Is this O.K.?

[Skittyfish]

I finally got my 72 gallon planted, here is what i have...

4 Red mellon Swords
2 Amazon Swords
1 (2)Compacta Swords
2 Crypt Wendtii
1 Crypt Balansae Or Ciliata not sure which, can't find pic
Dwarf Sagittaria
3 bunchs of Pond Penny
4 Java Fern
Willow Moss
Hornwort (if its leaves grow back)
a tiny bit of water sprite
cambomba (sp?)
A. Ulvaceaus


Should I add CO2? I can only do DIY right now, but would 2 bottles help growth?

I only have 110 w of CF, can add a 40w reg Flourescent
I have been adding Flourish, Flourish Trace, and Flourish Excell.
I also have pure laterite mixed in with the gravel.

What do you think will die, and what should I do to keep it all living? I think my ph is 7.2 or 7.4, Phosphate is reading 0, NO3 is 5 (when I get it to drop from the test bottle) Iron is testing 0,
KH is 30ppm GH is 60ppm. My Ph tends to go up between water changes. Will be about 6.6 to 6.8 just after a change and before the next change can be as high as 7.6.

Any thoughts appreciated. and TIA

[Skittyfish]

What about adding different ferts?

[125gJoe]

Pic Request .

Sounds like a good set-up!

You may want to consider Flourish Potassium also and skip the Excell...

CO2 works wonders on plants -- but not needed until higher lighting comes in to play...

[Skittyfish]

I will certainly try to put a pic on later, to much glare from the sun right now, and only if my hubby can get his camera to work:rolleyes: .

Thanks, I have a huge bottle of Excel, but can I get potassium from something else? Besides the Flourish brand?

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by Skittyfish
IThanks, I have a huge bottle of Excel, but can I get potassium from something else? Besides the Flourish brand? Well, it's most likely fine to use the Excel, but I'm not sure if it's really needed. :confused:

[Skittyfish]

It is pretty cool, when I do about a 30-40% water change, my plants pearl and it looks like a soda bottle. This lasts the first day and part of the second, then the pearling stops. That is when I have been adding a little of the excel.

[djlen]

That pearling probably comes from the traces that are in your tap water when you do your water change as well, probably as small amounts of KNO3, and P. When you get the right combo of adding traces, K,P etc. and add CO2 the tank will pearl all the time. My guess is that DIY is not going to add enough CO2 to make a huge difference. Any CO2 will help, but I run 4 DIY bottles in my 55, and just get the pH where I want it. For a 72 you really need to consider pressurized.
I'm having a little difficulty understanding your pH report. You say it's 7.2 or 7.4, I assume you mean out of the tap, but then you say your pH starts out at 6.6-6.8 and rises during the week. Something doesn't make sense.
Len

[Skittyfish]

no, thats right. Out of the tap it is anywhere from 6.6 to 6.8, and in my tank it rises to 7.6 with the Hagen test kit. I don't have any idea why. Kh is 30, GH is 60. Just now with the Aquarium Pharma. test kit it is 7.0 with the Hagen kit it is 7.6 in the tank. I am beginning to wonder if the Hagen has something wrong with it. The LFS said it was 6.8 yesterday.

[Skittyfish]

O.k. it has been verified that my Hagen Ph test is not right, that would be, WRONG!

Ph is 6.8, and no higher than 7.0. KH is 30ppm or 1.68 dh.

Potassium Sulfate is Allgreen, KCL is Potashn and Potassium Nitrate is Stump Remover Right?

Can I use these or should I just fork over the money and shipping for the Flourish Potassium?

HELP HELP HELP:confused:

[RockysDad]

Your light levels are okay but on the low side. This means that your plant will not grow as fast. I would hold off on the fertilizing for awhile. You don't want to get in a situation where you have more ferts than you plants can utilize. This means algae.

At the most you might want to add some root tablets or Job Sticks for the swords buried deep into the substrate and maybe adding some NO3 till you get about 10ppm but thats about it. The rest of your nutrient will come from the water changes.

Also, adding Excel wouldn't hurt if you already have that. Having a low light tank is less maintances so just sit back, relax and admire your hard work. Good luck!

[plantbrain]

I think you have a good amount of light to grow most things that you want.
The biggest single element that will improve your tank's growth will be adding CO2.

While CO2 is not _required_ like in very high light tanks, the benefits are no less impressive and at 2w/gal, the results are very dramatic.
New Folks always try and weasel around the CO2 issue. My advice is to use it, it's easy once set up and is not much hassle if you get a gas system.

Folks will go out and buy a RO system but then say they don't want to do CO2 which is going about the plant thing all wrong. Plants want 3 things: light, CO2 and nutrients. RO has none of those, algae killers/cures/snake oils etc have none of those.

If growing plants is the goal then focus on growing them by giviong them what they need to grow optimally. There are no algae problems if this done and maintained.

A plant is about 40+% dry weight of carbon so add that if you want better growth.

Your CO2 is way too low, you have about 2-4 ppm of CO2, it needs to be in the 20-30ppm range for optimal growth.
KH is a bit too low, add some baking soda to raise it to about 50ppm or 3KH.
Gh is fine.

Add enough baking soda to get 3 KH and then add only CO2 gas to lower the pH to 6.5 or so and keep it there while the lights are on the whole day, not just in the morning etc.

Once that is set, then you can address things like NO3, PO4, K etc.
Don't even think about anything till the CO2 issue is resolved.
KNO3, K2SO4 etc is easy, cheap and no sweat to add.

Since you do good sized water changes rewgularly, you'll notice the pearling, this is likely due to the high CO2 content that is in the tap water.
Only PO4 and CO2 will cause a dramatic pearling event like that generally.
The large water changes will be good later as you dose the K2SO4, KNO3 etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Skittyfish]

Yes sir. I will try my best for a co2 system. I want pretty plants that grow. I just have to work my way around my husband first. He already thinks I am obsessed with fish, now it will be with the plants too.:D . I am probably goin to get the ultra-life set-up and then get the tank from someone local. I don't know where to buy the parts separately. Thanks for all of your input. I really appreciate it.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by Skittyfish
.... I will try my best for a co2 system. I just have to work my way around my husband first. He already thinks I am obsessed with fish, now it will be with the plants too.:D . I am probably goin to get the ultra-life set-up ..... I don't know where to buy the parts separately. Thanks for all of your input. I really appreciate it. Get the CO2 and you will be obsessed! Here's another option for a CO2 system: Co2 Parts... (http://www.floridadriftwood.com/product.asp?0=217&1=252&3=414)
I got mine from them... The CO2 tank is bought separately. :)

[plantbrain]

You can buy a regulator for 51.95 (www.kegworks.com) and a simple brass adapter part at Home Depoit for 1$ and a needle valve at www.clippard.com or Robert Hudson sells them at www.aquabotanica.com for like 18$ or something. So all you need is silicone air line tubing(everyone uses this), The gas tank which you are getting locally, and some way to diffuse the CO2.

Take a look at the ultralife diffuser, it's really simple and you can make a CO2 reactor out of PVC parts that works as good. So for about 10-15$ for that and 71$, all you need is the tank. You should be able to get a complete set up with tank etc, for 150$ or less.

Tell your spouse that you can sell the plants for $ to pay for supplies etc. Ask him to help you find the part at Home Depot(A brass 1/4" to 1/8" threaded bushing) and assemble it for you. Put his butt to work:-)
Oh yea, it's V-D day coming up so he needs to behave.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Skittyfish]

Umm.. V-D day?

Yeah, i am going to get this stuff, I love to watch the plants pearl, and my LFS will buy them.

I have decided that maybe the LFS owner is not to swift...She said I was nuts for putting coconut shells in my tank and that was why my kh was low (snicker). I told her the kh was the same before the coconut's were added. She also told me to just use Tuffa rock to raise the kh and that is all that I would need. She is the one who tried to tell me to just turn my filters off at night to preserve the CO2 in the tank. Usually I ask her opinion and then I check it out here and elsewhere on the net:p .

Thanks Tom for your help as I greatly appreciate it.

[plantbrain]

Just give a "knowing smile" and bring in bags and bags of plants.
The proof is in the pudding.
You'll enjoy growing plants. Especially when you can sell/trade them at the LFS. But when they ask how you did this, and they will, you can tell them CO2, NO3 and PO4 etc.
"Whaaaat ? You add NO3 and PO4?"

I love that when they say that.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[dillct]

Just to add to Toms post. The clippard valve I ues is a MNV-4K2 works great and is only 10 bucks. And by the way, dont skimp on CO2 tank size. You'll be very happy with a 20. I tend to have to refill my 5lb every six months or so. Wish I would have bought the bigger bottle.

Chaz