75 Gallon setup where to start............

K

kimbm04r

AC Members
Feb 4, 2005
34
0
6
Warsaw, IN.
Real Name
Myra
I have a 75 gallon aquarium that I ordered an Aquascape plan from Aquariumplants.com. It is expected to be delivered Friday with all the plants. I took the reading on the tank tonight and I have the following:

Gh - 30
Kh - 160
pH - 8.4
Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20
Phosphate - 5
Calcium - <20

The tank contains:

6 - Glofish Danios
5 - Harlequin Raspbora
2 - Juvi Angelfish
2 - Cardinal Tetra
1 - Oto
1 - Dwarf African Frog
2 - Ghost Shrimp
14 - Juvi Mollies
1 - 6" Pleco
1 - 6" Algae eater (not sure what kind)

Equipment includes:

Filstar XP2 filter
Aqueon 48" T5 Dual Lamp Fixture (1- 28w 6700K Daylight and 1 - 28w Colormax bulb),
Marineland 36-48" Single Bright LED Fixture (10w 600 Lumens) Both sets of lights operate on a timer 10-12 hours per day
Eco-Complete substrate, at least 80 lbs
Airstone Bubbler behind rock

This tank has 60 gallons of water, believe me, I should know, I used a 1 gallon pitcher when I filled it up and I marked 5 gallon increments on the tank as I filled.

Pressurized CO2 system that I intend to hook up soon, 5lb bottle with Milwaukee MA957 Regulator, Milwaukee SMS122 Controller
Greg Watson Dry Ferts (KN03, CSM+B w/Iron, K2S04, KH2P04) and Epsom Salts

This is a list of the plants that are coming in the package:

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]Sagittaria, Subulata (narrow leaf)(Sagittaria subulata) - 10 Plants per order[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Aponogeton, Madagascar Lace (Aponogeton madagascariensis)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]Cryptocoryne Parva (bare root)(also available in pots)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Cryptocoryne, Lutea (Cryptocoryne lutea) Pot (medium size)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Cryptocoryne, Wendtii, Bronze (Cryptocoryne wendtii v. Tropica)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Cabomba Green (Cabomba carolina)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Cabomba Purple (Red) (Cabomba pulcherrima)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Ludwigia, Broad Leaf (Ludwigia repens)(also available in potts)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Myrio, mattogrossense[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
And these are in the tank right now:

Wisteria
Anubias
Java Fern, Winlov
Cyrpts of some kind
Mariamo Ball

This is a picture of the tank as it is right now.

IMG_5548.JPG

My question is this:

Given the numbers for this tank as it stands right now, what is suggested as a good place to start for the ferts and CO2 and what dosing regimen would you recommend, dry dosing, PPS Pro, EI, or what and how would you go about it? Should I get everything started before the package arrives or should I wait until I have them in the tank? Also, I have an RO unit available if you think that would help, (I currently use our well water for changes) it needs new cartridges but it is an option that is available, I checked it tonight and it is at Gh of 20, Kh of 40 and pH of 6.8. I checked the tap water tonight and it is very close to the tanks numbers.

Thanks for all your help. Please let me know if I forgot to include any information that may be useful.

IMG_5548.JPG
 
I recommend you use dry fertilizers. They're much cheaper than liquid fertilizers like Seachem. I use GLA, but there are plenty of other places to get them. The EI dosing method is the easiest, but you can also use test kits to determine how much of each nutrient your plants use up in a day or in two days and tweak your dosing based on that. As for CO2, most people recommend 30 ppm. If you have a drop checker, you should monitor the CO2 to make sure it stays green. Setup the CO2 and start dosing as soon as you plant everything.
 
Thanks for your response CinnamonPearl. I will be using dry ferts I already have Greg Watson. I will be using EI also. I have my new plant and am currently tearing the tank down to rescape it. I am going to start a journal on this when I get it going so I can track how it is doing and get any feedback as to any improvements I may need to do. I will post another picture once I get the tank reset.
 
Thanks for your response CinnamonPearl. I will be using dry ferts I already have Greg Watson. I will be using EI also. I have my new plant and am currently tearing the tank down to rescape it. I am going to start a journal on this when I get it going so I can track how it is doing and get any feedback as to any improvements I may need to do. I will post another picture once I get the tank reset.

EDIT: I have just discovered that Aquariumplants.com sent me the wrong Aquascape plan. I received a plan for a 36" Bow Front tank. I am quite upset about this. I have to figure out what to do with the plant now until I get this figured out.
 
Will you post the link here when you start your journal thread? I'd love to follow it.
 
CinnamonPearl said:
Will you post the link here when you start your journal thread? I'd love to follow it.
Click to expand...


Yep, will do. I just got it finished. Will post pictures in the morning, got to go to bed now, I can hardly keep my eyes open but I had it get it done so I could start the filter and heater back up.
 
I notified Aquariumplants.com and explained to them that they sent me the wrong plan. He looked it up and said they accidentally got it mixed up with another customer. He said that I could use the plan I got because he makes the plans according to the plants in them so it would basically be the same just spread out. I told him that I would like to verify were I placed the plants and he said that he would redraw the plan and send it out to me. He apologized for the error and refunded my plan fee. Now I just have to wait for a couple days to get the new plan in the mail. The plants they sent are great. The Madagascar Lace plant is amazing. Will post the journal when I have time.
 
I notified Aquariumplants.com and explained to them that they sent me the wrong plan. He looked it up and said they accidentally got it mixed up with another customer. He said that I could use the plan I got because he makes the plans according to the plants in them so it would basically be the same just spread out. I told him that I would like to verify were I placed the plants and he said that he would redraw the plan and send it out to me. He apologized for the error and refunded my plan fee. Now I just have to wait for a couple days to get the new plan in the mail. The plants they sent are great. The Madagascar Lace plant is amazing. Will post the journal when I have time.
 
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