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Hello, Hair algae and BBA are classic symptoms of poor CO2. My advice is to concentrate on fixing this by reducing the lighting and ensuring that you have good injection rate, good timing of CO2 application and good flow/distribution. The issue regarding "proof of nutrient depletion by...

Yes, you're right mate. I missed the bit about the alarm. It might be better to monitor the pump circuit as you mentioned. Lots of sturdy and reliable equipment available for that. Cheers,

Hello, Yes, hardness is never really a problem for all but a handful of plants. Lighting and CO2 are the main culprits. Here was a tank with a GH of about 23 GH and 26 KH. Cheers,

Yes, get a bucket of known volume and see how long it takes to fill it from your filter outlet. Then do the arithmetic to determine flow rate. Cheers,

Hello, I agree with alto in post #7. Trying to adjust pH for the sake of pH will only cause more problems than it would solve. The fact that the condition has existed for 2 years and that you fish are breeding in this water is absolute proof that this is a non-issue. The fish that you listed...

Hello, yes, definitely, all other things being equal, tanks with higher temperatures are more prone to algal blooms. Algae can survive in temperatures high enough to kill most plants. As noted by other, high temperature alone is usually not a sole factor in algal blooms. Excessive lighting...

Hello, Too many nutrients do not cause algae. On the other hand, not enough nutrients causes algae. Hair algae is always caused by not enough CO2, so you need to address either the amount being injected, the timing of the injection and, as noted by paraguay, you'll need to ensure...

The answer to this question is exactly as stated by sparkyweasel in post #5. Yes, it is true that Fe and PO4 reactions "can" occur in some tanks, especially if the water is hard (one will observe the precipitation of Iron Phosphate), however, you "can" get away with dosing both on the same day...

I agree with foxfish. There will not be any measurable difference in plant growth/health due to color temperature. What's more important is to use a color or a mix of colors that you find attractive. Cheers,

Hello, Yes, you are correct. Poor CO2 is the root cause of BBA. Is this a non CO2 injected tank? I'm assuming so. If that's the case then the only options are to reduce the CO2 demand by reducing lighting. When you do the water change you can spot dose either hydrogen peroxide or...

Hi, I see no reason why you can't implement the scheme even with background plants. There will be some disturbance but so what? Ideally, CO2 should be distributed in both, but this adds a lot of complication. I would try just with one and see how it goes. You can also add a Koralia or...

Hi, No, sorry it does not. Excessive phosphates do not cause algae, and therefore it is something that you never need to worry about. The worst thing you can do to analyze your problem is to spend you hard earned money on a PO4 test kit. This will only lead you down the primrose path that...

I agree with Darrel. See further discussion in the old thread https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/bio-media-for-fluval-305.29612/ Cheers,

Hello, The addition of K2SO4 is unnecessary to raise General Hardness, as I'm sure you're aware. Tom Barr adds it simply to help those who, for example do not use EI fertilizers, the main components of which are KNO3 and KH2PO4. If these main components are not used, in the dosing...

Hello, I agree with the others that this is a good product when used as mentioned by Zeus. FYI CSM+B no longer exists as a branded product. It was simply chosen as a cheap hydroponic product alternative to the hideously expensive boutique fertilizer brand of the day (30 years or so ago). Any...

Yes, correct and new leaves will emerge from the rhizomes, hopefully more healthy than the ones you removed. Cheers,

Hi, As Zeus mentions, It's very difficult to compare two different tanks. Often, we assume we have control of the environment but more often than not, this is an illusion. Just a degree or two difference in the water can result in differences in CO2 content. Differences in the amount of...

Hi, Yes it easier in the beginning because there was less plant mass so it was easier to satisfy their needs. As the plant mass increases they become victims of their own success. The new growth is most likely the result of higher dosing but these also may fall victim to GSA if CO2...

Yes - for some plants such as stems and carpet plants. Shrimp react poorly to this substance though, so best to be careful. This is an expensive fix if your tank is a CO2 injected tank. It's a better solution to reduce the CO2 demand by reducing the light intensity as mentioned above, and by...

Hello, It really is a very bad idea to add acid to your tank. Phosphoric acid is a highly toxic material and will have long term ill effects on your fish. Fish do not really care about pH, but they DO care about WHY the pH is what it is. In this case they will ultimately care about the...

Hello, GSA is caused by any combination of poor CO2 and poor PO4. You have listed in your configuration the item 4. ADA Amazonia, which, if this is new substrate (i.e. less than a year old) then there is plenty of PO4. Therefore, we should assume that the condition is cause by poor...

Hello, This is one of those situations where we make life more complicated for ourselves with very little to show for it. Iron is a micronutrient, which means the plant only needs microscopic amounts of iron. About one hour after you have dosed iron, the plant has already taken up it's...

Hello, Holes in leaves or any form of translucency is a classic symptom of poor CO2. Potassium will never fix this problem. Cheers,

Hello, I think it's really important to understand that plants are not robots. They cannot respond immediately to a change in their environment. It is necessary for them to acclimatize to any new environment as their chemistry is usually optimized for the environment that they had been...

Hi, Grass cuttings will also provide extra ammonia and nitrite as they rot, so I don't think this is the best way forward. If you want to use a natural method then it would be better to put a living pond plant in there. Also be very careful with any nitrogen compound test kit. They are...

Hi, I don't think it matters for our case. The reefers worry down to the last ppm of impurity, but for us it's really over the top. the output of the RO filter will be zero hardness. The remaining ions have negligible significance. Cheers,

Hi, I agree with the others. In terrestrial mode there is no advantage in misting with fertilizer and indeed the risk of burning is high depending on the composition of the fertilizer. Keep it simple. Flooding the tank is when your real problems will start. The tank looks good to me as is...

Hi, I would take the easy path. At the end of the day, will you not have an intake at either end, while the output will be through a spraybar? So it doesn't really matter that much which filter intakes the effluent from which filter. What's most important is that you get good motion of water...

Well, this is a difficult question to answer definitively. Scientific journals do not address nutrient deficiency in aquatic plants because the journals will only address issues that are within the context of natural environments. Quite to the contrary, scientist attempt to determine the causal...

Focusing on ratios is another path that leads nowhere. The idea of using ratios to analyze plant health came from someone ascribing the Redfield Ratio to plants. Again, in land plants ionic ratios in the soil may be relevant, however, aquatic plants morphology differs significantly due to the...

Sorry, but this has nothing to do with aquatic plants. One cannot unilaterally apply causal factors or relate symptoms in terrestrial plants to aquatic plants. A few symptoms are similar but there is a limit to the number and type of symptoms that can be applied. Correct. The first step is to...

Yes this is really odd because a member based in Holland had asked for some help regarding this. Perhaps the rules are that you must furnish the data to the governing body but that it was not necessary to list them on the label. Cheers,

No, its based on the past history of vendors who refrain from listing their contents. This is why I used the modifier "typically". It's also been our experience that when vendors refrain from listing their active ingredients, it's "typically" because the ingredients are easily obtainable and...

No we cannot. Terrestrial plants do not live under water, do not have aquatic structure and the problems related to aquatic plants in no way are related to the problems experienced by terrestrial plants. It has been estimated that 95% of problems in aquatic plants are as a result of poor CO2...

Hi Jay, Well, the reason I'm harping on the Chlorophyll-a is because that is the main pigment that photosynthesizing organisms use. Auxiliary pigments must process the light and then pass their energy on to the chlorophyll. All the other pigments do exactly the same based on their...

Hello, Typically, the macro mix (so called Specialized Nutrition) Nitrogen is supplied via combination of simple salts such as KNO3, NH4NO3 and/or Urea.The micronutrient mix are typically chelated and the mix is typically acidified using citric or ascorbic because these are cheaper...

Hello, No, impossible. Investigate CO2/flow/distribution. Cheers,

Hello, Shrimp do not really care about pH or pH swings. What's killing them is the CO2, which is the most toxic component we use. Reduce your CO2 injection rate or reduce the amount of time the CO2 is being injected. Cheers,

This is exactly why it would be best to abandon the Ca deficiency idea. Ca deficiencies are almost a myth as the plant does not not need much of this micronutrient at all. This is a CO2 deficiency. I can only speculate that the reason it has not reared it's ugly head previously is because the...

Hello, Leaf deformity and stunting are classic symptoms of poor CO2. You need not look any further. Having said this trying to understand the origin of a CO2 failure is the most difficult task. Try thinning out the bunch and hopefully the new leaves will grow normally. Tightly bunched...

Hi jay, Yes but so what? Cyanobacteria also have Chlorophyll-a (reportedly they do not have Chlorophyll-b). They also contain a variety of other auxiliary pigments such as various carotenoids, phycobilin, and in some species, the red pigment phycoerythrin. So should we also analyze...

Hi, As noted above the structural differences of leaf and stem allow terrestrial plants to have rigidity whereas aquatic plant leaves can be compared to a non-rigid contact lens. Typically, land plants have a network of gas channels which connect to openings on the leaf underside called...

Yes, it is a known plant food, and that is great in a low tech tank, however, in a fuel injected tank the breakdown of organic waste is also trigger for algal blooms. Besides, we are already feeding the plants with nutrients, are we not? Cheers,

Hi, I would start first by dividing the length in thirds (120/3) and place each of the two at 40cm from either end. If i only had a single powerhead them I would place it at the exact center (unless there were an obstacle there). In my view symmetry is all important... Cheers,

Hi, A dedicated reefer can better explain this, but the basic answer is typically that corals (and marine zooplankton) require specific wavelengths to thrive, or to produce their best health and colors. Supposedly, the bulb in question does not illuminate in those wavelengths at a sufficient...

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/plants-pearling.27937/ Cheers,

Hi, I think that was for about 3 years, then I had to move house. :( Well, exact amounts would be 3X to 5X the amounts listed in the article for a 600L tank. So the baseline dosages at tank startup were 1.5 teaspoon KNO3 3X per week, 0.5 teaspoon KH2PO4 3X per week and 0.5 teaspoon...

Hi, Yes, sorry, that's wrong. The micronutrient metals are normally "chelated", which means they are chemically bonded to other compounds. Even so, the reason the metals are called "micro" nutrients is because the plant only needs microscopic amounts. You never have to worry about Prime...

Hi JPC, The expression "poor CO2" refers to the lack of, or reduced ability of a plant to uptake sufficient quantities of the gas. Therefore, poor CO2 can occur in the presence of high localized dissolved concentrations of the gas, or it can occur with low concentrations, or in...

Cheers mate. Hanging in there. Merovingian did a number on me...had to change my shell. I don't recognize myself in the mirror....

Well it's important to try different things, if for no other reason but to learn the answer to the question for yourself. Who knows? maybe some of your fish might breed in the tank. I actually experienced that and so it was worth the trouble, but what I learned was that there were more important...

Many thanks mate. Have had a rough go of it. Life gets in the way of the things we love to do... Cheers,

Hi, It's very difficult to provide a concrete answer because first of all, no one truly knows the composition of your water. It would require very expensive equipment to determine. Unless you are replacing the removed water with RO it could easily be that your water addition is adding...

Respiration refer's functionally as the uptake and use of Oxygen to metabolize energy products such as glucose. Because Oxygen is involved in energy production, this is referred to as "Aerobic". As much as possible, we want to have aerobic processes as this is the normal process and the...

Hi, Neither fish nor the majority of plants care much about GH/KH. There are a few plants that are possibly affected by high KH but Blyxa is not one of those. Some plants are actually experts at taking advantage of high KH under stressful conditions of low CO2. Collecting and storing RO...

Hello, Basalt will be fine. There are sediment products such as Caribsea's Eco Complete which are reportedly basalt based. Iron Oxide will also be fine as this will provide Iron for plants. For many years, Laterite clay sediments were prized for their Iron Oxide content. The sources...

Yes, as Darrel mentions, this is fine. Really, the only reason for using RO is if your water supply contains high levels of pesticides or herbicudes. There are only a very small number of plants that might care about KH and none of them care about GH - unless the number is too low.. With RO...

Hi Bence, I agree with much of what Konsa mentions in his post. I too question why you are using RO water. It seems a lot of trouble for very little advantage, unless you intend to populate the tank with Soft water fish, but even so, it's not necessary. Although I love the look of...

Hello, I think you're getting wrapped around the axle a bit. The first step is to determine what the natural pH of the tank is. Instead of doing random checks, take a sample from the tank and just let it sit for an hour or so. You want to make sure there is no extra CO2 in the sample...

Well I don't really worry too much about any of these definitions. In my case the sump compartments each are covered by a simple glass lid, which I just lift off to perform maintenance. No air tight sealing is required and the glass lids do a great job of reducing evaporation as well as reducing...

Hi costa, I looked at that DC pump and of course I love DC pumps for their control-ability but I did not see the prices. Surely you realize that you also have to get the controller? It might be a bit over the top for our purpose. Of course, price aside, it's perfect because you...

I agree with foxfish. As far as available pumps I'm a bit out of touch with the UK market. Have a look at this website https://www.aquacave.com/water-pumps-powerheads/protein-skimmer-pumps.html which is an American site but it's just to show the vendors that make high quality pumps. Sicce and...

I'm a lot closer to the real values than any test kit, which vary wildly and are seldom representative of the true value. If you love and trust test kits then by all means, test to your hearts content, especially if you feel that test kits do not require pure water and are never affected by...

Yes, I know, and Potassium Test Kits suck, just like Nitrate Test Kits and all the other test kits. The Germans are no more clever in this regard that anyone else and they have been duped, just like everyone else. Potassium is a somewhat recyclable element and therefore plants do just as well...

More CO2 needs more nutrients. This is moderated by the lighting levels. How much more is very difficult to say, because no one has data in their tanks regarding the CO2 concentration levels that the plants are actually seeing, however, if you are already dosing EI then you don't have to think...

Yes, for certain, light causes algae. Almost all of us have had to discover this fact in a painful manner. Although not impossible, it is very difficult to grow carpet plants without the addition of CO2 or without the alternative using exclusively Excel type products. Carpet plants are found in...

Hi, yes, I realize that and I was not suggesting that you fit the main pump with the pinwheel. What I am suggesting is that you add a second protein skimmer pump inside the sump to do the job. The skimmer does not have to be plumbed. Control of water levels are not relevant. You merely point...

Actually there are a couple of ways that are more efficient, but they are not as simple. The problem of diffusion is resolved by reducing the size of the CO2 bubbles beyond that of the typical ceramic disk. The first and most elaborate method is to use a Mazzei injector, but this is very...

Hello, It really doesn't matter whether you clean the plants or not, or whether you cut, or trim, or restart or whatever scheme you imagine. Algal blooms occur in the tank as a direct result of poor health due to nutritional deficiency. In the case of hair algae, this is a direct result...

There is very little evidence of this in aquatic plants. While this may be valid within the context of terrestrial plants it has little relevance to aquatics. Again, this information is derived from the farming industry where the only entry point for nutrients is at the root zone. Aquatic...

If you do not keep this plant under control with frequent trimming you will rue the day you laid eyes on it, as it's a hooligan and will take over your tank via urban sprawl. As Siege mentions, the plant is not a good choice for a smaller tank and it normally will show best colors only with...

I agree with kezzab and zozo. Asking what is best filter or best filter media is like asking what is best ice cream. Who cares? Use whatever filter or media you find most convenient or most sexy. They all do essentially the same thing and use the same principles. There's a pump, with a bucket...

Hello, Without knowing the contents of the product, it is impossible to know how much or how often to dose. Suggest you contact the vendor (or review the bottle contents if available) to determine what exactly is in this product. Cheers,

Hi, Yes you are on the right path. The target pH is inexact because of the acids and bases in the tank water and because of their interaction with sediment and hardscape. If the "natural pH" of the tank is 6.6 then the target pH should be around 5.6. It's not really necessary to be exact...

Despite the protestations of some, I agree that you should get the biggest baddest filter you can afford. If that means you mount a Formula 1 engine in a Toyota Prius, then so be it. You can always easily reduce the flow rate if need be. You certainly need to distribute the flow well but there...

No, sorry, I have not seen a list. Folks just accept that Sodium is not nice and simply avoid using it. Are you certain that your agent of choice uses Sodium? It would be very unusual. You haven't mentioned the brand but there are many products on the market that don't use Sodium. In any case...

Yes, just do it. I've been doing this for 3 decades. Don't see what the big deal is. Just get a hose that is long enough to reach wherever the destination is and as mentioned by alto, use a pump that has enough muscle to get it there. You are not limited to a 16/22 hose. For large tanks this is...

Hi Karl, The elongation is triggered by a combination of O2 and CO2 shortfall. As you mention, other things are happening during the blackout as carbohydrates are consumed and are not replaced, so there are some structural issues going on as well as a fall in Oxygen production. The...

Yeah, for sure mate. What I do is to buy a length of cheap PVC tubing and then to try different lengths with different hole sizes. I try to get away with as short a length as I can with as large a hole size as I can. Sometime I use variable hole sizes along the bar. So for example you can try...

The primary purpose of the ceramic rings is actually to slow the flow so that the larger particles of debris fall out of solution and to be trapped within the maze of rings. They do house bacteria, like any whetted surface but that is not their main function. That's why it's so critical to avoid...

OK, well, I mean generally, when you have that symptom of bubbles collecting on the surface, it means that the flow rate is poor and the bubbles are not making it to the bottom of the tank. The result is that the CO2 concentration is high near the water's surface, but is low in the plant beds...

This is a flow distribution problem and has nothing to do with light. Leggy growth is a symptom of poor flow/distribution. As Ian points out, there is a severe lack of energy coming from the spraybar. Additionally, it's position is too far to the right and the powerhead is too far to the left...

Hi Marcel, The references you list are more focused toward CO2 Compensation Point as opposed to LCP, but it demonstrates the fact that one cannot easily discuss light without also discussing CO2. That is specifically because the energy derived from light is used to remove the Carbon...

Percentage is not a relevant term in this context. In absolute terms, the value of the incident light intensity must be weighed against the value of the sugar produced by that intensity, measured in Photosyntheically Active Radiation (PAR) measured in micromoles per second per square meter...

Hi Karl, Yeah, it's like Ian mentions. It's not really practical to extrapolate data from one tank to another as there are so many different variables and also there are a lot of different objectives that each hobbyist will have. In any case, here are some typical data from the last...

Hi, Well, if the filter is mature then you should probably do the replacement gradually to avoid issues. Healthy plants uptake ammonia/ammonium and in so doing, short circuit the NH3->NO2->NO3 cycle to some extent, so you have some protection, but it's best to do things gradually. Yes, I...

Hello, Further to Ians explanation, it's important to note that Lumens have nothing to do with the way plants use light energy. Lumens is a measure of the apparent brightness of light sources detected by the human optic nerve. Furthermore, Lumens per "volume unit" is an even less...

Hi, Yes, the biomech is the worst offender. Not only is is atrociously expensive, but it is designed specifically to reduce flow so that the larger particles can fall out of suspension and be trapped. I thought the #4 item called "biomech pro" was activated carbon but no, it's just another...

Which is all very fine and well, except that the data shown on the graph provided by the OP clearly shows alkaline values. The point I'm making is that there is very little value in reading the pH of RO water. The data will be meaningless. The probes and reagents are always confused by this type...

Hi, I would keep the black stuff, which I assume is activated carbon and replace all the white stuff with coarse or medium foam. That will improve your throughput tremendously. You can replace the carbon every month or so, or leave it in as you like. Cheers,

Hi, RO water does not have a pH. pH is a ratio of acidic (H+) and basic (OH-) components of the water. If there aren't enough of these components in the water the the electrode simply reports spurious readings. RO water would have an equal balance of H+ and OH- so they cancel each other...

Hello, You only need to add any dechlorinator at water change time. This is very easy. Make sure you use a product that neutralizes chloramine if that is shown on your water report or if it is unclear. Normal chlorine will dissipate after 24-48 hours, so many people will store water for...

Hello, If I were you I would simply fill a shallow bucket of water and float the plants in the bucket until you are ready to plant them properly. Keep the bucket out of strong light and just carry on. Cheers,

Hi, 3D backgrounds make things worse by disrupting the flow patterns in the tank. The best one can do with these, if removal is not an option, is to cut a slot so that the powerhead can be made to fit above or below to maintain the straight on angle. The next best thing is to mount it on the...

That too, of course. Goes without saying... Cheers,

Seems to work now Paulo. I was about to blame it on micronutrient toxicity. You saved me. Cheers,

Hey Paulo, I confirm this behavior occurs either by clicking the name or by selecting "Start a Conversation" In my case, using the latest Firefox on windoze10. In fact the entire tab in a multi-tab session closes but does not log you off immediately. You can recover the session by...

Spoken by someone who has either never actually tried the method or has never actually grown plants. As I mentioned in other posts, we have not tried to prove anything with eutrophic dosing. On the contrary, EI attempts to disprove that nutrients cause algae or that nutrients cause toxicity...

The reefer is wrong in his words but is right in his concept. This is yet another example of poor choice of words causing confusion which leads to misconception. Folks on this board bash me for correcting their words (which they consider insulting) but the reason I persevere is specifically to...

This is not really true at all. This is a boogie man story programmed into our psyche in order to frighten us so that we will continue to remove and buy more product. The fact of the matter is that there is no physical or chemical reason for the substances that were adsorbed by the carbon to...