My water parameters, please advise

Rickster · 04-03-2003, 01:13 PM

90 gallon tank
KH 9
PH 6.9, Controlled by pressurized co2 and Ph controller
Nitrates 12.5 MG/L
PO4 .25 MG/L
Temp 78
GH 12
40% weekly water changes, well water.
I set the tank up on 2/23. Plants are growing like crazy. Rotala indica is nice and red and has grown to the top and now 4 or 5 inches across the surface. Same for both the green and tropical sunset hygro. New growth on the tropical sunset is nice and red. Corkscrew val has sent out dozens of runners and baby plants are popping up everywhere. Same goes for the jungle val. My large swords are putting up three new leaves a week and each has sent up three shoots with baby plants all over them. All plants are pearling constantly. Kinda looks like a tank ful of alkaseltzer :shock: . So is there anything I should change, add, modify? Or should I just keep it as it is? Thanks

ridns · 04-03-2003, 01:23 PM

It sounds great, never monkey with success! 8)

m.lemay · 04-03-2003, 01:24 PM

Things seem to be going pretty well. Looking at your parameters, I thought that the PO4 could be a little higher, perhaps 1mg/l. You want to keep the nitrate/phosphate ratio around 10/1 respectively.

Marcel

**GulfCoastAquarian** · 04-03-2003, 03:22 PM

Since things are going so well, I would definitely be very hesitant to change ANYthing. Marcel is definitely right - bringing your Nitrogen to phosphorus ratio closer to 10:1 by either lowering NO3 or raising PO4 will help with plant color and leaf shape slightly. You might get some more red out of the Rotala and Sunset Hygro, that's about it.

SNPiccolo5 · 04-03-2003, 03:29 PM

Glad to see your swords are growing well, mine are doing nothing except staying small.... Dito, if it's all working out, keep it up and maybe bring your nitrates down a little bit and the PO4 up, a 10:1 ratio is good (now I sound like a broken record...), lol! Great job!

-Tim

Rickster · 04-03-2003, 06:27 PM

Here's a really crappy pic I took about 10 days ago. It's of the right side of the tank

Rickster · 04-03-2003, 06:28 PM

I'll take another shot(just as crappy) tonight from the same angle to see the difference.

Rickster · 04-03-2003, 06:33 PM

I'm going to start adding some phosphate. Should I get the triple phosphate from litemanu.com ?

**GulfCoastAquarian** · 04-03-2003, 07:12 PM

What's the matter?

Too embarassed to buy some Fleet Enema from the drug store? haha!! Seriously, for two bucks you'll have enough to last a looong time. The only downside being the strange looks from the cashier. Adding 1 ml (about 20 drops from the dispenser it comes in) will raise the PO4 in your 90g by 0.4ppm

Oh and try turning off the flash on your camera when you take the picture. Even on auto, it should be able to take a pretty good shot.

Rickster · 04-03-2003, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GulfCoastAquarian

What's the matter?

Too embarassed to buy some Fleet Enema from the drug store? haha!! Seriously, for two bucks you'll have enough to last a looong time. The only downside being the strange looks from the cashier. Adding 1 ml (about 20 drops from the dispenser it comes in) will raise the PO4 in your 90g by 0.4ppm

Oh and try turning off the flash on your camera when you take the picture. Even on auto, it should be able to take a pretty good shot.

LOL. Yeah that's part of it. Hmmm, maybe I can send the wife out to get it. I mean how many times have I gone out to get her femme thingies :roll: . The photo, yeah but all I had at the time was some really slow speed film. The exposure without flash was about three seconds. So I figured what the heck a bad pic is better than no pic

SNPiccolo5 · 04-03-2003, 08:08 PM

You could order Mono Potassium Phosphate from litemanu and use the dosing calculator (if you don't know it, it is http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm) to dose phosphate, that is probably what I am going to do, since I know how much I'm dosing....

-Tim

Work In Progress · 04-03-2003, 08:37 PM

Quote:

I mean how many times have I gone out to get her femme thingies

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha :hehe:

Rex Grigg · 04-03-2003, 08:37 PM

I second the mono potassium phosphate idea. It's what I use. You also might want to get some potassium sulfate. It doesn't appear that you are dosing potassium.

Rickster · 04-04-2003, 11:10 AM

Oops. I forgot to mention that. I started dosing potassium on Wednesday. I used that web site calculator to figure my dosage

Rickster · 04-04-2003, 03:00 PM

Here is the new pic from the same angle and two weeks after the earlier one.

04-03-2003, 01:13 PM	#1
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	90 gallon tank KH 9 PH 6.9, Controlled by pressurized co2 and Ph controller Nitrates 12.5 MG/L PO4 .25 MG/L Temp 78 GH 12 40% weekly water changes, well water. I set the tank up on 2/23. Plants are growing like crazy. Rotala indica is nice and red and has grown to the top and now 4 or 5 inches across the surface. Same for both the green and tropical sunset hygro. New growth on the tropical sunset is nice and red. Corkscrew val has sent out dozens of runners and baby plants are popping up everywhere. Same goes for the jungle val. My large swords are putting up three new leaves a week and each has sent up three shoots with baby plants all over them. All plants are pearling constantly. Kinda looks like a tank ful of alkaseltzer :shock: . So is there anything I should change, add, modify? Or should I just keep it as it is? Thanks __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

04-03-2003, 01:23 PM	#2
ridns Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rockford,IL Posts: 349	It sounds great, never monkey with success! 8) __________________ Eheim pimp #128, 55gal 13x20x48, Eheim Pro 2227, CO2 injected, into the filter breather tube,4x 55w Pcs , 12 hr light cycle (sunrise/sunset simulated), Milwaukee SMS 122, faulty bubble counter replaced with M3 bubble counter..... moderately Planted, Plantex CSM+B and ferts To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research

04-03-2003, 01:24 PM	#3
m.lemay Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (9/100%) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Naugatuck, CT. Posts: 2,647	Things seem to be going pretty well. Looking at your parameters, I thought that the PO4 could be a little higher, perhaps 1mg/l. You want to keep the nitrate/phosphate ratio around 10/1 respectively. Marcel __________________ FILSTAR Pimp #2 75 gal heavily planted,50/50 Black beauty,Eco-complete substrate, Pressurised CO2 with solenoid, ph controller, AB Reactor 1000, 330 watts 9325K GE PC lighting,Ehiem Liquidoser, 2-Filstar xp3 canisters.

04-03-2003, 03:22 PM	#4
GulfCoastAquarian Planted Tank VIP (View User Tanks) PTrader: (6/100%) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 3,577	Since things are going so well, I would definitely be very hesitant to change ANYthing. Marcel is definitely right - bringing your Nitrogen to phosphorus ratio closer to 10:1 by either lowering NO3 or raising PO4 will help with plant color and leaf shape slightly. You might get some more red out of the Rotala and Sunset Hygro, that's about it. __________________ - Sam P - plantedtanker in limbo - all tanks currently in storage

04-03-2003, 06:27 PM	#6
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	Here's a really crappy pic I took about 10 days ago. It's of the right side of the tank __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

04-03-2003, 03:29 PM	#5
SNPiccolo5 Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 859	Glad to see your swords are growing well, mine are doing nothing except staying small.... Dito, if it's all working out, keep it up and maybe bring your nitrates down a little bit and the PO4 up, a 10:1 ratio is good (now I sound like a broken record...), lol! Great job! -Tim

04-03-2003, 06:28 PM	#7
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	I'll take another shot(just as crappy) tonight from the same angle to see the difference. __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

04-03-2003, 06:33 PM	#8
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	I'm going to start adding some phosphate. Should I get the triple phosphate from litemanu.com ? __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

04-03-2003, 07:12 PM	#9
GulfCoastAquarian Planted Tank VIP (View User Tanks) PTrader: (6/100%) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 3,577	What's the matter? Too embarassed to buy some Fleet Enema from the drug store? haha!! Seriously, for two bucks you'll have enough to last a looong time. The only downside being the strange looks from the cashier. Adding 1 ml (about 20 drops from the dispenser it comes in) will raise the PO4 in your 90g by 0.4ppm Oh and try turning off the flash on your camera when you take the picture. Even on auto, it should be able to take a pretty good shot. __________________ - Sam P - plantedtanker in limbo - all tanks currently in storage

04-03-2003, 08:08 PM	#11
SNPiccolo5 Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 859	You could order Mono Potassium Phosphate from litemanu and use the dosing calculator (if you don't know it, it is http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...osage_calc.htm) to dose phosphate, that is probably what I am going to do, since I know how much I'm dosing.... -Tim

04-03-2003, 08:37 PM	#13
Rex Grigg Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (65/100%) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland Orygun Posts: 9,600	I second the mono potassium phosphate idea. It's what I use. You also might want to get some potassium sulfate. It doesn't appear that you are dosing potassium.

04-04-2003, 11:10 AM	#14
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	Oops. I forgot to mention that. I started dosing potassium on Wednesday. I used that web site calculator to figure my dosage __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

04-04-2003, 03:00 PM	#15
Rickster Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poolesville,Maryland Posts: 149	Here is the new pic from the same angle and two weeks after the earlier one. __________________ Eheimpimp#137 90 gallon tank with water and some fish. Plants died and tank overrun with algae. Lights nearly burst into flames last weekend. Needs lots of help

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