[ingg]

Here's my thing -

My tanks are lightly to moderately planted, all have decent community bioloads as well.

I don't use PMDD for one reason: I've got it stuck in my head it'll add too many nitrates, which I struggle with as is.

Here's a recent pic of my 55 gallon, to give an idea of plants:

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/2168/55mar8003gm1.jpg

In that tank there is about 30" of fish (4 dwarf cichlids, 3 small rainbows, an oto, 4 pygmy gourami, 2 male guppies). Nitrates are 20 ppm for weekly water changes, changing out 15-20% water weekly. That tank has 160 watts of t12 6500k light, on about 12 hours a day.

I recently finally got past the diatom bloom of h-e-double hockeysticks after adding a bunch of newly found hygro.

Then I added DIY CO2 to that tank... and the algae blooms are coming back.

I know I need to add ferts, but am scared of skyrocketing nitrates... am I being silly, I hope? PMDD ala Greg Watson help, hurt? Help me out here understanding.

 

[Ahkuma]

You might want to cut back your lighting to 8 hours a day if your having algae problems.

40-60 Gallon Aquariums
+/- 1/2 tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 1/8 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/8 (10ml) Trace Elements 3x a week
50% weekly water change


Use the above chart as a starting point for ferts and adjust accordingly to your individual needs.

I would recommend dosing the ferts individually like the above chart instead of the pmdd.

 

[JHipkin]

Read Rex Grigg's planted tank guide.

 

[Rex Grigg]

Ok. To start with get the idea of PMDD out of your head. The hobby is LONG past that. PMDD contains no phosphates which is a bad thing. Also the one size fits all approach doesn't really work that well.

What you want to do is dose bulk dry nutrients. Most likely you are having nitrate problems because your tank is low on phosphates, potassium or traces. You need to dose those.

 

[ingg]

Thanks guys.

More confused than ever, going back to reread Rex's site and try and get a clue.

Moving from a fish tank with a couple plants to trying a planted tank is more complex than I thought!

Rex-

So...

Get, you think,

CSM+B Plantex for my traces,

Potassium Sulfate for potassium,

and keep for backups (if Phosphates prove low and Nitrates start getting eaten)

Potassium Nitrate
Mono Potassium Phosphate


Does that make sense?

 

[JHipkin]

Complex perhaps, but very rewarding. And once you have the basics down it's not that difficult. Read, read, and read some more. Then go for it. You can't go too far wrong and there is lots of help on forums like this one.

When you are up to it check out the Barr Report. A very thorough, almost scientific, view on ferts and aquatic plants.

 

[Rex Grigg]

That makes sense and it's what you need.