Thank you TOM B.

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spankey

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Dec 21, 2001
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Boyertown, PA
Tom-

I wanted to take the time to thank you for the suggestions you made for me about my tank last week.. I have been noticing alot of hair algae on my plants and my glass. Also some spot algae but that is normal for most people...

By doing the 50% water change. Then adding 10ml of flourish and 1/2 tsp of KNo3/K2So4. I then ever other day add 1/4 tsp of KNO3 and 10ml of flourish. I have seen a change for the better in the tank. You are so right that I thought that over dosing the tank would cause the algae out break.. Well it hasn't gotten worse. In fact its not showed up at all on the glass since last week...

Before within 1 day I would have a new growth of hair on the front of my tank. By the next day a full sheet that I would have to scrape.... This was an everyday routine.... Now I haven't had to do this for a week now....

I also added a third bottle to the Co2 mix. Two are the normal water,yeast sugar method the third, I wanted to try the jello mix just for fun. Can't hurt can it. The fish seem fine and the plants are pearling like a can of soda...... Thats what I want right?

Is this routine ok to keep up. Weekly water changes of 50%, then add the 1/2tsp. of KNO3/K3SO4 and 10ml of flourish? Then ever other day add 1/4 (or should I add 1/2tsp.) of KNO3 and 10ml of flourish... Remeber this is a 55 gallon tank... 160 watts of NO flourescent...

Thanks again for helping me out. I think I got lazy on my part with the changing of the bottles of CO2. I seen people changing bottles every 4 days to every week.. I was assuming as long as its bubbling its fine? Then two weeks later, ALGAE:eek: . Now I will change them every 4 to7 days.... This seem ok?

Thanks again....

Spankey:)
 

Tempest

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Jun 8, 2002
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Wichita, KS
Great Spankey !!

I'm still just using two bottles and changing *one* every four days to keep the flow more even. I also keep the bottles warm. My staghorn seems to have left the scene now but the edges of my sagittaria still have some dark stuff on the older leaves. I remove that each week when I trim.

I seem to use up about a 1/4 tsp of KNO3 a day. Maybe a little less... I was dosing daily but found the fish didn't seem to mind if I used the full 1/2 tsp every other day.

I've never had too much of a problem with green spot algae. I'm not sure if that's due to dosing the tank well or if the bristlenose catches it before it gets set good but I usually only clean the glass every two or three weeks which I appreciate. :D
 

spankey

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Dec 21, 2001
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Boyertown, PA
Tempest-

Glad to hear your tanks stag ran away. I hated it with a pasion. Now I have slight hair left but its slowly going away..


I am still drawing a blank here on the tank, as I stated in other posts. I am not sure if the fish load is keeping the NO3 up or the plants aren't using it up at all?

I check it daily and it never moves? Up nor down? So I still add it just to be safe, incase the tests are wrong. Although, even with the TETRA,A PHARM, and WARDLEY NO3 kits, all test the same. 10ppm... So they must be close to accurate enough for me...

The only water column plants I have in the tank are wisteria and java moss, and some java fern... Now mind you there is new growth there on all plants. And the tank pearls all day long... SO they must be using something... I really think the fish load might be helping the plants along in the line of NO3? Could I be wrong here?

55 Gallon Load:

ALL FISH ARE ABOUT 1.5 inches some smaller

4 rosey barbs
4 cherry barbs
10 zebra danios
2 guppies
4 mollies (3 black 1 white)
1 flying fox
1 otto
1 gips pelco(baby)

The tank doesn't look crowded at all. In fact they are growing quite slow which I like. I was used to oscars and convicts... To me they grew so fast... At least when I fed them..LOL

I feed every other day and it keeps them grazing on what algae they can find till I feed... And I only feed one pinch of flakes and it gets eating in like 3 seconds.... SO there isn't to much dropping to the bottom and rotting?

I can't figure out why my plants aren't eating the NO3 as fast as others even with the CO2 going? SO this is my only concluding theroy? Someone can anyone confirm this?

Thanks
Spankey:confused:
 

Tempest

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Jun 8, 2002
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Wichita, KS
Spankey- I recall all the posts about your test kits and getting new ones and such... I have noticed some problems with nitrate test kits in the past and have encountered at least some inaccuracies my own self. Right now I am using up the last of a Seachem kit and have a new Hagen kit to replace it. I got the Hagen because I could get refills for it. I tested one against the other and the Hagen seems to give a 5ppm higher value. I'll do some more checking day to day before I finish off the last of the Seachem kit but as long as the new kit shows the uptake I suppose I should be okay. I've read some people like the AP nitrate test kit too so maybe I should try that one next time.:)
 

spankey

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Dec 21, 2001
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Boyertown, PA
Fishy-

They are about 2 months old. SO I think they are ok. the bulbs that is..


Tempest...

My tetra kit today read 25ppm. Now this is a kit that jumps from 12.5 to 25,50 then 100.. So its not ppm accurate in my eyes..

My Aqaurium Pharm kit goes 0,5,10,20 and so on. The wardly kit is the same way. The AP and the Wardley kit test exactly the same. And today they tested 10ppm in the sunlight... I have crappy lighting here in the house... SO I use the sunlight to get the best reading...

I mean I am not trying to be a profesional here in any way, and I am not kicking test kit companys. But I do at least want to me some what accurate.. I think if your off 2 or 3 ppm its not going to kill anything, will it?

I actually hear different theorys on the tetra test kits as they are accurate and I hear they are not...

So guess what I am using to test my KH? A tetra test kit.... I hear the hagen kits aren't that bad. I have the PO4 one and it seems to test my tank up and down all the time. My tap has ZERO PO4 so I know its detecting something in the tank...


I like the Aquarium Pharm. Kits they are straight forward and simple... At least for an novice like myself this will have to do.. I can't afford to drop a ton of cash on the lamott kits.... As I hear they are strongly recomended..... I just can't do it....


Thanks for the posts...

Spank..

Read this comparason that I found on the lamott No3 kit vs. the Aquarium Pharm Kit. Its quite interesting. At least to my wallet that is.. No offense to the Lamott kit users.

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200207/msg00399.html
 
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Tempest

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Jun 8, 2002
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Wichita, KS
Hmm, it sounds like the Seachem test may be better then. It's low cost too but with it you can see a real definite difference between 2ppm and 10 ppm... This is in the range we are interested in so it might be best to forget refills and keep using the Seachem. They also include a reference sample.
 

plantbrain

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Apr 27, 2001
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www.BarrReport.com
I'm not too keen about trusting cheap test kits with color scale issues.
Lamott cost an arm and a leg(50-60$) but are accurate.
I stick with what folks know and most are too lazy to test in the long run.
Water changes are easy, adding 1/2 teaspoon of KXX every week or 3x a weel etc is pretty easy to do. You can hit to within a couple ppm of NO3 this way by guessing and doing large weekly water changes. Each week you re set the tank and keep anything from getting out of hand.
If you know what the tap water is, you can simply adjust to suit the needs of the tank, e.g., your tap has 20ppm of NO3, no need to add KNO3 for the first few days(but you'll add after 3 days etc) or the same type of thing with PO4 in the tap etc.
Call the tap water company and ask what these levels are delivered to the customers.
Prune well, dose well, scrub with elbow grease and attack the algae, add herbivores etc, and clean off any algae etc/do all work on the tank before the water change, then lightly vacuum all the gunk, and add fresh water+ nutrients.
Keep it up.

Folks make it out to be some super natural voodoo, it's really pretty simple/cheap.
Some folks have special issues(Coppper in their tap water above .5ppm etc or need to add GH/KH etc but that's a dosing issue that's relatively easy to deal with) but most folks, perhaps 95% or so fall into the simple/cheap method.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
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