Dosage advice (low light, co2)

[EnderUK]

Hi this is kind of a continuation of the thread I posted in the substrate section capping dirt suitable for blue rams | UK Aquatic Plant Society

There it was recommended I use the duckweed index to determine if I dose or not. I want to combine the duckweed index along with the low ligh weekely method here Yet Another Nutrient Calculator using equalibrium, KNO3 and KH2PO2.

Now currently my tank water is around 4.48 dGH 2.8 dKH due to the fact I put cuttlebone into the substrate. When I redo my tank I had planned use oyster shells, but in the substrate thread people adviced me this would be a bad idea with the pair of rams I had in the tank due to raising kH and gH. My tap water is around 2.24 dGH and 1.12 dKH so Im hoping for around that in my tank.

Now equalibrium will raise the GH around 0.8 if I follow the weekely recommendations but I was planning on trying to make the dosage a bit leaner with the duckweed index. The plan was to start with about 1/2 the dosage of equalibrium and dose evey two weeks instead of every one week and do a 30% water change every week. If I need to up the dosage I will according to the duckweed index. I'm hoping along with the soil substrate that the plants will get enough traces.

Do I still dose the K and P at the full amount to start with or should I start lean with those as well. Should I wait a week or two for the tank to settle before dosing? I plan on doing 30% daily water changes for the first two weeks so stop soil leaching etc though that should be minimum with the aquarium soil I'm using.

Roma 125L tank
Light is 2x28w t5 Juwel Tropical 6 hours first month, 7 second month, then 8 hours a day.
CO2 from a FE will be added after first.

EDIT: From what I've read adding CO2 does not actually effect the fact this is a low light system. So I should be using the low light weekly dosage system. What I'm concerned about is the 0.8 added dGH from the equalibrium. Would I be better just adding Trace mix from one of the sponsor websites.

 

[Ravenswing]

Hi!

Every time you add CO2 (DIY; pressurized, liquid...) you can call it as high-tech. Among that (CO2) the needs of the plants step to a new level. I would suggest you start with EI and then adjust amounts of fertz as your tank is needed. It is good to see that everything goes well at the beginning before start playing with amounts and fertz needed. I think it is always easier to start with (maybe too) hight dosages to ensure plants always and constantly have what they really need than start with low dosages, end up with problems and then try to figure out what went wrong. This is my receipe with all my tanks: start with EI. And then when things are beautifully I start adjusting amounts of fertz down to the level of needs of the specific tank. My sons 300-litre Ram-tank runs with only T8 1x38w tube but with triple-daily Glut I still need to throw "tons" of fertz in to it...thou much more less than when we had metalhalides above the tank! Im used to start with full fertz as soon as I set the CO2 running and found this working well but not sure how others do...? I also start with low(er) light, if just possible.

Good luck with the tank! Rams are so cool little fish, good luck with them too!

 

[EnderUK]

Okay I'll probably start with the EI daily method in the sticky just seems easier than working out what day of the week it is ha. It also seems to be a bit leaner on the GH booster that's if the GH booster is the same as Equalibrium. I'll purchase the trace minerals as well.

Can I mix the KN03+Equilibrium+TM togeather in a dosage bottle and then just add the KH2PO2 seperately to stop the Fe and PO2 percpitation? I know the micros are usualy mixed but that's because they're usually added at the same time but I'll be doing daily dosage. I read that low light CO2 tanks is usually about 1/2-1/3 the amount of uptake than the high light.

My goal really is to get somewhere in the middle maintance wise. I'm not really wanting to do 50% water changes every other day (I'm on a water meter and Yorkshire what would love me). I am happy to do 50% or 2x30% water changes a week and I do want nice plant growth. EDIT: I might of read this wrong seems the EI method only needs a one 50% WC a week which might be okay. I would like to reduce this though.

Is it all possible to do high tech for the first 6 months before turning the co2 off and dosing at a reduce level once the plants have grown in or will this switch cause problems. I would consider this is the maintance becomes to high.

 

[EnderUK]

Okay let's see if I have this so I'll start with the EI dosages and then reduce as explained above and in the Barr Report, Once I hit my critical point I can reduce my weekly water change maybe even do it every other week.

I follow this routine modified for 125L and halved for daily dosage with micro going in in the morning and macro going in at night.

1/4 teaspoon of KNO3 + 1/16th-1/32nd KH2PO4 x 3 a week (every other day)
Traces x 3 a week, 5mls each time.
Rest Day.
SeaChem Equilibrium 1/8 teaspoon after water change.

After two weeks I cut the amount by say 10% and dose at that cutting it down every two weeks until my floating plants start show signs of deficiencies.

Easy so far just a couple of things I'm trying to get my head around.

1st Why do we do the equilbrium on the w/c day can't I put it in smaller amounts daily? I would really like to cut as much of the GH booster out as possible.

2nd. When it comes to traces can I simply use traces from the plantedtankuk or the TNC traces? They both seem to me missing out on Mg found in both TMC (Plant Nutrition Liquid) and CSM+B with Sulphur missing out of of both the TNC and CSM+B. Are these important trace will I need to add them and how?

EDIT: Found my answer epsom salts but this rises the GH. Can I skip this or will it not harm the Blue Rams?

Last. Do I just dose the traces up to 0.2-0.5 ppm Fe?

Cheers folks I am doing my research but times starting to run out. Almost the weekend when this all starts.

 

[ceg4048]

The best advice for the OP is to stop worrying about ppm and all these other details about water hardness.

As far as dosing, do whatever it is that makes your life richer. If you like smaller amounts dosed daily then just get on with it. The plants don't really care.

Learn how to grow plants using the basic and fundamental "rules of thumb" first. By the time this is figured out, how to grow a healthy tank, then all the rest will have fallen into place. Specific problems cannot be predicted, so there is no point worrying bout how the dosing should be reduced when it may turn out that more nutrition is needed. There are lots of factors at play in the tank, and really, the fish do not care, so it's no good worrying about a problem that doesn't even exist.

Adding CO2 is a BIG DEAL. The OP needs to worry about that first and foremost because it will kill fish if applied incompetently, and will cause plant problems if supplied in insufficient quantity. CO2 is a Catch-22 that needs strict attention. Dosing is the easiest and least complicated part of this whole endeavor.

Cheers,

 

[EnderUK]

As much as I like my plants my fish are top priority but Ill take the advice that the EI won't harm them. I know the dangers of co2 and I'll start off slow and monitor carefully aiming for the 30ppm throughout the photo period. It's the reason I've upgraded from the diy kit to the fe kit so I have more control.