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CO2/Flow/Ferts deficiency?

oliverpool

Member
Joined
10 Jun 2013
Messages
32
I am still having major issues with my tank. Its a 3 feet tank with LED and CO2 injection. Its been around for 1.5 years and I recently did a whole rescape. I basically siphon off perhaps half of the top soil and replaced it with new soil which I had placed in a bucket for 2 weeks in water (did some water change in the bucket every few days) I did not lose any fishes during the whole time. 4 weeks later, I started seeing yet again some issues with the plants.

Here is a picture that I am having with even plants like crypts. Looks like a some ferts difficiency? some of the leaves on the crypts are not green but almost dark yellow and you can see the veins?

15q46s9.jpg


I am dosing full EI for my 50G tank, Macro and micros 3 times each every other day. 50% or more water change each week. I have a Ehiem 2076 which shows it is providing around 600l/hour and I supplemented it with a Vortech MP10ES running 24x7 in lagoon mode at 65%. Plants are swaying lightly. CO2 comes on 1 hours before light and the PH drops around 0.9 when they lights starts ramping up an hour later and by the time the lights are at full intensity (40 par or so at substrate) PH is down around 1 full PH plus minus 0.1 PH. Stays that way before the CO2 goes off 1.5 hours before lights out 8 hours of photo period including ramp up and down. CO2 is via a self made cerges reactor at ehiem filter outlet. Some bubbles start to escape the reactor via the outflow in the middle of the photo period and stays that way. Plants seems to be pearling 2 hours or so into the photo period and intense pearling midway in the photo period. CO2 indicator shows light green to yellow at start of lights and goes to dark green within 2 hours of light off. I see my ph goes up to around 0.8PH around 3 hours after lights off.

In addition to plants not looking good. These are some of the issue I am still facing.

1. I have some hair? algae growing on some of my fissiden on my driftwood.

2. Slight BGA in only one area of my tank which I have been tryign to get rid of totally via KNO3 dosing directly at this area. BBA was a issue prior to the rescape but seem under control.

3. Very few dots of green spots on the glass but I attribute it to the rescape 4 weeks ago.

My water is very soft at almost 0GH and no calcium or magnisium, so I added MG to my macro dose and am now starting to add 1 teaspoon of Barr GH booster to my tank at every water change. I add one more teaspoon in the middle of the week. But in the past 2 weeks since I added MG and GH booster and increase my KNO3 and KH2PO4 another 10-15%? to be above EI for my tank, I am still not seeing improvements. Hair algae seems to be still growing only in the fissidens area and the crypts leaves that are less green are still not turning colour.

I am also seeing something strange in the area where I am have alot of ammania bonsai. I get some some big bubbles floating up every 30mins or so from the "substrate"? I tried smelling them to see if it was sulfur but there was no smell. Maybe oxygen from the roots of the ammania bonsai? IS this normal?

I cant increase my co2 without stressing some of the fishes. I have a slight ripple on the surface of the water and no oily film. No chiller so my temp stays at around 25-27 degrees whole day round. Could Temp be a issue for the fissidens not doing well? I can increase the flow more by increase the speed of the vortech but I estimate I am well in excess of the 10x flow. Both vortech and outflow are near each other pushing in the same direction. I can increase my LED lights by another 50% to get 80 Par if needed. But With all the algae issues waiting to pounce, I rather keep lights low till I solve all the issues.
 
Unfortunately all points to CO2 issues, poor plants, hair algae, BGA, green spot as if dosing EI can't be a fertiliser issue.

You are adding MgSO4 ?

You probably need to seriously reduce you light level as it is clearly high due to pearling plants but far to high for your CO2 levels, leading to plants dying and algae rearing its head. Try say 50% light reduction and say only 4 hours until algae is under control.

To get rid of algae, remove as much as possible with say a tooth brush + water changes and black out for 3-4 days, cover tank with sheets, no peeking, no fish feeding, this should kill all the algae.

Other things, are you sure your water is 0GH, I assume this is water board figures, not test kit results ? Are you sure your lights are 80Par, how do you know ?

Are you sure your drop checker fluid is OK.

Lots of options above to try.
 
I agree with ian. If you lower your light youll be probably sorted very soon. Also dont worry about colour of crypts unless they die back. This is their normal colours and they change a lot due to conditions.
 
Unfortunately all points to CO2 issues, poor plants, hair algae, BGA, green spot as if dosing EI can't be a fertiliser issue.

You are adding MgSO4 ?

You probably need to seriously reduce you light level as it is clearly high due to pearling plants but far to high for your CO2 levels, leading to plants dying and algae rearing its head. Try say 50% light reduction and say only 4 hours until algae is under control.

To get rid of algae, remove as much as possible with say a tooth brush + water changes and black out for 3-4 days, cover tank with sheets, no peeking, no fish feeding, this should kill all the algae.

Other things, are you sure your water is 0GH, I assume this is water board figures, not test kit results ? Are you sure your lights are 80Par, how do you know ?

Are you sure your drop checker fluid is OK.

Lots of options above to try.

This is the water quality report. Soft water with no mg or calcium. Total hardness less then 3. My sera gh kit changes colour on the first drop. I never doses gh booster till 3 weeks ago. Which could be a problem as I probably been lacking in mg and calcium all along.

I just cleared all plants with hair algae. Changed out my wood. Been dosing ei for months now. My light is 40 par which is medium lighting. I have a diy par meter from hoppy at planted tank and the measurements correlate with what my led maker data at half strength. The 80 par is what I can achieve but of course I am not running it! green dot algae does not seem to be a problem anymore. Last week I drop a bunch of Buce which had some green dot algae and today the dot algae are gone. I also remove my wood and replaced it with a smaller one as I suspect it contributed to some flow issue. Today when I changed the wood and disturbed the soil it seems that the flow is good and there does not seem to be any dead spot. I will lower my light another 20% or so just to be sure.

I am hoping it is a mg/calcium issue. But with new vacuumed soil and all visible algae now gone, I hope I finally lick this. Anyone running their tank at 26-27 degrees with success?
 
I did change my drop checker liquid recently. I really only use it as a backup in case my co2 ran out without me knowing! I rely on ph drop and how my fish react to see if I need to increase my co2. I have one fish that hates high co2. If it's up at the top I know it's as high as I can have it and drop it a little. Otos also seem to be at the glass near the top when the co2 levels are high.

I can't say I tested gh or kh recently but my water report says soft and no mg or calcium.

http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/watersupply/Pages/DrinkingWQReport.aspx

I do check my TDS occasionally and it's usually at 120-130 after water change and goes to around 200 before the water change day.
 
Are you adding MgSO4 ?
Yes. I am now adding around 1/2 teaspoon per week. But this is only since a couple of weeks ago after reading the ei guide here and noticing I may not have enough mg. the Barr gh booster also has mgso4 so at water change now I add a teaspoon of that which should also add calcium and mgso4. I would believe lack of mg would not have cause so much of my algae and plants issue?
 
Yes. I am now adding around 1/2 teaspoon per week
What ???

Please dose EI and report back...For 50G should be in order of 1-2 tsp 2-4 times a week,

Please don't say you are dosing EI when you are clearly not. EI requires all the salts, just not the ones you fancy....:(
 
What ???

Please dose EI and report back...For 50G should be in order of 1-2 tsp 2-4 times a week,

Please don't say you are dosing EI when you are clearly not. EI requires all the salts, just not the ones you fancy....:(

My mistake. It's 1/2 teaspoon 3 times a week. Note that the U.S. sites do not usually state that u need to dose mgso4. I guess it's coz they have hard water? I will increase it to around 1 teaspoon. Seems like a lot of mgso4!
 
will increase it to around 1 teaspoon
Still not EI. Please dose EI and report back.....

You should be looking at about 2tsp 2-4 times a week for the 5ppm IE dose.

Try this calculator with 225litre, DIY, MgSO4.7H20, dry dosing, "The Estimative Index" gives 11.5gr 2-4 times a week (5ppm). Rough estimate 6gr per tsp.
http://calc.petalphile.com/

There is no issue overdosing, I dosed at 60ppm MgSO4 when I had a pump failure, no issue to plants, or fish.
 
Still not EI. Please dose EI and report back.....

You should be looking at about 2tsp 2-4 times a week for the 5ppm IE dose.

Try this calculator with 225litre, DIY, MgSO4.7H20, dry dosing, "The Estimative Index" gives 11.5gr 2-4 times a week (5ppm). Rough estimate 6gr per tsp.
http://calc.petalphile.com/

There is no issue overdosing, I dosed at 60ppm MgSO4 when I had a pump failure, no issue to plants, or fish.


Roger. My tank is 160liter. I will do 1.5 teaspoon 3 times a week. Mgso4 is not cheap over here. I will be switching to Epsom salt from the supermarket once I finish my current pack.
 
where is here please...?

Here is Singapore! There is only one brand of "aquarium Mgso4" and its expensive. But I know its actually just epson salt. Just wanted to get it right so that if it still does not solve my problem, I have one less thing to blame! Oh... its that silly epsom salt. I should have gotten Mgso4 instead. Never mind that Mgso4 is stated in the epsom salt pack anyway....
 
When I was in US, WalMart & Drug Stores sold gigantic bags of Magnesium Sulphate for soaking in the bath and foot soaks, for s*d all $$$. Something like 8lb (4Kg) for $1.99. Careful some is perfumed. On the instructions it has about other uses, garden fertiliser and also mentioned aquatic plant fertiliser. I would have bought some home but with only 20Kg luggage allowance would not have gone down well with the family swapping out the nice holiday presents for bargain MgSO4.

MgSO4, which you will probably not be able to get is a free flowing white powder. Upon exposure to air (especially damp air, ok like in Singapore) it absorbs water to become MgSO4.7H20 (hepta hydrate) which is white crystals we call Epsom Salts (first found in the springs in Epsom UK).

Just found this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulphate

Anyway is cheapest of EI ingredients and is not optional.
 
I just get mine from the pharmacy. There are a few options here locally, like Dr. Malik hydroponic store. Or you can ask at the local AQ forum, the guys will be able to help you to source locally.
 
I just get mine from the pharmacy. There are a few options here locally, like Dr. Malik hydroponic store. Or you can ask at the local AQ forum, the guys will be able to help you to source locally.

My current supply is from dr Malik store. Epsom salt from the supermart is likely to be the cheapest. It's till going to be around us$3 per 500grams or so. I would love to get 4kg for us$3!
 
Try Ebay for Magnesium Sulphate and US spelling Magnesium Sulfate. Currently there is 25Kg for £17. Some of it is labelled "Organic" WTF....this is an inorganic salt, organic involves use of carbon compounds, should be no carbon in Epsom Salts....
 
Try Ebay for Magnesium Sulphate and US spelling Magnesium Sulfate. Currently there is 25Kg for £17. Some of it is labelled "Organic" WTF....this is an inorganic salt, organic involves use of carbon compounds, should be no carbon in Epsom Salts....

I never thought of eBay as these are heavy. The price differnce between "brands" is amazing! One of the 25 pounds per 28usd store includes free delivery is is strange. The description is scary though. It clearly states it is Magnesium Sulphate but its not for human consumption. I am sure the ones at the supermarket are for human consumption. The ones at the pharmacy? Or nursery? It's still Magnesium Sulphate right?
 
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