[Mr James]

Or, while my regulator issues are being resolved, what should I, or can I dose to get the same effect?? Dare I ask if there are co2 tablets?? Alka Seltzer?? Tums?? I don't really want to mess with a DIY co2...

 

[mpodolan]

Seachem Excel is a carbon source for plants

 

[Mr James]

Thanks Mike. What about adding Iron?? I used to toy with it in A 29g planted tank I had and i think it produced positive results...

 

[mpodolan]

Is this for the tank in your sig? If so, that is a TON of light. Even half of that would still be plenty (but much more manageable, at least). I would reduce the light significantly for right now. Until you get your co2 (or at least Excel) going, that much light will lead to awful algae problems

You will need to have good consistent co2, so pressurized is definitely the right choice. You will also need a good fertilization routine (N, P, K, and trace). I would suggest dosing with dry ferts. I use the Estimative Index method. There is a good sticky in the Water Params area of this site that explains this dosing regime. I'd suggest reading up a bit more about dosing ferts. There is lots of good info here, and lots of helpful people. Keep the questions coming, and we'll all try our best to help out

 

[Mr James]

Actually, the lights are left over from my saltwater days. New bulbs, but I have 2 x Actinic's (blue) and 2 x 10K's. I was told to replace the actinoics with 6700K's, or was it 6500K?? Either way, I plan to do that some time. I posted some pics somewhere around here. I just ordered Seachem's "Fundamentals Kit" from Drs Foster/Smith. It includes Flourish, Flourish Iron, and Flourish Excel.

 

[mpodolan]

That's a good start, but you'll still need a source for N, P, and K. Flourish is just micros/traces.

IMHO, keep the light way down until you can get ferts and co2 in order, or you will run into serious trouble

And yes, we generally run lights in the 6500 to 10000k range

 

[Philosophos]

I agree, drop out the light. I'd be running more like 1.5-2wpg of CF, 1.5wpg of T5HO at very most. That or get your self some compressed CO2 and use 1/2 the light you've got right now.

You can replace those pure actinics with a wide range of bulbs; even 50/50 actinic works well. Anywhere between 6500-10,000k will get you a decent bulb without a doubt.

You're going to want KNO3 and KH2PO4, plus likely K2SO4 to take care of your NPK. Flourish comprehensive dosed intensely will get your lower bounds of iron, though personally I'd just get CSM+B since it's loaded with iron, and maybe even supplement with some Fe DPTA if you're feeling fancy. Luxury uptake of iron seems to do nice things for plants; many of us over on thebarrreport.com are aiming way beyond the usual .1ppm and up to .5-2ppm right now. You can definitely use the bottle that you ordered to achieve this. Brush up on your molarity if you want good nutrient control.

Now, all of that aside, if you get compressed CO2 you're going to have to work on perfecting it. Drop checkers are good tools to start, but take a little work to learn. Compressed CO2 is one of the best things you can do for your tank.

-Philosophos

 

[jmhart]

Thanks Mike. What about adding Iron?? I used to toy with it in A 29g planted tank I had and i think it produced positive results...

While iron is a necessary nutrient for planted tanks, it won't simulate the effects of co2.

Seachem Excel is a good alternative.