Excel/CO2 deficiency

[jersysman]

I would think that it could be low phosphates. That is also a macro fert that plants need. Sometimes that is forgotten.

[HD Blazingwolf]

yes. kno3 (nitrates) will provide potassium as well as kh2po4 (phosphates) which will provide potassium. u may need extra k since u have liquid ferts and im not sure what they use for nitrates and phosphates. they can be derived from other substances

phosphates can definitely cause holes in leaves. color issues. leaves that fall of early. and poor plant growth in general. plants usually tolerate low amount well. but some don't

i'd get a more regular fertilizing routine as that is the EASIEST thing to control.
plants will respond well to this.

THAT being said it will also show u where other imbalances are. once fertilizers are non limiting. if u have c02 or light issues. algae will rear its ugly head. you will blame fertilizer saying it caused algae. that phosphates did it or excess iron. these things are not true. i keep 5 ppm phosphates in my tank and roughly 20 ppm nitrate. i don't have many algae issues other than what i cause from changing c02 and light lvls and that is the occaisional spot of black algae

[FriendsNotFood]

How do you measure phosphates? I'm having a hard time with figuring out a fert regime. Since my tank is technically low-tech I didn't think I needed a fert regime at all, but the hygro seems to need a ton of nutrients. I don't dose EI since I'm not injecting CO2, so I'm just guessing and going by what's on the pfertz bottles, and I'm very inconsistent at it ):

[digitallinh]

http://www.sudeepmandal.com/hobbies/...l-planted-tank

[ibmikmaq]

My plants were looking the same as yours so I increase phosphates, and problem was solved!

[happi]

Originally Posted by djscotty

I also have a 36 gallon.

this rather looks like co2 problems, plants are not taking up those nutrients due to lack of co2. that is why you also have high N levels.

[FriendsNotFood]

That's what I thought, but when I lowered the lighting, the holes in my hygros seemed to get even worse.

[endgin28]

In the long run investing in pressurized CO2 and maintaining good parameters will fix all of this. Hygro grows like a weed when happy. I know it seems like an arms race, but not all plants respond to excell as the only carbon source. Believe it or not but a diffuser can also help clear your tank as well. (think protein skimmer)

[digitallinh]

my main showtank is a excel based 29 gallon. I had to throw my hygro out since it grew too fast/too invasive.

I think the key to it all is to set on a consistent dosing schedule/ consistent water change schedule, whatever it is, look at your plants/algae growth -- then adjust the light distance.

I just started in the hobby 6 months ago, and a fundamental thing you find out early on is that living things are highly adaptable to whatever conditions you give them, as long as the conditions are stable/consistent. Obviously this doesn't mean that you can grow high light plants in a low light setup, but for something like hygro poly, it should be able to grow pretty much anywhere. Consistency is king.

Following the dosing regime in that link I posted. It is a modified Excel based EI schedule derived from research done by Tom Barr -- it just summarizes many threads into one clean TO-Do list.

If you are having trouble figuring out how to convert a pfertz to dry dosing. google "petalphile" and hit the first link, it should be a fertilizer calculator.

Here are the Target ppms I personally use on my 29 gallon.

I dose 1.5x excel (1x metricide) daily, feed fish daily (except water change day)
Kno3 - 4.5 ppm (2x a week)
kh2po4 - 2.5 (2 x a week)
seachems equil - 1.18 K (after water change)

Just restarted this tank and everything is growing, mosses, staurogynes, rotalas, ludwigias, DHG is filling in.. etc
and I keep my light on 10 hours a day without any major algae growth. I do get some very minor bba on old crypt/fern leaves, and green spot algae that I rarely if ever clean off.

[FriendsNotFood]

Cool, thanks so much digi! I need to sit down and really convert all my ferts and figure out how much I should be dosing. The only thing that confused me about that liquid ferts calculator is that it gives you once a week dosing for low-light EI. Do people really dose all their ferts just once a week? Macros and micros and everything all at once?

[digitallinh]

so I dose everything 2 x a week. here is my exact schedule

Sunday - water change day - dose equilibrium
Monday - kh2po4
Tues - trace
Wed - kno3
Thurs - kh2po4
Fri - trace
Sat - kno3

[FriendsNotFood]

I still don't really understand what Seachem Equilibrium does as a fertilizer, since you dose both that and traces? I thought it was for reconstituting RO water.

[digitallinh]

Originally Posted by FriendsNotFood

I still don't really understand what Seachem Equilibrium does as a fertilizer, since you dose both that and traces? I thought it was for reconstituting RO water.

You know honestly I do not know exactly why I dose both flourish and equilibrium -- everything I have read says to dose it, so I do. maybe someone else can chime in as to why people use both equil/gh booster and a trace mix.

[HD Blazingwolf]

Equilibrium under EI dosing. add's about 5-7 ppm of potassium and 3 ppm cacium and 1 ppm magnesium and less Manganese and a decet amount of iron

CSM doses iron boron, magnesium, manganese, moylbdenum, zinc, and copper
they both have a function

[FriendsNotFood]

Got it. The reason I never dosed Equilibrium was because I figured I already had hard water, but I guess that doesn't matter does it?