Hello everyone,
To round out this post, I feel I should share my findings today. I’m also in search of confirmation of my logic.
1) I ran a ph profile (photo attached the readings were taken minutely over a 24 hour period which is still going) and as you can see my ph dropped to 6.3 with a kh of around 75ppm (turns mint yellow at 7 drops and then yellow at 8 drops). I feel terrible about this, but I experienced the inaccuracy of the colour tests when playing with co2. I kept reading the colours as 6.6 I thought everything was ok but it wasn’t. Note that my probe has likely an error of +\- .1 and my user error during calibration - all that aside I’d rather bottom my ph at 6.7 from 7.6-7.7 rather than 6.3.
2) due to this influx of co2, I think my plants sucked up all of my nutrients and since my dosing regime did not change (because I didn’t know I had so much co2) deficiencies have begun to show. I notice what seems like potassium on the crypts and my rotala rotundifolia has extremely stunted growth meaning a nitrogen deficiency. I did a WC yesterday and did not replace the nitrogen — as a result of the deaths and immediate disposal of the bodies there has been no ammonia. For the first time since the tank was built, my phosphates read 0-0.25 ... they are normally around 1/1.25.
if my speculations are correct, why did I not see crazy pearling?
3) I am finding it very challenging with my hob filters to get the flow that I need to evenly distributed this co2. Although it is only a 10 gallon tank, and this might be moot, when I had better flow (not sure how I got the nice distribution about a week ago) I noticed better pearling.
My immediate actions were/are:
1) reduce my co2 down to less than 1 bps (it only took 100 minutes with my previous bps to reach 30 ppm)
2) reduce my start time for co2 to 1h and 15 minutes before and pair it with a ph profile to further moderate.
3) install the canister filter I have with the intake and outtake on the right side (this will require me to uproot and replant my rotundifolia) and situate my diffuser under the intake. Then monitor my ph profile on a day I am home to dial it in.
4) reduce light to get my bit of hair algae under control and try to match my co2.
5) monitor nutrient levels and watch for deficiencies with reduced co2 to determine dosing regime moving forward.
.... x+1) when stable get livestock and acclimate as per these recommendations.
can someone advise if these are the appropriate steps?
note: drop checker is green with bromthymol blue solution.
Cheers and thanks to everyone with the help you have provided me (in all my threads) in this hobby so far.
Josh