Are my nutrient levels ok?

[OUTLAW]

Currently i'm running on 2x36w PL ..

Nutrient Levels

PH-6.5-6.8
kH-2-3dg
NO2-0,1ppm
NH3-0,2ppm


Tank has been around for 2 weeks, i've just started to put in Tetra Liquid fert.
wad other test kits do i need to purchase? ..

for no3 and po4(phosphate) .. how do i boost/decrease it??

[PeterGwee]

First of all, your CO2 level is kinda on the low side. Try to keep it in the 20-30ppm range during the light cycle. Hence, for a KH of 2, you aim for a pH of 6.3 and for a KH of 3, pH of 6.5.

How heavy is your tank planted? A couple of plants is no good, you need to fill up your entire tank with fast growing stem plants in order to stablize the tank faster. The presence of NH3/NH4 and NO2 pretty much tell us that your plants are limited by some nutrient or plant load is low....If everything nutrient is in place except NO3, the plants would quickly suck out every available ammonia if present.

Basically, there are 2 ways to go about your tank...first is the estimative index method (Dosing a known amount of fert to a fix volume of tank water 2-3X per week and resetting the tank with large water changes) which requires not much testing except for pH/KH (CO2) and knowing the available NO3 and PO4 levels in your tap. The other method is water saving method but requires lots of testing with test kits (Good ones though...if they give you bad results, you are heading into algae world. ).

The methods has its pros and cons...The estimative index method although is simple, but requires the person to do large water changes weekly, which can be taxing on a country like Singapore where water is scarce...I have asked Tom and he has comment on it...

Don't keep large tanks if it's a concern.
If you have the $ for large tanks then you should be able to afford the associated water bill.

Often, there are 3 tiers on a water bill, one for normal folks without large tanks, or folks that like 30 minute showers or wash their cars once or twice a week etc etc.
As your per capita/house/apartment usage goes up, so does you rate per cubic meter/ cubic ft etc.

This is enough to deter folks from using lots of water in areas where there is little water, like CA. We'd rather give the farmers all the water here or steal entire rivers from the Sierra's to feed LA Aww the politics of water is a really ugly place here in the USA and in much of the world. It's going to get much worse in the future.

But your concern is more a social political issue. Answering your question can take that path.

But one way you can do what you are asking about is to have numerous test kits, good ones also. You'll have to test often(weekly) and you might get away with less testing as you get a feel for the tank's ebb and flow of nutrient consumption.

I really feel if water conservation is a large concern, a non CO2 tank apporach is far more condusive. I only add water to top off for evaporation only. I change maybe 30-50% every 3-6 months.
I also use the wastewater to water my garden out front. Some folks I know even refilter their wastewater through carbon/DI beds. Some used RO and saved the wastewater from that for the garden, but you'd need room for that.

You are going to give up something if you don't plan on large water changes. $, time and testing/kits, faster growth, less guessing etc.

Sure, you can do it but there's always a trade off. Whether or not these are worth it or not may be open to debate.

Regards,
Tom Barr