fertilising questions

[prec]

Tank setup
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Age of tank : around 2 months
Dimesions of tank (LxWxH) : 16"x12"x14"
Volume of water : 90% full

Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : hang-on eheim filter

Type of lighting (FL/PL/MH) : 36W PL
Lighting Intensity : 6500k
No. of hours of lighting : 11 hours daily

Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : cylinder
CO2 injection rate (bps) : 2 bps

Substrate used : lapis
Thickness of base fert : 1 cm Dennerle base fert...
Thickness of gravel : 3 cm lapis gravel

Type of liquid fertilizers used : Seachem Flourish and Flourish Traces
Other types of fertilizer used : Lushgro Micros
Frequency of fertilization : 2.5ml of Flourish once a week; 2.5ml Flourish Traces once per week and 2 drops of Lushgro Micros once a week.

Temperature of tank : day 28 C and night 27 C

Other equipment : nil



Chemical Properties
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Carbonate Hardness (KH):
Total Hardness (gH):
pH : 6.8
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):



Bioload
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Plants:
Xue hua chao (2-3 stalks)
E.Tenellus (7 stalks)
HC (spreading about 10cm by 6cm)
Erect moss on wood

35 cherry shrimps
5 Neocardinia sp.
3 Bumble bee shrimps
5 Crystal reds



Description of problem(s):
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Hair algae seems to be overtaking my HC and also my Tenellus' leaves are turning thin and drying up sort of look.

I need some help over here guys. thanks. will appreciate alot. is no3 kits really accurate and helpful? or do i just do away with such kits?

[budak]

Most important for plants is Co2... and you need know both your pH and KH to know that, counting bubbles per second is useless..... a Co2 level of 25 mg/l is best for optimal plant growth (which keeps algae down).... forget about NO3 or other fert test kits.... go search for Tom Barr aka plantbrain's article on the "Estimative Index" in the Aquatic FAQ section (thread posted by juggler) for a no-brainer method for regular dosing that doesn't require testing. The other articles in that section on fertilisation are also useful.

[prec]

so that means i need to get pH and kH test kits?

[chua]

I personally feel that the two test kits that you mentioned are necessary.

This will enable you to determine the amount of CO2 in your tank which is important for plant growth and algae control.

[prec]

but how do i determine whether i got enuff no3 in my tank?