-ness then its not fun.
Its really tempting but im gonna have to pass on the urea/ammonia factor experiment.
Someone else is welcome to step up and induce a massive slimy green thread algae attack in their display tank though, you have my full blessing 😊😁
The difference between the frogbit in the quarantine tank and the main tank is just so wild, I cant stop thinking about it.
Not just the color, but in the quarantine tank the thickness of the leaves and the petioles is just massive. The roots are finer and softer, less wooden main root, more fine root hairs and they dont seem to grow as long.
In the main tank the frogbit leaves are so thin, I dont think it shows up in pictures but they are wafer thin.
What is causing this massive difference?
The frogbit thats in the quarantine tank sits directly underneath two 13,6W (1521 lm) LED bulbs.
So I wouldnt be surprised if they got a bit more light overall compared to the main tank frogbit thats under a lid with lights not running at full power.
But that cant account for all of this, can it?
If we do external measurements the quarantine tank is a 54 liter. (Theres a HOB not taken into account but I cant even with all this math)
Your addition of 7 ml Tropica Plant Growth Specialized to your 54L aquarium adds:
N 1.737 (NO3 7.68)
P 0.13
K 1.335
Fe 0.089
External measurements main aquarium 250 l + 20 liter from external canisters.
Your addition of 42 ml Tropica Plant Growth Specialized to your 270L aquarium adds:
N 2.084 (NO3 9.22)
P 0.156
K 1.602
Fe 0.107
So they're pretty close
If calculated like this the main tank has supposedly been getting slightly more than the quarantine.The main tank has more plant mass per liter I reckon. Hm.
Maybe something will become clearer in the next few days, since I have increased the dose in the main tank.
I would ideally like to figure this bit out as its really bothering me. But its possible that I will run out of fertilizer before then.
Ive been crunching the numbers for the next batch of DIY ferts today. It will only have N from KNO3 and MgNO3.
The sand snails got stuck in the postal system over the weekend, and arrived this morning. Right now it appears as if most of them have perished 😔 Poor things.
Its been all day and so far there are just 3 that are moving around out of 150 🙁 Im just giving them a lot of time and hoping a few more of them will make it. I very much doubt it will be many.
_Maq_
Member
That's a bad situation, indeed. Dead snails can cause a calamity.
Do you think there's some poisonous substance at play? Something you used months ago and still able to kill snails? - If yes, I rather think there's no reason to wait and you'd re-establish the tank with different substrate. (Even using the same wood decorations seems questionable...).
Sad development...😞
Ive been busy cooking up potions all day 🥵 (+ night 😴)
Tropica premade was running out fast with increased dosing.
The new fertilizer solutions will be dosed as of tomorrow 😊
This is gonna be a numbers heavy post, so ill put some of the worst of it in spoilers to cut down on the bulk 😊
The micros will be the same as the best working recipe from dec/jan, except a tweak to the Mo.
Maq pointed out to me just how high it is relative to the others, and I just dont see any circumstance where Mo would need to be higher than Cu. (Im not entirely sure how it ended up that way).
Mo varies quite significantly from trace mix to trace mix when I compare from various sources, so its not unheard of to have it a bit higher than Marschner has it.
But I think higher than Cu is hardly warranted. (Unless the source water has unusually high Cu and the fertilizer is intentionally low on Cu to account for that, but I digress).
Soooo tempted to modify the micros further, but since I really need to reestablish that baseline, I have to wait until next time
...I have ideas as usual 👁️👄👁️
Im keeping the separation of Fe, Mn, and the rest of the micros for now. (I make three separate solutions that each get their own autodoser channel).
When I no longer think I might need to adjust the ratios between them "mid cycle", I will go back to the simpler system of having just a single micro mix that contains all of them.
For a while the macros and micros have been running out at the same time. Making everything on one day is pretty taxing for me, so im going to stagger them again.
That way the work of mixing new solutions is spread out more evenly. The Macro and Micro ferts are usually made to last 9.5~ weeks.
Just this time im gonna cut the Micro down to half the usual volume, which means it will last 4.7~ weeks. A bit over one month.
This also means I get a chance to further tweak the micro recipe a little sooner (Aw yisss 🤩)
After this they will be staggered nicely and next time I can make the micro solution last longer again.
A bit modified weekly macro:
(Dosing 1/7 this daily)
15 NO3 ppm
1 PO4 ppm
5 K ppm
Bit richer (up from 10 NO3, 0.8 PO4, ? K).
Im tired of looking at slightly hungry plants. Would rather lean (huehuehue) onto the EI side for a bit and make sure there is excess.
Id rather dial it down later than play catch-up right now, and the plants could use a general boost. Will monitor the accumulation
Only got NO3 nitrogen sources now, no Urea or Ammonia. This is part 1 of the 1-2-punch for the thread algae.
Setting K to 5, mostly so I wont have to use so much MgNO3 to get the K "low enough". (I somewhat enjoy how it has become the villain du jour 🤭 I dont have any strong opinions on it yet)
Front loading is back too of course 😈 I feel like my plants appreciate the consistency in nutrient levels, although I dont have any concrete evidence at the moment.
Just to reiterate a recent-ish change to the method, my front loading is dosed on the water changed, not on the whole tank volume.
Its still made to give the same ppm's as the weekly macro totals though.
If anyone is curious about using two or more nitrogen sources (including using it in IFC calculator), I have included my method for it below:
For the nerds 😘 these are the values in the water barrel when its ready to go into the aquarium.
The ferts were made with Acetic Acid (White Vinegar) this time, so im very interested to see if the floaties appear in the solutions towards the end of the cycle.
I checked the old solutions before pouring them out, and there were a bit less floaties than usual in them.
(Floaties in Macro but less than usual, none in Micro, some in Fe mix, and the Mn mix was slightly milky 🤷♀️ That said, they have been standing around for a while now)
I suspect how clean the containers etc are makes a good difference.
Because of that I went to extra lengths to clean and sterilize where possible today, so im hoping that will help.
Ill check the solutions before they run out next time so I can note if there have been improvement.
Time to get some sleep 🥱😴
Tropica premade was running out fast with increased dosing.
The new fertilizer solutions will be dosed as of tomorrow 😊
This is gonna be a numbers heavy post, so ill put some of the worst of it in spoilers to cut down on the bulk 😊
The micros will be the same as the best working recipe from dec/jan, except a tweak to the Mo.
Maq pointed out to me just how high it is relative to the others, and I just dont see any circumstance where Mo would need to be higher than Cu. (Im not entirely sure how it ended up that way).
Mo varies quite significantly from trace mix to trace mix when I compare from various sources, so its not unheard of to have it a bit higher than Marschner has it.
But I think higher than Cu is hardly warranted. (Unless the source water has unusually high Cu and the fertilizer is intentionally low on Cu to account for that, but I digress).
Soooo tempted to modify the micros further, but since I really need to reestablish that baseline, I have to wait until next time
...I have ideas as usual 👁️👄👁️Im keeping the separation of Fe, Mn, and the rest of the micros for now. (I make three separate solutions that each get their own autodoser channel).
When I no longer think I might need to adjust the ratios between them "mid cycle", I will go back to the simpler system of having just a single micro mix that contains all of them.
(Dosing 1/7 this daily)
Micro Fert #1:
Fe 0.42 ppm (Fe 11% DTPA & Fe Gluconate, 50%/50%)
Micro Fert #2:
Mn 0.21 ppm (Mn 13% EDTA)
Micro Fert #3:
Zn 0.028 ppm (Zn 14% EDTA)
B 0.028 ppm (Boric Acid)
Cu 0.0085 ppm (Cu 14% EDTA)
Mo 0.0085 ppm (Ammonium Molybdate)
Ni 0.0001 ppm (Nickel Sulfate)
Micro Fert #1:
Fe 0.42 ppm (Fe 11% DTPA & Fe Gluconate, 50%/50%)
Micro Fert #2:
Mn 0.21 ppm (Mn 13% EDTA)
Micro Fert #3:
Zn 0.028 ppm (Zn 14% EDTA)
B 0.028 ppm (Boric Acid)
Cu 0.0085 ppm (Cu 14% EDTA)
Mo 0.0085 ppm (Ammonium Molybdate)
Ni 0.0001 ppm (Nickel Sulfate)
For a while the macros and micros have been running out at the same time. Making everything on one day is pretty taxing for me, so im going to stagger them again.
That way the work of mixing new solutions is spread out more evenly. The Macro and Micro ferts are usually made to last 9.5~ weeks.
Just this time im gonna cut the Micro down to half the usual volume, which means it will last 4.7~ weeks. A bit over one month.
This also means I get a chance to further tweak the micro recipe a little sooner (Aw yisss 🤩)
After this they will be staggered nicely and next time I can make the micro solution last longer again.
A bit modified weekly macro:
(Dosing 1/7 this daily)
15 NO3 ppm
1 PO4 ppm
5 K ppm
Bit richer (up from 10 NO3, 0.8 PO4, ? K).
Im tired of looking at slightly hungry plants. Would rather lean (huehuehue) onto the EI side for a bit and make sure there is excess.
Id rather dial it down later than play catch-up right now, and the plants could use a general boost. Will monitor the accumulation
Only got NO3 nitrogen sources now, no Urea or Ammonia. This is part 1 of the 1-2-punch for the thread algae.
Setting K to 5, mostly so I wont have to use so much MgNO3 to get the K "low enough". (I somewhat enjoy how it has become the villain du jour 🤭 I dont have any strong opinions on it yet)
Front loading is back too of course 😈 I feel like my plants appreciate the consistency in nutrient levels, although I dont have any concrete evidence at the moment.
Just to reiterate a recent-ish change to the method, my front loading is dosed on the water changed, not on the whole tank volume.
Its still made to give the same ppm's as the weekly macro totals though.
If anyone is curious about using two or more nitrogen sources (including using it in IFC calculator), I have included my method for it below:
Before I work out how much KNO3 I can use without going above the desired level of K, I need to figure out how much K the KH2PO4 adds.
Im using the Rotala Calculator for this bit (if you have itchy brain like me, you can decrease the auto rounding in the last box for maximum obsessiveness 😈)
KH2PO4 - Target 1ppm PO4
Element ppm/degree
PO4 1
P 0.326128385155
K 0.411663562115
5 K target - 0.411663562115 K = 4.58833643789 K
KNO3 - Target 7.2770280252345ppm NO3
Element ppm/degree
NO3 7.277028025235
N 1.643815727357
K 4.588336437890
Manually adjusting amount of KNO3 until I hit the K number established above.
There is guaranteed to be an easier way to calculate this than brute-forcing it manually, im just not a natural math wizard and too lazy to find out how.
15 NO3 target - 7.2770280252345 NO3 = 7.72297197477 NO3
Mg(NO3)2.6H2O - Target 7.72297197477ppm NO3
Element ppm/degree
Mg 1.513646330753
NO3 7.722971974770
N 1.744595122112
dGH 0.349406477477
To get the ratio of KNO3 to MgNO3 to put into the IFC, I take the values of NO3 from Rotala Calc and remove the decimal points because the IFC ratios only allow whole numbers.
Then I trim off a few of the last digits to keep the ridiculousness down a smidge.
KNO3 given NO3 7.277028025235 -> 7277028025235 -> 727702 from KNO3
MgNO3 given NO3 7.722971974770 -> 7722971974770 -> 772297 from MgNO3
727702 to 772297 ratio of KNO3 to MgNO3, input these in the ratio fields of the IFC to get a more or less perfect K level.
This can of course also be adapted to include Urea and/or Ammonia.
Im using the Rotala Calculator for this bit (if you have itchy brain like me, you can decrease the auto rounding in the last box for maximum obsessiveness 😈)
KH2PO4 - Target 1ppm PO4
Element ppm/degree
PO4 1
P 0.326128385155
K 0.411663562115
5 K target - 0.411663562115 K = 4.58833643789 K
KNO3 - Target 7.2770280252345ppm NO3
Element ppm/degree
NO3 7.277028025235
N 1.643815727357
K 4.588336437890
Manually adjusting amount of KNO3 until I hit the K number established above.
There is guaranteed to be an easier way to calculate this than brute-forcing it manually, im just not a natural math wizard and too lazy to find out how.
15 NO3 target - 7.2770280252345 NO3 = 7.72297197477 NO3
Mg(NO3)2.6H2O - Target 7.72297197477ppm NO3
Element ppm/degree
Mg 1.513646330753
NO3 7.722971974770
N 1.744595122112
dGH 0.349406477477
To get the ratio of KNO3 to MgNO3 to put into the IFC, I take the values of NO3 from Rotala Calc and remove the decimal points because the IFC ratios only allow whole numbers.
Then I trim off a few of the last digits to keep the ridiculousness down a smidge.
KNO3 given NO3 7.277028025235 -> 7277028025235 -> 727702 from KNO3
MgNO3 given NO3 7.722971974770 -> 7722971974770 -> 772297 from MgNO3
727702 to 772297 ratio of KNO3 to MgNO3, input these in the ratio fields of the IFC to get a more or less perfect K level.
This can of course also be adapted to include Urea and/or Ammonia.
For the nerds 😘 these are the values in the water barrel when its ready to go into the aquarium.
Ca 30 ppm
Mg 10 ppm (+1.51) Im leaving this one "imperfect" because I cant be bothered to adjust the remineralization amounts for every minor tweak I make to MgNO3 macro usage.
Cl 12.5 ppm
SO4 75.8 ppm
Na 5.3 ppm (I found out the water works doesnt use NaOH after all. Im wondering if the Na is carried up to our water supply by the wind from the sea)
2.94 dKH
6.51 dGH (+0.34) Ref. note above
N 3.38 ppm (100% from NO3)
NO3 15 ppm
P 0.32 ppm
PO4 1 ppm
K 5 ppm
Mg 10 ppm (+1.51) Im leaving this one "imperfect" because I cant be bothered to adjust the remineralization amounts for every minor tweak I make to MgNO3 macro usage.
Cl 12.5 ppm
SO4 75.8 ppm
Na 5.3 ppm (I found out the water works doesnt use NaOH after all. Im wondering if the Na is carried up to our water supply by the wind from the sea)
2.94 dKH
6.51 dGH (+0.34) Ref. note above
N 3.38 ppm (100% from NO3)
NO3 15 ppm
P 0.32 ppm
PO4 1 ppm
K 5 ppm
The ferts were made with Acetic Acid (White Vinegar) this time, so im very interested to see if the floaties appear in the solutions towards the end of the cycle.
I checked the old solutions before pouring them out, and there were a bit less floaties than usual in them.
(Floaties in Macro but less than usual, none in Micro, some in Fe mix, and the Mn mix was slightly milky 🤷♀️ That said, they have been standing around for a while now)
I suspect how clean the containers etc are makes a good difference.
Because of that I went to extra lengths to clean and sterilize where possible today, so im hoping that will help.
Ill check the solutions before they run out next time so I can note if there have been improvement.
Time to get some sleep 🥱😴
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_Maq_
Member
That's THE news! Sodium may originate from the sea. But in my country, situated much further from the ocean, similar values are common in tap water. Many rocks release sodium through weathering, and some industrial pollution can add to this.
I think the high content of molybdenum in trace mixes is derived from agriculture.
Molybdenum is different from other trace metals in that it forms an anion. Plants take up molybdenum in the form of molybdate (MoO4 2-), which is similar to sulfate, and its uptake is in competitive relationship with sulfate. Unlike other metals, molybdate seldom forms precipitates (just like sulfate) and can be easily lost with water run-off. Beside that, its toxicity for plants is low. I think this is the reason why trace mixes for farmers contain absurdly high amounts of molybdenum.
But compare the situation with an aquarium where molybdate has nowhere to run away!
It surely must have been a tedious job to make solutions diluted like this. Me, I don't dose Mo and Ni at all. I think pollen in the air is enough. And fish food contributes more than enough, too. That said, I've got no fish, I'm using solely RO+DI water and my tanks are covered with glass. Still, I've never suspected my plants were short of molybdenum or nickel.
Here is an example supporting my approach: Do you dose cobalt? Of course not. But cobalt is an essential element for cyanobacteria. If we could suppress cyanos by depriving them of cobalt, that would be great. But we can't. No matter what we do, cobalt is in every tank.
In nature, cobalt is just as rare as molybdenum, while nickel is relatively more abundant. They are rare, yet present everywhere in tiny amounts. Pollen is a very rich source of all trace elements.
MichaelJ
Member
Hi @Hufsa. I have completely lost track of what your up to 🤣 so apologies if my comments are out of context… one day I think I will go back a couple of months and start reading
Anyway, the whole low K vs Mg is working well for me in both my tanks - Its been two month since I made the tweak. I didn't change anything else in that duration, so I think I can cautiously assume that the improvements I've seen can be attributed to the change in Mg:K ratio.
Thats not great, but keep in mind that some Na (~ 1-2 ppm) is quite common in natural tropical water ways (some may even be beneficial...) - Juruá river at some locations can reach as high as 10 ppm - depending on the season. Of course, vegetation may suffer during that time - I don't know.
Cheers,
Michael
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MichaelJ
Member
Are you telling me that the Two Roma's have been reef tanks all along?
Sure, thing... No need to panic @Hufsa!
... I hope the parrot is still ok Cheers,
Michael
John q
Member
Lol indeed, the romas run at +10mg/l Na.
I mentioned a good few posts ago about people speaking to dead people. X files and all that.... "correlation does not imply causation"
🙄 Hufsa doesn't like rollly eyes..
I mentioned a good few posts ago about people speaking to dead people. X files and all that.... "correlation does not imply causation"
🙄 Hufsa doesn't like rollly eyes..
Dont you worry friends, im not concerned about a little bit of Na 😊
Maybe if it was 50 instead of 5, i might start thinking about it 😉
A fair bit of people use sodium salts for raising KH and various other purposes, and their tanks havent caught fire so 🤷
Maybe if it was 50 instead of 5, i might start thinking about it 😉
A fair bit of people use sodium salts for raising KH and various other purposes, and their tanks havent caught fire so 🤷
He likes to drink the tank water occasionally but he also hasnt caught fire 😁... I hope the parrot is still ok
I bought myself a couple of plants as a treat today, come home and theres a planarian in the bag with them 
Just why cant anything just be nice
Of course its from the store that likes to argue about everything too
I just wanna buy a lil plant without getting predator plague, is that so much to ask 😥
Gonna get a microscope pic of this disgusting critter, and then im gonna do a CO2 dip on the plants. Hes gonna be the control to check that it worked 👿
Just why cant anything just be nice
Of course its from the store that likes to argue about everything too
I just wanna buy a lil plant without getting predator plague, is that so much to ask 😥
Gonna get a microscope pic of this disgusting critter, and then im gonna do a CO2 dip on the plants. Hes gonna be the control to check that it worked 👿
Hi all,
cheers Darrel
I think the sodium (Na) probably is from sea spray, I live 50 miles from the nearest "sea" (Bristol channel) and we get some sodium in the rainwater when we have winter storms.
Our tap water comes from a limestone aquifer and has about 30 ppm Na (I assume left over from its marine origin). If the water has been <"deeper into the crust">, or the aquifer was formed in an <"evaporite basin">, it will be a lot more salts (including sodium) rich.
cheers Darrel
I will write a more proper update soon, but I want you guyses input on something.
Im mentally and practically preparing to do the second part of the 1-2-punch plan, which means the API Algaefix. Im not looking forward to it.
Theres quite a lot of reports of fish death with this stuff. A sizable part of it will likely be from overdosing and failure to aerate the water, so im planning to calculate very very carefully how much water is actually in the main tank system, and then start my dose off much lower than what is recommended. Still havent decided how much lower.
Im really concerned about the fish though 😟
Especially the noodles, they are scaleless fish, and typically these kinds of fish are said to not tolerate the same doses of things as ordinary fish.
What I am thinking about is to catch the few noodles and the rest of the fish in the main tank, and also put them in the quarantine tank, where the shrimp and the new additions are hanging out. This way there will be no risk to them from the Algaefix. The fish that are currently in the quarantine tank do not appear sick (to my relatively experienced eyes).
They are scheduled for a few rounds of dewormer before release, just because thats one of the things I think makes sense to treat for regardless. So any fish added to this tank will need to come along for that.
But in my assessment I think the risk of adding my old fish together with these new ones are quite low compared to having my old fish present for the algae treatment.
Does this sound ok to the rest of you?
Im mentally and practically preparing to do the second part of the 1-2-punch plan, which means the API Algaefix. Im not looking forward to it.
Theres quite a lot of reports of fish death with this stuff. A sizable part of it will likely be from overdosing and failure to aerate the water, so im planning to calculate very very carefully how much water is actually in the main tank system, and then start my dose off much lower than what is recommended. Still havent decided how much lower.
Im really concerned about the fish though 😟
Especially the noodles, they are scaleless fish, and typically these kinds of fish are said to not tolerate the same doses of things as ordinary fish.
What I am thinking about is to catch the few noodles and the rest of the fish in the main tank, and also put them in the quarantine tank, where the shrimp and the new additions are hanging out. This way there will be no risk to them from the Algaefix. The fish that are currently in the quarantine tank do not appear sick (to my relatively experienced eyes).
They are scheduled for a few rounds of dewormer before release, just because thats one of the things I think makes sense to treat for regardless. So any fish added to this tank will need to come along for that.
But in my assessment I think the risk of adding my old fish together with these new ones are quite low compared to having my old fish present for the algae treatment.
Does this sound ok to the rest of you?
Hmm. Disregard my last post.. I think I might need to just "rip the bandaid off" 🤔😬
Im gonna catch the last of the shrimp now, because they cannot be present for sure.
And then ill collect some more LC50 and preferably NOEC data for Polixetonium chloride, compare it to the resulting concentration from the API Algaefix suggested dose, and then start really low and use time to work my way up to the lowest effective concentration / suggested dose.
Will probably spend a few days just to start it, dont wanna mess this up.
Im gonna catch the last of the shrimp now, because they cannot be present for sure.
And then ill collect some more LC50 and preferably NOEC data for Polixetonium chloride, compare it to the resulting concentration from the API Algaefix suggested dose, and then start really low and use time to work my way up to the lowest effective concentration / suggested dose.
Will probably spend a few days just to start it, dont wanna mess this up.
_Maq_
Member
Is this really necessary?
What about UV-C lamp?
John q
Member
Never used Algaefix but my suspicion would be that to get an effective dose level that will totally "Nuke" the algae it is also likely to become harmful to the fish, possibly the plants, and maybe the beneficial microbes in the tank, again this is only my suspicion, and could well be me being overly concerned.
In any event, if there is the slightest chance that the fish could suffer then I think removing them to the quarantine tank would be the sensible approach.
Whatever you decided to do I wish you well mate.
