I was just wondering why you do not add both traces and macros on the day of a water change why do you wait to add anything till the day after? Are you suppose to add before the lights come on the day after a water change?
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- Thread starter cbster
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you can do it however you like. if you start with ei and adjust till your dosing lean then you might need them right after the w/c. if you're dosing full blast the idea is that you won't need them right away.
I was under the impression that you were suppose to dose full blast so the plants never ran out of anything. This is the first time i have heard of adjusting to a lean dosage.
the idea is that you know what the max your plants will take up is. this can really help you when you're getting things together. we all have algae, fungus, etc. issues eventually. with guessing at what's enough ferts there can be too many variables to fix an issue. if you're dosing full ei you know that lack of nutrients is not your issue. tom himself regularly admits that ei numbers are not set in stone. he even recommends dosing 1/4 ei levels for non co2 tanks often.
most algaes/plant issues are from lack of something... not extra ferts so it's a safe bet in most cases when you have an issue. if you choose to continue full ei once your issues are done that's your choice. if you choose to adjust one fert at a time to save from wasting or minimize w/c's in a non-co2 setup that's fine also.
most algaes/plant issues are from lack of something... not extra ferts so it's a safe bet in most cases when you have an issue. if you choose to continue full ei once your issues are done that's your choice. if you choose to adjust one fert at a time to save from wasting or minimize w/c's in a non-co2 setup that's fine also.
you could. it would depend on your plants and your lighting mostly i'd think. individual tanks will act differently regardless...
If you have pressurized co2...I would certainly dose all that is recommended(assuming you have a "full" tank of plants) I believe tom barr hammers all the time how a consistent co2 level is the number 1 factor when it comes to algae. Co2 is the most fluctuating nutrient in the aquarium...those spike help algae thrive, not ferts. Ferts and light are the easiest nutrient to control. Control the co2 and algae should be kept in check.
Maybe it is the lack of co2 causing the algae? Trust me I am new to all of this myself, and I hope I only give out helpful information as how i understand it. They way I kinda of understand it is if you were to provide co2, keep it consistent then the algae has a hard time getting the nutrients it needs because your plants are thriving. Then lets go the other route, if you take out co2, then you would have to be providing either too much nutrients (phosphates?) too much light? I hope you do not take this as arguing, I merely want to brainstorm with you. I am very new to plants and am no means an expert, so If i am wrong i will gladly admit it and take it as a lesson learned.
CO2 is a bugger for most newer folks to understand.
Best bet, try it and see.
Most are okay with light and ferts.
Ferts are really pretty easy after 1-2 weeks of doing, becomes "old hat", boring for many. Yawn.
Getting a good lighting set up is tougher, but most with experience can help you there. I suggest 1.5W of T5 lighting. No more than 2w/gal for most any goal.
This makes CO2 much easier to manage. Focus most of your energy and tweaking on CO2, it's 90% of the cause of algae, nearly all the % for fish deaths due to careless use.
Be careful with it and adjust is slowly and watch both plants and fish.
It can dramatically affect growth. If you are careless, it will kill your fish.
See O/CO2 thread recently for more.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Best bet, try it and see.
Most are okay with light and ferts.
Ferts are really pretty easy after 1-2 weeks of doing, becomes "old hat", boring for many. Yawn.
Getting a good lighting set up is tougher, but most with experience can help you there. I suggest 1.5W of T5 lighting. No more than 2w/gal for most any goal.
This makes CO2 much easier to manage. Focus most of your energy and tweaking on CO2, it's 90% of the cause of algae, nearly all the % for fish deaths due to careless use.
Be careful with it and adjust is slowly and watch both plants and fish.
It can dramatically affect growth. If you are careless, it will kill your fish.
See O/CO2 thread recently for more.
Regards,
Tom Barr