Hello all!
Tank stats:
15g high light
pressurized co2 with inline diffuser, hooked up to spray bar. co2 checker is green.
lights on 7 hours a day, co2 on 6 hours a day (1 1/2 hours before lights go on, 1 hour before they turn off).
weekly or bi weekly water changes, up to 40-50%
Plants:
2 melon swords
rotala colorata
ludwigia repens
staurogyne repens
2 crypts
3 mini amazon swords
marsilea minuta
various mosses
Stock:
1 betta
5 amano
3 cories (im getting more!)
I've been trying to nail down my fert schedule, but I cant seem to A) avoid nutrient deficiency and B) avoid hair algae blooms, and i'd like some feedback.
I have a moderately planted tank (50% covered in plants) and i was dosing all seachem liquid ferts according to their instructions on a weekly or bi weekly basis. These included: Phosphates, potassium, flourish, trace, and iron.
I only have a 15g, so the doses are sometimes cut down quite a bit. For instance, 1 capful of flourish is for 60g. I cut it by 1/4. Others have 1/2 a capful for 20g, etc etc.
My issue is, I feel like i'm either overdosing (resulting in algae) or underdosing (also resulting in algae). My plants are exhibiting signs of what i believe to be phosphate and nitrogen deficiency. Something happened to my second bottle for nitrate testing so i cannot verify, but the bottom staurogyne repen leaves are white/green and falling off, and my melon sword has dead spots on the leaves. Both are starting to get GSA. The issue is the hair algae though, which I've heard loves phosphates and iron, and will grow when too much is in the water column. My anubias leaves are also light green with deep dark veins (magnesium defiency?). The ludwigia and rotala both have green tops, so im assuming that means there is less iron in my water?
The hair algae grows back every day, and even MORE so the day after i dosed flourish for the week.
Do you think the weekly regiment of all these ferts is necessary? should i be doing more? less? I just put three of these Osmocote Plus Capsules - Han Aquatics underneath my melon, anubias and staurogyne hoping it would counteract some of the imbalance, but perhaps now im overdosing? Do I continue to overdose until the plants recover and that will in turn kill the algae? =/
arg. This is the one thing i cant seem to get a grasp on. I've got all the equipment for a successful tank, now i just need to understand dosing. =(
Tank stats:
15g high light
pressurized co2 with inline diffuser, hooked up to spray bar. co2 checker is green.
lights on 7 hours a day, co2 on 6 hours a day (1 1/2 hours before lights go on, 1 hour before they turn off).
weekly or bi weekly water changes, up to 40-50%
Plants:
2 melon swords
rotala colorata
ludwigia repens
staurogyne repens
2 crypts
3 mini amazon swords
marsilea minuta
various mosses
Stock:
1 betta
5 amano
3 cories (im getting more!)
I've been trying to nail down my fert schedule, but I cant seem to A) avoid nutrient deficiency and B) avoid hair algae blooms, and i'd like some feedback.
I have a moderately planted tank (50% covered in plants) and i was dosing all seachem liquid ferts according to their instructions on a weekly or bi weekly basis. These included: Phosphates, potassium, flourish, trace, and iron.
I only have a 15g, so the doses are sometimes cut down quite a bit. For instance, 1 capful of flourish is for 60g. I cut it by 1/4. Others have 1/2 a capful for 20g, etc etc.
My issue is, I feel like i'm either overdosing (resulting in algae) or underdosing (also resulting in algae). My plants are exhibiting signs of what i believe to be phosphate and nitrogen deficiency. Something happened to my second bottle for nitrate testing so i cannot verify, but the bottom staurogyne repen leaves are white/green and falling off, and my melon sword has dead spots on the leaves. Both are starting to get GSA. The issue is the hair algae though, which I've heard loves phosphates and iron, and will grow when too much is in the water column. My anubias leaves are also light green with deep dark veins (magnesium defiency?). The ludwigia and rotala both have green tops, so im assuming that means there is less iron in my water?
The hair algae grows back every day, and even MORE so the day after i dosed flourish for the week.
Do you think the weekly regiment of all these ferts is necessary? should i be doing more? less? I just put three of these Osmocote Plus Capsules - Han Aquatics underneath my melon, anubias and staurogyne hoping it would counteract some of the imbalance, but perhaps now im overdosing? Do I continue to overdose until the plants recover and that will in turn kill the algae? =/
arg. This is the one thing i cant seem to get a grasp on. I've got all the equipment for a successful tank, now i just need to understand dosing. =(