Planted tank - Tank Balance & nutrient dosing (outdated, check website instead)
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- čas přidán 13. 01. 2015
- Nutrient dosing systems and tank balance in a planted aquarium
Nutrient dosing calculator:
rotalabutterfly.com/
Visit my new website for updates: www.advancedplantedtank.com/
Music by:
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Man, you are the man. I am loving this video. Full of great wisdom. I better get to work. Thanks for sharing.
What's up Sir??
Excellent video. Great to see the differences between ei and ada next to each other and how you have come to your own dosing programme. Well done. Keep the videos coming.
I use this exact same fertilizer calculator. I have been for the last two years. It's amazing!
Thank you for simplifying the EI dosing method. The information in this video is gold. Thank you for sharing this video. I had to subscribe.
Phil Grady Thanks man
Love your videos. Its like I'm in aquarium college!
There are a lot of confusing ideas on the net, but this clarifies the confusion. Like for example that Nitrogen/Nitrates causes algae, iron does not cause algae and many other things. These are, I think are very important points. At first it is hard to grasp the ideas of fertilizing a planted tank. I tried to understand the principles better this time and it becomes easier. At least everybody agrees that Potassium does not cause algae. ADU Aquascaping (another great guy) saying, you are the man. Thanks a lot for the help.
hey thanks ~
dude ur so knowledgeable and so helpful but man the music in your videos are a work in progress ;)
Thanks for sharing. Always informative and very helpful.
Fantastic video. Packed with useful information and very nicely presented. Subbed to this channel. Looking forward to more updates. Cheers. :-)
Thanks for coming by ~
Dennis Wong
Just out of curiosity, are you located in Singapore? :-)
*****
Yup I am
Dennis Wong cool :)
Thank you Dennis. Great information. What do you think of the new ADA fertilisers?
Very good consolidated information. Thanks for sharing tanks look great.
Dennis very informative thank you!
Great video. I really enjoy them. What temperature do you recommend keeping planted tanks at?
I think that if you keep species that favor colder water such as mosses, HC and rotalas, 68f / 20*c to 75f / 24*c is fine. Else, around 76f / 24*c is good for most tropical plants, easier to balance against algae when water is cooler. However, most tanks you see in the vids are kept around discus temps 80f-84f, as it's warm here in the tropics. It's not ideal for plants but it's not as huge a disadvantage as some people describe it
Great video!
I watched it a year ago and did not understand it well, but now that I have researched a little bit more about plant deficiencies and dosing systems (because I have had problems with growing even the easiest plants in my aquarium), the video makes perfect sense.
My theory why undemanding plants had problem in my aquarium is low amount of K (potassium). Adequate N and P are usually supplied with nitrogen cycle and fish food, but K is usually supplied only with tap water, and if it lacks K, the plants will have mayor problems growing, especially because it is needed in almost all plant's processes (including transport of chemicals, so no K, no transport!). From the recommended K dosages I have discovered that plants need K the most of all nutrients. I have started dosing my aquarium with K and after 2 days I have noticed improved growth and healthier colors. But more time is needed to confirm my theory.
I have also one question, I have found no talk about S (sulphur) need of aquarium plants, and as it is a macro element, it also needs to be important?
There are evidences that lack of S makes land plants deficient.
Not sure about S honestly, but it's so common in fertilizers (K2SO4, MgSO4, CaSO4) that I think there is plenty to go by.
Dennis Wong
Yes, sulfur is common in fertilization salts, and probably has some effect on aquatic plants.
After only 1 week of minimal dosage of nutrients using EI method (10ml per 100L, aquariumplantfood.co.uk) I see huge/EXTREME improvement in plant health and growth ("Rotala Rotundifolia" grows 10 new sprouts/leaves cca 1cm long every week, before 1-2 really small sprouts).
It is a pity that in aquarium hobby this is not a standard method of plant fertilization (if one goes in pet store and wants to buy plant fertilizer, one gets "UNIVERSAL" fertilizer that lacks macroelements or microelements, but it is understandable as micro and macro elements react with each others therefore they need to be dosed separately).
Hi and thank you for the greats videos. may i ask where you get your dry firts from? thanks
Hi dennis!
great video I wonder, what about KH values?
I look for growing Hygrophila pinnatifida in my tank and have difficult time with it.
My ph is 5.9, KH 0.5 GH 4 TDS 350
Should I change something?
Terrific.
Thank you Dennis.
dennis your tanks and scapes are simply beautiful mate, been learning a lot.just wanted to ask you whats the best temprature for plants and fish and shrimps. currently my water temp sits around 25 C to 26 C
+Stan sam 25 - 26 is near perfect... some shrimps and mosses may prefer it a tad colder, but almost all non-cold water species plants will grow well between 24-25 degrees.
I am starting into this New hobby. I find it really interesting. Dennis, I have a question. I noticed on the video that some nutrients must be added daily and some of them 3 times a week. I was told that some nutrients Block others. Is that true? Furthermore, do I have to dose when the light starts working? Or at night?
Which nutrients can be dosed together and Which dont?
Thank you so much
Another very helpful video.
I tend to skip dosing on the first month or so of i am using a very rich substrate.
Then i start slowly dosing increasing the amounta as i see fit.
But i am still playing with it trying to get a method that works for me.
+AQUADESIGN by aquamaniac I think if using rich substrates like ADA, it'll be leaking large amounts of nitrates during the initial period, but the plants will still require potassium/iron which are usually not freely available in the water column. Getting plants a strong start by giving them all the nutrients required can go a long way in preventing algae outbreaks, so I would dose those two though I might skip dosing nitrates/phosphates till later
Simply Amazing!!!
"Also known as the Sledgehammer...ha ha ha" so cute! (^///^) hehe
Great video man, quick question. When you give the dosing values Nitrogen, are you talking about N or NO3? same question for P versus PO4. When using the calculator you linked, which values should I be using?
NO3, PO4
Hi I don't have any soil under the gravel. The gravel is 2 mm tick. I got some JBL kugeln balls root fertiliser to put on root area into the gravel. Do you think I should restart my aquarium and put aquarium soil ?
Hi Dennis. How would your dosing levels change, if at all, on an carpeted iwagumi style tank vs a well planted tank such as the ones you show? Also could one just dose KN03 and not K2S04 since alot of the KN03 dose is potassium?
BTW, as many have said this and all of your vids are nicely done and much appreciated by us enthusiasts.
I would dose 1/10th or 1/5th the level of EI for iwagumi/sparsely planted tanks. You could skip dosing K2SO4 and just use KNO3 if you are dosing high levels of KNO3.
amazing video! i want to try your dosing method but am wondering if i dose with potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, and potassium phosphate if that would be too much potassium. is that ok, and or what dry firts do you use and where can i get them? please and thank you
It's fine, If you're already dosing large amounts of potassium using potassium nitrate and potassium phosphates, then you may skip using potassium sulphate
Love the video but for example, if you say you're adding 1.5ppm of K daily, how do you measure out KNO3 and KH2PO4 as they both also add K to the mix?
Include the K from those two as well
Hey dennis ..
My tap water contains high nitrates naturally about 40 ppm ... Can I stop dosing potassium nitrate and increase phosphate to 4 ppm on weekly basis ????
Thak you..
Fantastic video
Hey Dennis love your videos, and look forward to more. Just curious what dry ferts you use to do your dosing. I see that you dose K daily and N 3 times a week. How do you dose K by itself, unless you're not using KNO3? Could you share with us the solutions you use--the calculator website is no longer available. :(
madamerosario You can use K2SO4 for just Potassium... Eh there are other calculators online I believe; just do a general search for planted tank dosing calculator on google. I'm dependent on the sites also, if not have to work out the ratios using the periodic table
Dennis Wong Thank you for the reply. Just proved to myself I could compute the same ppm values from an online calculator using a periodic table. I never thought during chemistry class that unit analysis, molar masses, etc would come in handy! I think I'm going to go that route instead of relying on the calculators.
The EI and ADA approach, are they applicable for all size of tanks in a same manner?
Great video Dennis, my question is, how would you measure PPM, how would I know how much 1.5ppm is when I dose? Maybe a stupid question but I cant figure it out! Thanks!
+Goran Rajak Check the calculators in the links in the video description
David, what are other "ADA equivalent" substrates that you have seen used successfully?
Hello Dennis, Great video, can you upload a link of what kind of fertilizer and where did you buy them?
plant always broke up in the middle why dennis my friend 😊
Nice video! I have a question. Do you think GH Booster is mandatory in EI? I saw in nilocg.com, there are 2 recipes of EI Dosing: Both have KNO3, KH2PO4. But one with GH booster and the other with K2SO4. I'm confused. Because when Dosing only with the first two, I saw my plants start melting
Hi Dennis. Once again. Thanks for some great content. I have a question for you. Which nutrient-type testkits would you consider using to detect plant deficiencies, assuming that you have got the co2 and light right?
Actually I don't think test kits are good for identifying deficiencies... If you suspect that you have say K deficiency, dose a good amount of K... if that doesn't change things, then it's probably not K and you can move on to the next variable. For people that are already dosing regularly, true deficiencies are rare and most cases where they think that they have deficiencies are mis-diagnosed issues tied to something else - many many other things affect plant growth/health beside nutrients, so be careful about trying to draw conclusions from simple tests
Thank you for your answer :-) Diagnosing plant deficiencies is the one thing I find most challenging about this hobby. Opinions on how to tackle this are many and most leave you with very little, if any, factual indicators to go on. It mostly boils down to experience, which leaves newcomers little direction. I wish there were more content on how pros diagnose issues (which indicators lead to conclusions on what to try to correct) - hint, hint... ;-)
haa I have an entire section on the new website dedicated to this, it will be launched soon. But yes, doing diagnostics well is the end-game... cos its the approach that lets one tune any system
Fantastic! I will be looking forward to that a lot. Will you be announcing the site here on CZcams? And by the way - is there some way one can support your content creation. Right now I'm benefiting for free, but I would not mind pitching in for your efforts. They are very valuable for a lot of aquarists, and must take a considerable effort to create.
What should be the dosing in a low tech aquarium with medium planting density that you only could do water changes on/add ferts to once every 3 to 4 weeks?
+OriginalMindTrick You can check out this link : www.sudeepmandal.com/hobbies/planted-aquarium/low-tech-planted-tank-guide/ I find plants do better with a stable level of ferts, so I think dosing at least weekly would be good. You can check out EI for low tech tanks
great video, but one question... i have used ada amazonia soil in my 60L and it has been cloudy for the past 8 months, so i am thinking of putting a different soil or something over the top of it. any suggestions?
+alasdair holy depends on what is causing the cloudiness? Is it persistent green water (water borne algae)
+Dennis Wong i think i got a dunt bag of the ada soil or something because there has been a layer of silt over all the actual soil, which has been stirred up and floats around in the tank making it cloudy.
good info, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for coming by ~
Thanks for sharing. Where do you buy KNO3? Is it the liquid type from Dr Mallick?
Heh, yeah buying aqueous KNO3 from him is one way... They don't sell the powder form back at home anymore, at least not at the retail level
+Dennis Wong You dose 1.5ppm K daily and 2-4ppm N 3x a week. When you dose K and N on the same day, since KN03 provides K, do you reduce the dosing of the K to keep the K dose at 1.5ppm or just add and additional 1.5ppm of K? Thanks.
I keep the K dose at 1.5 to 2ppm a day
Please help, I'm using EI dosing, high light, CO2, getting lots of growth but the bottom part of my stem plants gets covered with green algae, always have to cut and replant the clean tops. Why do I still get algae on leaves, my aquarium is almost a year old, my flow is ok I think. I want to be able to grow my plants taller without the bottoms getting ugly so soon :(
hi,
I am using a 36 watt pll bulb in an 18"/9"/12" (l/w/h)tank.I did a dry start method with monte carlo and alternanthera reinikki mini.now its been 2 months and im planning to add water.wanted to know how many bps of co2 to keep and ppm level to reach regarding nutrients.will be really helpfull if yo reply.
+Deepak Srinivas You can use the levels which I used in the vid - for CO2, check the CO2 video on optimizing CO2; use a drop checker at least. BPS is a very rough gauge to start with - you can start with 1 or 2 bps and adjust from there
Hi Dennis, what brand of dry fert do you use? I'm thinking of buying Osmocote. Thanks!
+CiceroSpeaketh you can check out nilocg.com/diy-ei-liquid-fertilizer/ But brand doesn't matter if you're using pure chemicals. Osmocote is potent, but becareful of over-dosing
Hi Dennis, diatoms have taken hold of my Monte Carlo carpet. It's an ADA 60p with an archae ultra grow led light. I've cut it to 6hrs of light and my co2 is around 3-4bps. What can I do?
Wait it out, diatoms usually caused by new tank cycle and disappear on their own
great explanations. that laugh at @1:30 though lol :P.
Lol haa thanks man
Very informative video. Where do you buy your dry fertilizers from? I've only purchased Seachem liquid products and it's getting expensive.
TheTerminator1919 Yeah dry ferts give far more bang for your buck, not to mention customization. You can order them online, or if you are in SG, buy from shops such as Nature Aquarium at Novena
Dennis Wong Thanks! Quick question I was wondering if I could pick your brain. Do you think a single t8 fixture on a 29 gallon tank with all over like meeting plans will be ok? Brown algae seems to be taking over my plants.
TheTerminator1919 The brown aglae (diatoms) always go away after a tank stabilizes, it's quite common. I'm not sure of the dimensions of your 29g ? It depends on how deep the tank is... I've seen tanks run on a single T8 but it had very slow growth
hey, I just had one question? so what are your thoughts or knowledge on dosing your nutrients. Does it matter if we dose all our nutrients once a week or split it up through out the week? Say if we do pps pro and follow their recommended dosing 1ml per 10g daily, can we just do instead dose on only 2 days the recommended dose for the week? Does it affect the plants in what we choose to do?
+Oscar Segundo It depends on your water ? Iron & phosphates are quite reactive, and bind readily to other elements, depending on what they bind to they may be precipitated (into the substrate or as suspension in water column). So the rationale for more regular dosing is that plants get a better chance to use those nutrients before they become unavailable. Whether or not they remain unbounded or not available depends on your exact water chemistry.... For example, if you have very akaline water, the common iron chelates can break down within a couple of days and fe will be oxidised after that. Regular dosing just removes the guess work - if you dose that day, your plants will likely get a chance to receive those nutrients
Dennis Wong ahh thanks for the reply, it means alot. I really need to read/research more on plant biology! It interests me alot so every video you put out is very much appreciated.
+Oscar Segundo You're welcome ! Can try reading the articles in the paid/member section of Barr report.. It's quite comprehensive and focused on aquatic plants, with good experiments and data.
What's the best way to use the dry fertilizer. I'm using seachem and its getting pricy. About $40 every 3 months .
Yep, liquid ferts are pricey... you can google the EI method and use dry ferts using a calculator such as this : calc.petalphile.com/en/
I've been dosing ferts in my tank and still experience melting and leaves with holes and withering away.
Do you have a video on mixing dry fert or a reputable website to buy material or brand?
Try this link rotalabutterfly.com/
tell me pls should i fertilize micro and macro same day?i use dry ferts
depends on your water; some people get a milky precipitation ~ If so, then dosing on separate days may be better
Are there any all in one fertilizers that are effective? I’m looking for a simple and effective solution for my first planted tank.
There are a few on the market; you could google "Thrive" if you are an EI fan
i do the e method thingy but never change my water ...evrything seems fine
In regard to dosing ADA style in initial period, to achieve 0.01 to 0.06 ppm 3 times weekly of green brighty in 150 gallon tank. Is recommend dosage on bottle (1ml per 20l), which would be 28ml daily, excessive ?
They have changed the contents of their bottles recently... check the information on the new site to be updated
hellow what MICRO u using can u write 330litres aqvarium how much need dozing every day NPK and MICRO thx
Dear Dennis, I'm new to the hobby. Can you give me some sources where I can get the dry fertilizers you have listed? Much appreciated.
Depends on which country you are in~
Hi Dennis, I'm from Sri Lanka. What I meant was are there like online sites which you can point me to get the ferts you have mentioned which offer international shipping?
hi dennis wong. the reading that u gave is it per dose? how can i make NPK(Macro) with this reading in 1 solution?
N: 5-7ppm 3x per week
P: 0.5-2ppm 3x per week
K: 6-8ppm 3x per week
FE/Trace: 0.5-1ppm 3x per week
or do u separate bottle for each fert? im using ei dosing now but im still having some phosphrous deficiency on plants. how do i counter this issue?
try reading the website links www.advancedplantedtank.com/fertilisers-how-to.html and www.advancedplantedtank.com/dry-aquarium-fertilizers.html
This may be a stupid question. I do have a nitrate test kit and I know I can get perhaps a phosophate test kit. Aside from that, I only have a limited menu of ferts to choose from. Most of them are liquid ferts that provide a recommended dosing regime on the bottle. How do I figure out how much I'm actually dosing in ppm?
Unless the manufacturer states concentrations on the bottle label, you will not know. The alternative method is to DIY ferts or buy from manufacturers that do give the concentrations of their ferts. (i.e. seachem).
Thanks Dennis! I love your videos and I hope you plan on doing more. Do you have a Fb page? Just FYI to all aquarists, Tropica ferts are great, but there is no information about NPK on their bottles.
You can join us at facebook.com/groups/259927137681824/
I am trying to grow. Hc. I planted in one clump instead of separating it is that ok thanks!
Tommy Soja It's better if it is separated into smaller clumps...
Hi Dennis,
Great tanks and nice explanation!
I just want to confirm in the video you use N, P in ppm, are you referring to NO3 and PO4 in ppm? e.g. 4'22" My dosing approach N(2-4 ppm 3 times a week), I think you are referring NO3 dosing 2-4 ppm 3 times a week? Same goes for P?
What is the light density (PAR, Lux, or Watt/Gallon) and how long per day you are using for the above My dosing approach, what is the tank dimension?
Looks like you can control algae very well and what is the tricks and dosages you can share? H2O2? Excel? Twinstar?
I think you are the best among the E.I, ADA, etc. dosage regimens!
Thanks,
Fe.
Thanks ! Yes, N and P in ppm refer to NO3 and PO4 in all cases. I think the exact levels of NO3 and PO4 required changes depending on tank to tank; whether you have very rich substrate/using alot of light, the key is to dose enough to be non-limiting for plant growth.
In my dosing approach, its an example of what I dose for the 47gallon tank I have, with 100ish PAR at substrate, but it's a lean regime because I use a rich substrate. It's not a universal figure as tanks differ alot. On other tanks, I might dose more KNO3 or less depending on plant mass/light.... need to observe plant reaction and tweak accordingly.
Algae is a complex topic. H2O2/Excel kill algae but are temporary measures unless the root causes are solved. Using less light and having good CO2 levels are the two most important factors in giving plants an advantage over algae, nutrient dosing is the easy part. Having a clean tank; i.e. frequent water changes to remove ammonia/organic waste, removal of dead leaves, excess food prevent algae spores from blooming in the first place. Planting densely, and using good pruning techniques to have healthy plants also help. No magic bullet, just regular boring maintenance goes a long way
Dennis Wong
Thanks for your reply! Details are more useful for planted tanks. E.g 100 PAR at bottom and the water is crystal clear. That is smartly enough and great result.
In your experience, do you have any Ca and Mg deficiency problem because tap water is soft and under a little bit of high lighting?
Hope you have a video talking about aquascape skills, how to select plant types, use rocks, red and green plants mix, etc.
Thanks for sharing,
Fe.
RR26 Hmm calcium problems are quite rare, even soft tap water seems to have quite a bit of those, not to mention soil that I use in the substrate. I do add magnesium as part of the dosing schedule, but in small amounts(1-5ppm). Hope to come up with more vids soon ~
+Dennis Wong
how often do u doze magnesium at 1-5 ppm.weekly 3 times or oly during water change.
+Deepak Srinivas I dose it 2 times weekly, usually with water changes. For many tanks I do 2 X water changes a week, but smaller percentage (20%) or so
Hi. I am from Singapore and recently i started aquascaping. I currently have injected co2 in my tank and i am planning to start on fert. Any recommendation on where to get them or should i diy myself?
Hi, you can buy the dry chemicals from some LFS, or order them online from overseas sites or from SG's own online hydroponics shop - you can use the commonly available liquid ferts like those from seachem, but they cost more
Which one should i buy? Should i follow the ei method or your method
Amos Low Hmm I guess the good thing about following the EI method is that a lot of people use it, so its easy to find information, do diagnosis... Each tank is different, and the dosing will change depending on how your plants react
When is the best time to fertilize in planted Tank ?
hey Dennis, the choir music is just a tad bit loud, lower it like 3 or 4db and it'll be perfect. great info!
hilos20 Thanks man...does this mean I have to re-upload the video?
+Dennis Wong does CZcams have the ability to replace videos? if not yes you'll have to re-upload it. :( maybe just keep it mind for future videos.
What is your watt per gallon or watt per litre? I do not have access to a par meter so I am still trying to figure out how much light I should have. Until today I had 4x39w on a 180 litre/40g tank. I believe it might be to much so I took out 1x39w. Whats your take on that? Really appreciate you feedback !
I think 4 X 39w, which is pretty standard setup makes for pretty good lighting/spread on the slightly high side. I don't have a fix rule as an open Iwagumi scape with just a carpet requires much much less light than say a scape with steep slopes and dense, colored plants. So use more or less is dependent on plant/algae reaction. However, the higher the light we use, the more precise our manage of CO2/flow will need to be to keep up, else algae blooms
Dennis Wong Thanks Dennis! Mr Barr suggesting less light than the average w/g rule. Don't know it depends on plan and bio load. I try for a month the less light approach and we will see. Thank you so much for your feedback.!
dennis..after u setup a new tank..are u put fertilizer right away..or u wait for 1 week or 2 week
I generally don't wait
thank youuuuu denniisssss
Cool
Dennis I think I asked you on another video about this but what about with some plants like Rotala Mac that favor low nitrate levels? I know tom Barr has mentioned before he has grown it in several tanks where nitrates are well around 30-40ppm so what should be the approach for some redder more demanding plants? When I was dosing ei I stopped dosing kno3 as it comes out of my tap at 10ppm. Instead I was dosing k2so4 and plantex+csmb. On alternate days.. Still several plants would get stunted even with inline diffuser blowing co2 over them all day. Is this a case where I need to up the dosing on my tank?
Could do an entire video on this ha.. but red plants don't follow such a linear formula. Using an analogy, you can be Michael Phleps and looked nice and ripped on a 12000 calorie diet, or you can a bikini model and look stunning on very lean diet; the average joe is neither here nor there and therefore looks average. Red plants and dosing systems are something similar. If you go the Phleps road in a planted tank - This means using more light (100ish PAR), heavy dosing and rich fertilization & substrate, fast flow & higher temps, and have to manage the subsequent ultra fast growth by frequent pruning, replanting. This is the Tom barr method and the same method I used on the large tank in my vids. Without the frequent replanting/pruning/dosing, it falls apart. Just like Michael phelps would get fat if he stopped working out. The bikini model route also produces excellent plants/coloration, using more frequent but leaner fertilization, cooler temps, lower lighting, (I would argue even lower CO2 levels). However, if you miss a dose for a couple of days or allow temps to rise above 75f, you get algae or deficient plants. Red plants are reddest at the two extreme ends of methodology, and plants take up to a week or more to switch from a fast mode growth to slow, so consistency is important. If you want very red plants, the key is to choose one extreme end and have parameters consistent to that system. Some plants do better in fast growth mode, others in slow, so there is no universal best answer. Other variables specific to Rotala Mac; does better in cooler (below 77f) water, with less alkalinity (KH below 5 or so). And lastly, you need visually good lighting to show off the red plants; the reddest Rotala Mac won't look good under a light that visually outputs very little red spectrum. This is a problem for most LED sets that don't have dedicated red LEDs; as most white LEDs are merely blue LEDs with a yellow phosphor coating.... In some sense Tom Barr's tanks show the superior visual effect of using fluorescent tubes chosen to give good visual coloration.
I would say i am probably on the high extreme end as I am using 2 aquatic life T5HO fixtures, with 4 bulbs at 39w each over a 30 gallon long tank.. My co2 is ramped up pretty high via inline diffuser, but i still had deficient issues. I was just curious if you had any ideas about how i should dose or increase my dosing? I was doing EI method at 1/4 Tsp-KN03 3x a week
1/16 Tsp-KH2P04 3x a week
and 1/16 of K2SO4 a wk
1/16Tsp-Trace 3x a week
Nitrates out of my tap are 10ppm, and i was having issues with rotala mac and a few other plants like Ludwigia SP and Acruata and rotala narrow leaf mac. So i stopped dosing Kno3 because of it coming out of my tapwater. So i just dosed K2so4 and Plantex+csmb every other day. My tank is extremely heavily planted, but ive always been afraid of upping my dosing, and I don't have the money to throw out for any highly accurate tests. Do you have any ideas what i should try increasing my dosing to or what i should try? I appreciate the help and ur videos are great
fsu23 Have to see your tank pics to get a better idea, you could find me on plantedtank.net forum under the name Xiaozhuang.... Alternatively, if you suspect its deficiency issues, why not just dose more KNO3 ? Its not harmful to dose a reasonable amount, like 15-20ppm a week. If there is no improvement, then you can be sure it's something else. Then by a process of elimination we can understand the tank condition better....
Dennis Wong ok I'll try to send you a pm of pics. I'm not sure how to measure adding amounts of kno3 in ppm.. But the standard for my 30 gallon would be a 1/4 tsp 3x a week. Would upping it to 1/2 a tsp be reasonable I would assume
fsu23 1/4tsp of KNO3 in 30gal 3 times a week is adding 21ppm of nitrates (7ppm each dose). 1/2tsp of KNO3 in 30gal 3 times a week is adding 42ppm of nitrates in a week. (14ppm each dose). It's high but within acceptable limits. If you have issues with Rotala Mac, and arcuata but not the easier plants, it may really be a KH issue, in which extra dosing doesn't help. One way is you can up the dose for a couple of weeks; if there is no improvement, I seriously doubt its nutrient related
Can i replace k2so4 with mg2so4
Can fertilizer expire?
will plants absorb fertilizers without adding CO2 to the system and grow healthy?
Carbon makes up 50% of plant dry mass; it's pointless to over-dose ferts when the main component is lacking
Dennis Wong Thank You :)
Great video👍
$20 fertilizer cost for 5 years!!!??
It's not even enough for a 500ml bottle of APT complete 😂😅
that's why it says the video is outdated ... xD
Hi Dennis, any recommendation on web calculate for EI?
Melvin Tan yanc.rotalabutterfly.com/ You can try this one~
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for the web calculator.
Oh ya, the calculator cannot work with solution on container? the result given is for dry dosing even if i selected the : using a solution.
Where do you buy your dry fertz? $20 is cheap
+edward bodo Hydroponics shops, Amazon, chemists, lots of places where they're available
Dennis Wong, what is your top tipp for the AR and the S repens? Pls have a look at my tank at my channel and give me your advice for maintaining my tank. I have some gsa and dose EI. Thanks!
Your tank seems pretty balanced actually, and the plants look healthy. Has the look of consistent maintenance which is more important than people realize. Your S repens looks fine ? I'm not sure what you'd want to change. Fertilization-wise the ADA + EI combi covers all fronts, you won't need to tweak those. You can adjust your CO2 higher; the downside of an inline reactor is that you may not get a CO2 mist in the tank(precisely why some ppl use inline reactors), but the mist does help growth [read Tom barr's research paper on barrreport for this]. The only other thing I'd pick on is that the plant combination you have is not particularly competitive, AR and S. repens are both slow growers and they make up the majority of the scape, a scape with less portion of competitive fast growers is more susceptible to algae. For the algae on the wood, if you get a couple of bristle nose plecos, it'd be a 100% cure rate. I don't find it all that distracting actually, if the algae is only on the wood. After the plants fill in more and a period of stability setttles in it may disappear on its own...
Dennis Wong Thanks so much for your answer, really appreciate it. I will change my inline to a bazooka atomiser because of the amount of bubbles in the tank and see what is the reaction of the plants. Potassium dosing I have increased so that might solve the Green spot algae problem on the leafs. Keep on posting please of your great tanks!
Hi. What is your view on PPS-Pro ?
The good thing is that it covers a wide spectrum of nutrients; covering most bases in a typical planted tank. But because it works on a fixed ratio & dosing rate, it works for some tanks and not so well on others. Think about how different tanks can be; alow light Iwagumi setup with 1 carpeting plant and low plant mass has entirely different requirements from a fully planted Dutch scape with 70% fast growing stem plants. Does anyone expect their uptake rates to be similar ? Or their uptake ratios to work equally well
+Dennis Wong Thanks for the response, and keep up the great work.
Did you say eco complete substrate isn't good? Why is that, i thought it was great stuff, and it's expensive too.
sejlefrew Yep. It's hard to plant in, and contains little/no nutrients at the start despite what the marketing says. (Look for posts on the Barr report where ppl tested this). Flourite is similar but much more usable. You can easily test this by growing plants in say ADA or soil vs Eco-complete in a tank that has no other ferts added (no water dosing etc) - plants will grow much better in the former two substrates. All less nutrient rich substrates can be used by compensating with fert dosing in the water - so it's usable in that sense, but definitely not worth the money. I can get the same results using inert sand and just being consistent in my water dosing.
Thanks for the info, I didn't know you could use plain old soil and get results, I think that's the route i'll switch to since i want to build up the substrate level pretty high and was going to have to spend at least 100$ more on substrate alone just to get it to the height i wanted, Thanks again, i appreciate it!
It's cheap and effective, but finding a suitable soil might take a bit of experience. In addition, you need to be careful when up rooting plants; it kicks up a lot of dirt. This style is more suitable for people who already have a fixed plan in mind, and replanting is not done so often.
How do you add Fe?
Through 2 sources; Fe EDTA dry powder and plantex CSM + B
Great videos.
Your english vocabulary is very good. Its only your pronunciation that needs more work.
Where do you get dry ferts for $20?
Search online, look for Nilcog Colin on facebook
Dennis Wong Thankyou :)
Petalphile website is broken ?
yep, the guy passed away. Try this one rotalabutterfly.com/
now i can stop buy liquid fert Thank!
Brain melt, Think ill stick to anubias and java fern :D
Lol
NEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!!!!!!!