OK don't laugh...

So far I have been using a simple recipe. If the nitrates are high but the phosphates are fine I do a water change. If the nitrates and the phosphates are high I do a gravel vac. I don't know for sure if I can make it work in the long run but we will see.

Dosing Ca as CaSO4 should lower your phosphates in the water column by precipiting calcium phosphate (the same stuff as bone). I have not had to resort to that one yet. It would not surprise me to find little Ca in the water column in a heavily stocked tank. I have tests for Ca and Mg. I'll do a Ca test this weekend and see if my guess is right.
 
Looks like a great tank to me!
 
I think you'll find your Ca is OK. Otherwise your plants would show jagged edges and possibly holes in the leaves. Believe it or not you will probably have to start dosing nitrates as your tank grows out. Good substrate for Fe and Mg. I still dose with Seachem Trace from time to time. What are you doing for CO2? Maybe I missed something...
 
I think you'll find your Ca is OK. Otherwise your plants would show jagged edges and possibly holes in the leaves. Believe it or not you will probably have to start dosing nitrates as your tank grows out. Good substrate for Fe and Mg. I still dose with Seachem Trace from time to time. What are you doing for CO2? Maybe I missed something...
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Thank you for the tip on Ca. I found last month I was doing 33% weekly water changes all of my nitrogens were 0. I was seeing my kH go from 5 to 4 so I added a handful of oyster shells to the substrate. I figured it would make a very slow buffer. I also started feeding about 20% more and bought some Amano shrimp.

I am trying to think of the tank as something that you make small changes and wait a long time to see the results. I have seen people get in trouble trying to "chase the dragon's tail" and melt down the eco system in the tank. I am trying to create an eco system that is as self correcting as possible.

I am using Jungle Fizz tabs but I only bought the kit so I can have the reservoir. I plan on filling the reservoir myself. I have CO2 at work, organic acids and CaCO3 as well as yeast. I think first I am going to try to mix Citric Acid and CaCO3 and see if I can't make my own fizz tabs. If not, I will then make my own fermentation. If I get tired of that I can use a bottle of CO2 to fill the reservoir once a day.

I would think if you are low on nitrates just add more fish food? Or gravel vac less? I have snails and shrimp to speed the path from fish food to plant nutrients.

I have a long way to go before I recognize the sysmptoms of nutrient defficiencies. I am trying to stay away from adding nutrients in favor of adding mineral rocks. I am sure I will have to visit the planted forum one day for help. Right now I am in the honeymoon phase of the tank where nothing has had time to fall apart.
 
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