Questions about EI Dosing, nitrates, fish health

[HD Blazingwolf]

U may not even need k2s04 if u dose gh booster, and ur potassium levels in ur tap water are significant

[smiller]

I do not dose for GH, my levels are already high for that and for KH as I am in a very hard water area. Potassium level is usually around 5 per my calibrated test kit, but that is the reading I am getting from my previous fert dosing of KNO3 and KH2P04.

[smiller]

Whoops....that is my phosphate that is 5. I don't know my potassium reading.

[HD Blazingwolf]

U may not need it. Try not dosing and see if u get a deficiency

[sundragon]

Quick update and advice request.

EDIT: String algae, not hair
Today I noticed the beginning of string algae on some moss and one of plants. I have been dosing to EI up till now.

I raised CO2 when I started EI dosing - 2.5bps to 4bps.

My instinct made me raise the light 2" higher to reduce PAR till I figure out what's going on. In the past this did away with the hair algae and it didn't come back.

Any advice on how to proceed? Raise CO2? Reduce EI?

[sundragon]

Just an update:

Wow... Just wow...

The switch from PPI to EI has made the plants grow quite a bit faster and fuller, there is a lot more pearling of O2 to the point it streams to the surface. Things are finally turning redder - Still haven't mastered that yet

I had a couple of friends who don't own aquaria tell me the tank looks so much more lush than it's ever looked. They asked me what I did.

The switch to EI wasn't without bumps. There was a moment I had spot algae and string algae reappear after they hadn't appeared in months. A slight adjustment to light and CO2 did away with both. I've watched small patches of BBA melt away.

Thanks for your advice. I'm staring at the tank as I write this, it's never looks so good.