[mmfish]

Has anyone successfully grown out baby tears into a mat while using pool sand? I am using co2 fertilizer and good lighting without observing significance spread.

 

[somewhatshocked]

What's your lighting situation?

How long has it been planted?

 

[mmfish]

What's your lighting situation?

How long has it been planted?

Lighting: Geismann moonlight, 2 metal halides, 4 T-5's w 2 daylight, 2 plant spectrum,

How long? 2 months
Fert: flourish, and flourish supplements
Tank mates: tetras

 

[livingword26]

What are the dimensions of the tank? What kind of metal halides, what wattage and brand? Is the T-5 a 4bulb t5ho, if so what brand. Exactly which Flourish supplements are you using? What are your nitrate and phosphate readings?

 

[mmfish]

What are the dimensions of the tank? What kind of metal halides, what wattage and brand? Is the T-5 a 4bulb t5ho, if so what brand. Exactly which Flourish supplements are you using? What are your nitrate and phosphate readings?

Tank 42 x 31 x 21 high (inches),

Metal halides and bulbs guiessman T-5's all 4 are new. MH wattage 150(?). The light is for reef tanks w dimming of all bulbs including a halogen moonlight. There is enought light for corals if needed.

Thanks for your input.

 

[livingword26]

Maybe you could put in a link to the fixture. This is all one fixture? with 2 x 150 watt metal halides and 4 x (?watt) T5 (HO or NO)

 

[livingword26]

You could have high light with just of the T5's if they are HO with good reflectors. Co2 must be maintained at adaquate levels with hi-light, and N,P and K, must be maintained at:

Nitrogen, 10 - 20 ppm
Phosphate, 1 - 2 ppm
Potassium 10 - 20 ppm

plus your micro's.

 

[mmfish]

Maybe you could put in a link to the fixture. This is all one fixture? with 2 x 150 watt metal halides and 4 x (?watt) T5 (HO or NO)

http://www.giesemann.co.uk/260.htm

the moonlight, 4 54 watt T-5's, 2 150 watt MH's 1 halogen

Lighting is more than adequate. The fish are thriving, ro/di water changes 30%/each week the ferts. I think it's the sand limiting spread.

 

[livingword26]

Its more than adequate. Look at the first post on this thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html

You are going to need an intensive CO2 and Fertilizer regiment (listed above) to maintain anything in there but algae in my uneducated opinion.

 

[livingword26]

Are you adding anything to the ro/di water for your water changes?

 

[mmfish]

Are you adding anything to the ro/di water for your water changes?

I use a water hardness monitor by american marine to monitor and maintain stability in the water hardness the hardness is measured in seimen units and stays in the upper 3 hundred's when needed I add sea chem equilibrium .
f y I the pool sand releases quite a few elements into the water adding to the hardness

 

[jl209]

I highly doubt its the pool sand preventing the spread. Are you using fert tabs in the sand? This could be a major problem if you aren't. How much ferts are you dosing. I would at least double the recommdations on the bottle if you are using that much light. That still probably won't be enough honestly. How are you measuring c02? You might be better off turning off your halide lights. You don't need that much light. you would have to pump in a ridiculous amount of c02 to maintain proper levels. Just my ideas on the topic goodluck.