• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

What am I doing wrong?

Ahh you could be on to something here mate. The co2 should be on a couple of hours before the lights to give the gas time to dissolve into the water. The plants will start soaking up the co2 and when the lights kick in they'll use it for grow.

If the gas doesn't have time to dissolve the lights come on and the plants have nothing to use so will grab what little gas there is as it comes in which would maybe explain the DC not changing colour or if it is will be much later on maybe even when the lights have gone off.

Doesn't explain your ph drop measured with the pen mind you but thats still low anyway.

Definitely start injecting earlier mate and see how that affects the DC. Thing is with a 6 hour period and the DC being a couple of hours behind it won't get much opportunity to change before the lights go off.


Sent from my STH100-2 using Tapatalk
 
Just a thought, you're using a 4dkh premixed solution with bromo blue right?

Sent from my STH100-2 using Tapatalk
 
My co2 comes on 2 hrs before lights so dc is green when lights come on how often u doin water changes cause every water change ressets ur ferts as u take them out
 
Something Fishy said:
Yeah that’s right and then some ready made ones too that came from HK - premixed
Click to expand...

What colour is the stuff that came from HK? I got some from China a long time ago which was orange and had bother getting a reading.

Jayefc1 said:
My co2 comes on 2 hrs before lights so dc is green when lights come on how often u doin water changes cause every water change ressets ur ferts as u take them out
Click to expand...

The ferts will always be enough or higher than required with EI dosing if you dose after water changes. The principle of it is never to run out or have less than can be used in one day.

If you look at EI dosing taken from the UKAPS Article, essentially if you add the following weekly to your tank your tank couldn't possibly use up that much fertiliser at very high lighting is the theory. I say theory but pretty much tried and tested.

Nitrate (NO3) 20ppm per week
Potassium (K) 30ppm per week
Phosphate (PO4) 3ppm per week
Magnesium (Mg) 10ppm per week
Iron (Fe) 0.5ppm per week

So for instance, in the case of nitrate divide the 20ppm up into 7days and your tank could only get through 2.8ppm per day. We usually divide the 20ppm into three doses and dose alternative days, for me I do Saturday water change and dose the Macros NPK right after it and Monday and Wednesday then dose the Traces Sun, Tues, Thursday leaving Friday as a day off. So if you dose right after the water change the dose is roughly 7ppm or 6.66ppm if you're that way out, considering the tank can only use 2.8ppm per day as you can see you will never not have enough ferts. That's how EI works. Same applies to all the other ferts in that list. It's a belt and braces approach to fertiliser.

As long as you've mixed it properly or adding the recommended amount dry in the guide where you got them whatever issue you're having in your tank right now you can rule out it being ferts and concentrate on the co2 and cleanliness bit. I tend to use james planted tank guide for dosing which is nice and simple, just tell it how much water is in your tank and let it tell you how much to dose based on the weekly parameters above divided by three if your are going to dose alternate days.

Just bare in mind that EI is based on a max amount so chances are you might need less. If you have issues best dose EI, when you don't have issues you can if you want try dosing a little less and see how that pans out but unless you're keeping very sofwater fish and want to keep the hardness of your water down there's little point. Ferts are that cheap when bought dry and your tank isn't massive.
 
Just to add to that, if you fancy some extra water changes say mid week as well which is a good thing as it removes more organic waste which algae thrive off just do the same again on a macro day, change some water and then dose again preferably before the lights and co2 have came on. Nothing lost except maybe some traces on that day but traces are of lesser importance and they get replenished the next day anyway.
 
Update for tonight chaps 🙂

I’m using fresh 4dkh with 3 drops of API ph checker normal range brom blue now just to be sure.

View Vid showing co2

Gas going in fast as you can see, lighting on 4 clicks out of 7 to make sure. You can see the edges of the leaves and how bad they all are.

Cheers 🙂


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Missed your reply dude sorry!

Yeah it’s blue they all are? ... so much co2 tonight and still no change. Blizzare. Almost want to test in a sealed box to ensure it can go green and stop me going mad ha!

Cleanliness I’m pretty good at and I’m dosing macro micro EI now alternating 5ml a day with rest day. Water change twice a week 50%.
 
Hey man, you need to give at least 2 weeks between changes to make sure the changes are working for you.
 
foxfish said:
Have you done a ph test yet?
Click to expand...

Hey man

Yeah posted a bit higher up, it was around 7.8 dormant , and 7.4 last time I tested. Changes every time though and depending on the time of day.

I’ll do a test today before I got out and then another later after co2 has been on for a few hours?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
rebel said:
Hey man, you need to give at least 2 weeks between changes to make sure the changes are working for you.
Click to expand...

Hi mate, what do you mean - wait between water changes?

I just figured I’m getting out the previous water and keeping it fresh, dosing too of course! My main current confusion is the co2 not dissolving seemingly at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Something Fishy said:
I just figured I’m getting out the previous water and keeping it fresh, dosing too of course! My main current confusion is the co2 not dissolving seemingly at all.
Click to expand...

Like @foxfish says mate do a PH test with your pen starting before co2 comes on the every half hours throughout your lighting period and let us know the results, your tank has good surface agitation which will gas off a fair bit of the co2 but keep the water well oxygenated. The oxygen side of things is a good thing but you pay the price of needing more co2 to get that drop. If you are getting a decent drop on the ph pen you may need to look at why the drop checker fluid isn't playing ball. I saw someone on here once breathing into a dc once and the co2 exhaled was enough to change the colour, maybe worth a try. Also maybe put a bit more fluid in it and hold something white like a plastic ruler or spoon behind it so you can get a better look at the colour. Some of these fluids are hard to get a reading on as the tank lights and reflections from lights affect the colour. I think the JBL and dennerle ones have a white plastic insert to get a better reading. Not as sexy looking in the tank but more practical.

Other than that i think the tank and what you are doing is fine :thumbup:
 
Tested Ph now pre co2, 7.4

Waiting for the second test afterwards once it’s been on for a few hours again


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
AverageWhiteBloke said:
Like @foxfish says mate do a PH test with your pen starting before co2 comes on the every half hours throughout your lighting period and let us know the results, your tank has good surface agitation which will gas off a fair bit of the co2 but keep the water well oxygenated. The oxygen side of things is a good thing but you pay the price of needing more co2 to get that drop. If you are getting a decent drop on the ph pen you may need to look at why the drop checker fluid isn't playing ball. I saw someone on here once breathing into a dc once and the co2 exhaled was enough to change the colour, maybe worth a try. Also maybe put a bit more fluid in it and hold something white like a plastic ruler or spoon behind it so you can get a better look at the colour. Some of these fluids are hard to get a reading on as the tank lights and reflections from lights affect the colour. I think the JBL and dennerle ones have a white plastic insert to get a better reading. Not as sexy looking in the tank but more practical.

Other than that i think the tank and what you are doing is fine :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Yeah all makes sense mate will keep and eye on the ph! Like I say all makes sense what you have said but I’ve got 3 now all with different solutions so something’s wrong :/
 
Hey guys

So tested now co2 been on for couple of hours - 6.4 now? ... so it’s changed by 1

Drop checkers still all blue - one with 4dkh and api ph tester brom - and the other a premixed solution from HK.

Both not changed at all...743575490ff7ffb6d5ab30bfe5b10189.jpg5c48f26a25c27cda1ccc4a66294dd1bd.jpgee274e4aaf667087748d65cdaeb85082.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Go with the pH drop rather than drop checker colours. To be honest, ideally you should use a pH meter rather than those solutions. Otherwise just check that the plants are responding and leave it at that.
 
Very strange though 😕
 
Good idea yeah! I upped it the other day but still barely green even when super high. Struggling to maintain bps too on extinguisher with the needle valve - do I need a better dual gauge one for more control?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top