Ok, C02 and lighting upgraded....now what ferts?

M

Mooch28

AC Members
Dec 24, 2004
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Toronto (Brampton)
Hey guys,

I just ordered a Milwaukee CO2 Regulator with needle valve, solenoid valve, and bubble counter. Now im off to go and buy a reactor and a 5 lbs co2 canister. Ive also just upgraded my lighting to PC lighting at 2.8 watts per gallon. The C02 system cost me 195 Canadian total, and the light 60 bucks total Canadian (my friend sold it to me dirt cheap, with the bulbs too, since he doesnt need it anymore! :D )

Anyways, now ive got high light, and C02 injection or will soon anyways. The next step, what ferts too add? Ive heard that plants consume ferts very quickly with the addition of C02 and light, but im wondering if giving iron on a weekly basis will be enough? Will phosphates, nitrogen, etc not be provided by the fish?

Thanks again, you guys have been extremely helpful making this one of the best site around!
 
Fish do provide plants with nutrients, but if you've got high light and CO2, it's likely they'll need supplemental NO3 and PO4, and you'll want to add all the trace elements, including iron, so the plants get everything they need.
There are some good bottled fertilizers out there, though I've found that mixing my own ferts saves a lot of money, and it also allows you to tailor the mix to your plants' needs. I tried using a bottled N-P-K fertilizer along with a bottled trace mix, and found that the plants were using up more N than P, and adding more NPK to the tank to get the NO3 up would make the P levels higher than I wanted them. Len suggested mixing my own, and it's working brilliantly :)
If you want to try it, look up PMDD - there are a few minor variations, and you can change what you use depending on the plants' requirements and availability of the chemicals. My mix is listed in my specs (the next batch will have less MgNO3 and more KNO3 - I initially had no KNO3 and was using it to substitute).
Read the sticky on fertilization, and there's a great nutrient calculator on Chuck's Planted Aquaria pages
Once you get a feel for how much your plants are using, you can dose that amount daily or every other day and not have to constantly test NO3/PO4. A weekly 50% water change will help to 're-zero' things and prevent buildup of any element that isn't used up as quickly as the rest, as well as replenishing calcium and other things found in tap water.
 
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With this amount of lighting/CO2, you'll add about 3x a week.
Traces, KNO3 and KH2PO4.
Adding the ferts is easy.

How big is your tank?

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Mooch, the odds are that the trace mix you use will supply plenty of Fe(Iron).
Don't dose extra Fe unless your plants tell you that they need it. Keep it simple and things will go a lot smoother for you.
Go to the pharmacy and pick up Fleets Enema. It is perfect for dosing P. You can use Flourish for Traces, but over time it will cost more than buying Plantex and mixing it up yourself. You can get Plantex and KNO3 from: www.gregwatson.com/

Len
 
Guys, how does the Seachem line up look........I know it may get expensive, but i can get in bulk. This is what im thinking.......

1.Seachem Flourish (for iron and trace elements)
2.Flourish Potassium (not sure if its needed or even what it is)
3.Flourish Nitrogen
4.Flourish Phosphorus

This way i cover the three NPK, and trace elements. Now as for testing, im assuming Nitrate test kit would determine if im using too much nitrogen or not, and a phosphate test kit would determine the same thing.

So this what i understand....

Dose Nitrogen until you get a steady reading of 10 ppm for nitrate
Dose Phosphorus until you get a steady reading of 1ppm of Phosphates

What i dont understand......

What is Potassium and how often should it be dosed? and how often should it be added. Is there anyway of checking the level of it in my aquarium through some test kits?

and....

How often should i dose trace elements (Flourish)? Will a iron test kit help monitoring these levels?

Guys, i really appreciate the fact your willing to help me out.......and cant thank you enough. I feel bad sometimes for constantly asking so many question.......
 
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Sounds good.
You will need an N and a P test kit for testing them. K test kits are not reliable and difficult to read.....don't waste your money.
Dose N and P at 1/2 strength recommended and test for content. Shoot for N = 10ppm and P = 1.0ppm. Whatever you use to reach these levels, use the same amount for the K.
I would suggest that you dose your traces every day. Fe(iron) has a poor 'shelf life' in the tank and keeping it in the water table is highly recommended, IMO. That's why I like to dose smaller amounts, but on a daily basis.
The problem is that I don't know how heavily planted your tank is, so I would say you can do one of two things. Dose according to the bottle instructions, 3X a week or figure out how many mls. the instructions call for on a weekly basis. Then divide that number by 6 and dose that amount every day except for water change day. I hope this is clear. If not, ask and I'll try to clarify for you.
BTW, Fe test kits at the hobbiest level are also quite unreliable, so unless you want to spend the money for a Hach or LaMotte kit, don't bother. The purpose of doing weekly water changes corrects any overages, so it's not that critical. I have never used Fe or K test kits and never felt the need for either.
I have to tell you that for a 72gal. tank, dosing Seachem products is going to be very expensive. They are OK for 10s or 20s, but above that it's a much better idea to go with dry ferts. and Fleet's Enema($1.50 for a 3-4 month supply of P), for Phosphates.
IMO, it's very easy to dose the dry stuff as well.
Check the link I sent you above for prices and you will see what I'm talking about.
You would only need KNO3 and Fleets Enema in addition to Plantex + B. A lot less money outlayed.

Len
 
djlen said:
Sounds good.
You will need an N and a P test kit for testing them. K test kits are not reliable and difficult to read.....don't waste your money.
Dose N and P at 1/2 strength recommended and test for content. Shoot for N = 10ppm and P = 1.0ppm. Whatever you use to reach these levels, use the same amount for the K.
I would suggest that you dose your traces every day. Fe(iron) has a poor 'shelf life' in the tank and keeping it in the water table is highly recommended, IMO. That's why I like to dose smaller amounts, but on a daily basis.
The problem is that I don't know how heavily planted your tank is, so I would say you can do one of two things. Dose according to the bottle instructions, 3X a week or figure out how many mls. the instructions call for on a weekly basis. Then divide that number by 6 and dose that amount every day except for water change day. I hope this is clear. If not, ask and I'll try to clarify for you.
BTW, Fe test kits at the hobbiest level are also quite unreliable, so unless you want to spend the money for a Hach or LaMotte kit, don't bother. The purpose of doing weekly water changes corrects any overages, so it's not that critical. I have never used Fe or K test kits and never felt the need for either.
I have to tell you that for a 72gal. tank, dosing Seachem products is going to be very expensive. They are OK for 10s or 20s, but above that it's a much better idea to go with dry ferts. and Fleet's Enema($1.50 for a 3-4 month supply of P), for Phosphates.
IMO, it's very easy to dose the dry stuff as well.
Check the link I sent you above for prices and you will see what I'm talking about.
You would only need KNO3 and Fleets Enema in addition to Plantex + B. A lot less money outlayed.

Len
Click to expand...


Is this the dry ferts your refering too?

http://www.gregwatson.com/products.asp?cat=8

If so, which is which...sorry bit confused here.........

Aslo, what are Fleets Enema and Plantex +B?
 
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