No pet stores carry test kits for TDS, most people at the pet stores don't even know what it is..
Something is seriously wrong with my plants..
- Thread starter Jag1980
- Start date
One diff here is the PH. I keep around 7.2 in the tank.
I was think of Iron myself as the only tid bits it gets are in the CSM+B. But if you're dosing extra iron and still same results. Hmmmmmm.
Interesting.
There are calcium and magnesium test kits but they are harder to find, you'll probably have to shop around online.
I don't test for it, I just incorporate a little gh booster into my weekly water changes.
I don't test for it, I just incorporate a little gh booster into my weekly water changes.
So with testing my calcium and magnesium, that will give me a idea of where my TDS levels are?
Only cheap test I found for TDS was this:
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=DI-HITDS-1
If I did have a too high level of TDS, how would I lower it cheaply?
Only cheap test I found for TDS was this:
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=DI-HITDS-1
If I did have a too high level of TDS, how would I lower it cheaply?
Walmart carries cheap TDS meters btw. They are sold near their water filtration section. Hagen Nutrifin kits will test for Ca in freshwater and salt, I dont know if API's kit do, since they only list Saltwater. And the magnesium kits should be easy to find, as its an important nutrient in Reef systems.
I was at Walmart Super center and I didn't see any kind of testing stuff there. :silly:
Should this work goof for what i need it for?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Milwaukee-CD97-TDS-PPM-TESTER-IONIC-SILVER-COLLOIDAL_W0QQitemZ370160169050QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370160169050&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
Dry fertilizers raising the TDS to unwanted levels normal or is this a more rare case I'm experiencing if this is the problem?
For now, is there a easy way I can lower my TDS or at least preventing it from getting too high? Maybe lowering my dosing or lowering certain dose?
Should this work goof for what i need it for?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Milwaukee-CD97-TDS-PPM-TESTER-IONIC-SILVER-COLLOIDAL_W0QQitemZ370160169050QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370160169050&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
Dry fertilizers raising the TDS to unwanted levels normal or is this a more rare case I'm experiencing if this is the problem?
For now, is there a easy way I can lower my TDS or at least preventing it from getting too high? Maybe lowering my dosing or lowering certain dose?
Jag,
For these purposes, the KH and GH values are fine in place of a TDS value. Don't worry with spending the extra money on a TDS meter.
It looks like your KH and GH haven't changed in a while, is that correct? If so, I'm mistaken on my diagnosis. What about nitrate, any kind of buildup?
Even if your values are "within range" they may be high. Some plants really like low nitrates. I try to keep my nitrates below 10, closer to 5 ppm.
For these purposes, the KH and GH values are fine in place of a TDS value. Don't worry with spending the extra money on a TDS meter.
It looks like your KH and GH haven't changed in a while, is that correct? If so, I'm mistaken on my diagnosis. What about nitrate, any kind of buildup?
Even if your values are "within range" they may be high. Some plants really like low nitrates. I try to keep my nitrates below 10, closer to 5 ppm.
Yeah, the only thing that has changed is the tap water. kH has dropped 1 or 2 points from the tap, but the tank water is still the same. The GH was 6 before but now it's 7. So pretty much the same as it has always been.
Here's something interesting.
I got my Nitrate tested and it is at 150+
Nitrite reading is 0.0
The only thing that has been done differently was about 10 days ago when I change over to a new canister filter and I have been a dosing Seachem Stability for 5 days following the direction on the bottle, the bottle says to do 7 days but I only did a 75% water change and I already had a bacteria bloom going so I shorten the dosing schedule to 5 days instead of 7.
But, the plant problem was going on before this, so this is just another problem. but the plants are declining even more since my Nitrates are so high..
I did change my dosing schedule to dose a little less then I was, so I dropped my Nitrate dosing to only twice a week instead of 3. But I also added the Seachem Stability at the same time I changed my schedule...
My Nitrates have never been above 15 to 20 when dosing.
I also read that Belem's like lots of Nitrate..
Before when I was just dosing with some Seachem fertilizers dosing on a schedule that I don't remember, my plants where growing great, Belem's where very large and bright solid green. Now ever since I changed to dry ferts I been getting nothing but problems...
Only problem I was having with the Seachem fertilizers was algae issues like BBA and some hair algae.
So pretty much the nitrate issue I have now is a added problem away from what the origanal post was trying to solve..
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are you definately using 4 dKH solution for your drop checker - if not then you can't trust the colours there....
i would crank up dosing all nutrients
have a read through this, which will also help:
http://atlas.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm
The problem first started when I tried the IE dosing schedule which is much more then what I dose now and I still have the same problem.
My plants absorb about 25% of what I dose by the end of each 7 day dosing cycle.
I first thought that I was over dosing, so I tried lowering my dosing and I get the same problem and it seems worse then ever now..
Something doesn't make sense, my plants show signs of lacking nutrients but they are getting a good amount of nutrients. When my water is clear things are doing ok, but then something happens and my tank gets cloudy and they the Belem's start to die. I have had them growing with less watts in the past, so even if the cloudy water was blocking out some light, it shouldn't be blocking out so much light that they die the way they are. I also dosed allot less in the past with Seachem and they where growing well, but I had algae problems.
What I might try is putting a root tab at the base of one of the Belem's and see if it changes anything. If it starts to grow back to normal, then I will know that these plants are going to need root tabs.
This also doesn't explain why 1 of my 3 Ludwigia glandulosa I have in the back are shriveling up the way they are, unless the plant does not like to touch roots with certain other species of plants?
My plants absorb about 25% of what I dose by the end of each 7 day dosing cycle.
I first thought that I was over dosing, so I tried lowering my dosing and I get the same problem and it seems worse then ever now..
Something doesn't make sense, my plants show signs of lacking nutrients but they are getting a good amount of nutrients. When my water is clear things are doing ok, but then something happens and my tank gets cloudy and they the Belem's start to die. I have had them growing with less watts in the past, so even if the cloudy water was blocking out some light, it shouldn't be blocking out so much light that they die the way they are. I also dosed allot less in the past with Seachem and they where growing well, but I had algae problems.
What I might try is putting a root tab at the base of one of the Belem's and see if it changes anything. If it starts to grow back to normal, then I will know that these plants are going to need root tabs.
This also doesn't explain why 1 of my 3 Ludwigia glandulosa I have in the back are shriveling up the way they are, unless the plant does not like to touch roots with certain other species of plants?
