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Sounds like you missed out on trace elements.
Tank: 15g
Plants: L. sessiflora, L. aromatica?, riccia, erect moss, rotala indica, A. gracillis
Fish: 5 tetras, 2 rummies, 2 SAE's, pea puffer
Fert regimen: No3 and Po4 every other day at 10ppm/1ppm (Greg W. KNO3 & mono potassium phosphate)
TE all other days (Seachems comp. 3mls)
Lights: 55w CF
CO2: yes, injected; ppm? everything pearls like mad
WC: 50% 1 a week
substrate: Seachems Fluorite.
pH: Begining pH 7.2, before lights, pH 6.6, right before lights out
I have been watching the No3 levels throughout the week, and after a WC its at 10ppm and everyother day it rises from 10-20-30-40ppm, and I see no down fall. Po4 seems good. Also the rotala is showing some kind of deficency, where the leaves are very trans parent and the edges have a tinge of yellowness. [/b]going nutz. Thanks Eric.
Sounds like you missed out on trace elements.
Just a suggestion but it may be prudent to stop adding the NO4- for now. The odds are a particular nutrient is absent or not accumlated to an active dose. When you start to see the NO4- decline then give a little more but do not give as much as 10 ppm at a time. IMHO smaller regular doses are much better. Stopping the PO4 would also be a good idea.
What NO4- salt are you using? KNO4? What brand of TE additive? Do you know what is in it?
Please get a few more rummy noses. 2 is so few and they like to shoal. Also, the 15 gal is too small for 2 SAE... I had 3 in a 1.2m tank and I thought they were cramped for space. Shrimp would serve as better algae eaters.
Regards
What is your KH?Originally Posted by erirku
Do you use solenoid valve to control CO2?
With solenoid but without ph controller (looks like you are having this)
If your KH is 3, your ph reading should be about:
- 6.4~6.6 just before light on.
- 6.8 just after light off.
To acheive that, turn on the CO2 about 1 hour (+/- 0.5 hr) before light on and turn off 1 hour before light off. Then, set the bubble rate till you get the readings mentioned above. It is a trial an error thing and need a few days to get it right.
Without solenoid/CO2 inject non-stop
If your KH is 3, your ph reading should be about:
- 6.4 just before light on.
- 7.0 just after light off.
Set the bubble rate till you get the readings mentioned above. It is a trial an error thing and need a few days to get it right.
Nutrients balancing
Main nutrients require to keep in check are K, N, P, Ca, Mg, traces.
K and traces are not easy to test, so you need to dose by trial.
If any of the nutrients is high, stop adding.
Counter the a high nutrient level (e.g. NO3) by:
1) water change (effective but does not solve the problem)
2) adding nutrients (good long term solution) that is RELATIVELY low in level
3) reduce fish load/feeding (good long term solution)
For your case, try:
1) stop the NO3 dosing (what is your source? KNO3 or CaNO3?)
2) add about 10~15ppm KSO4 once or twice a week, keep the PO4 at 1ppm
3) check the GH, it should be at least 4 degree. Is your tap water very soft?
4) add comprehensive traces solution as recommended. Reduce the dose only if you have lots of spot/green algae on the glass wall.
5) keep the CO2 level as mentioned
6) water temperature should be in the range of 25~28 degree celcius for most plants.
Don't have KH test kit yet, but does it have to be in those ranges to get things going?
Yes, I have a solenoid valve to control my CO2.
Yes, you need both the KH and PH readings to determine the CO2 concentration of the water. Go to this thread to get more info on KH and PH relationship and the corresponding CO2 concentration.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm
25-30~35ppm is a better range to hit for the CO2 for that amount of light you are blasting your tank with. Let it get down below 20ppm at any point of the day and you will risk getting BBA. A good oversized external high flow reactor (run by a powerhead) with good in tank mixing will minimize the flux in pH from the start to end of the photoperiod and will work well together with the light timer. A small reactor with poor flowrate might need to run 24/7 or start slightly early to keep the CO2 in good range.
Regards
Peter Gwee
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