Dosing Regeime for CRS Tank

[tofubox]

Hi all,

Can i ask, i've read that CRS are very sensitive to alot of fertilisers, espically does which have high contents of copper.

My tank is a high tech 3ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft tank, with CRS in it. Currently, im trying to grow HC. At the moment, im only dosing Seachem Excel and Profito once a week, to me, not much difference, plant doesn't seem to look healthy.

Can anyone recommand me the essential fertilisers needed for a full tank just solely HC?
And the type of fertilisation regeime i should follow?

If i stick to Seachem excel and profito, how often should i be dosing?

Light - 8hours a day
CO2 - Comes on when lights are on, about 5bps
drop check - yellow

Any Shifu whos keeping CRS in a planted tank can advise?

Thanks!

[Navanod]

Am keeping a high tech shrimp tank with HC too
I'm not sure what Profito (sounds like what the maker wants to make! haha!) is, but check to make sure its providing potassium. Also check that your nitrate is not depleted. You don't want it too high (>30ppm) but it should not hit zero either. Other nutrients should be in that profito and the leftover food...

HC is light hungry from my experience (melts when one of my light tube died and I couldn't get a replacement fast enough). How bright is your light intensity?

[tofubox]

Hi navanod!

Thanks for ur valuable feedback. Details of profito http://www.easylife.nl/english/fresh...s/profito.html
A fellow forum member recommended the usage of this fertiliser as it was 100% safe for shrimps.

Navanod, care to recommend your dosing regeime. What fertilisers u use? And how often u dose them?

My light intensity is 156watts. Roughly 4watts per gallon. Currently my hc seems to be doing alrite, although many of them melted away initially. Anyone knows where to get hc submersed?

[Navanod]

Sounds like a nice fert...and they avoided nitrate and phosphate, which people mostly wants to remove.
However, under high CO2 and light, you may actually have a depletion issue with these 2 nutrients especially if the plants are growing very fast and livestock levels are not high.

Check nitrate with a test kit, your limiting factor may be that (and maybe phosphate too)

I'm using EI dosing but at 1/2 the dose (7.5ppm nitrate, 5ppm potassium, 0.5ppm phosphate per week) after monitoring and realizing that full dose will give me too much nitrate. I'm using DIY NPK ferts with seachem iron and comprehensive, as well as seachem excel.

Your lighting sounds pretty high already so I'm really not sure why your HC is not healthy aside from possible nitrate and phosphate depletion.

[tofubox]

Hey novanod,

Thanks for the comprehensive description. I've read a lot about EI dosing. But its rather complicating.

Can u share how you DIY NPK fert? Where do u purchase these ferts? And how do u know the ppm dosed?
And does excel comprehensive have any negative effects for shrimps?

I figure that if I follow the EI dosing regeime, I should be able to get a very good balance of ferts.
Anyway, I really appreciate your valuable feedbacks, really helpful for my tank.

[Navanod]

The DIY fert is basically made from mixing dry fert powders in water. You can buy them from a singapore hydroponic website or from NA.
Details not very nice to discuss here...

You mean Seachem Flourish comprehensive? Seachem excel is a separate product, haha
As long as you follow the instructions on the label and do regular water change, the shrimps does not mind at all. However, I'm not sure if you need to dose it at all since the Profito claims to also prevode micro-ferts?

One thing to note with EI dosing...you can afford to overdose the macro-nutrients with a rather large tolerance except nitrate. Be sure to check often (I do it almost weekly)