@REDSTEVEO is it worth me adding a small dose of ammonia to help feed the filter? If my tap water nitrate level is 40 then surley that will never go down. What would be reducing the KH/GH?
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First Planted Trigon 190 fun n games at day 21
- Thread starter Carpman
- Start date
New plants in Pictures done. I'm into my photography but trying to take photos through a bow fronted tank is not bad enough, add some magnification and warping by the water and its a P.I.A. So here you go In the2nd picture behind the tree in the center I have Nymphoides hydrophylla taiwan, Limnophila hippuridoides and Hottonia palustris.
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi Carpman, sorry for the late reply. Personally I have never used ammonia to boost the cycling of a filter, ammonia sounds like something I would use to remove stains or clean the kitchen sink / toilet with. I have heard of other people using it but I think there are far better products out there with more natural ingredients, Easy Life Filter Medium for example. If your tap water has a level of 40 I am quite surprised, where is your water coming from?
My tap water is zero nitrate, KH 1, GH 0, TDS 150, PH bang on 7.
The KH and GH levels in your tank can be reduced by CO2 reacting with something in the tank causing an increase in acidity of the water, or lack of buffering agents in the water which would cause the KH and GH to go down, but if that were the case I would expect the PH to drop accordingly also.
While you have no livestock n the tank I would spect fluctuating parameters all round. Once you start adding living organisms such as fish or shrimps things should start levelling out.
Cheers,
Steve
@REDSTEVEO cheers but a little to late, i added a little today to check filter hopefully it will be gone again by tomorrow.
REDSTEVEO
Member
By the way, great job on the hardscape and planting. Don't be in too much of a hurry for huge quick growth, enjoy the development as it happens, because once it takes off it will be unrecognisable from the original conception.
Steve
Steve
REDSTEVEO
Member
I suppose it will be all right, depends what the source of the ammonia was from. I have heard of people adding hydrochloride or sulphuric acid straight into their tanks to reduce the PH. Not for me though I'm afraid.
Smells Fishy
Member
Looks like a real cosmopolitan approach to your planting, i like it tho. I hope for my first attempt to be as good as yours.
I suppose thats 1 way to describe it
, I mostly picked easy plants with varying texture and colour.Source was 'Kleen Off' choosen by recommendation for safe fish tank use, it is 1 of the few without any additives. I added 2 x 2.5ml which took my Ammonia reading to 1ppm yesterday lunchtime, this morning this had already been reduced to 0.5.
Crusader58
Member
It's not the water that's cycled, it's the filter (substrate...and surfaces)...replacing the water wont affect the cycle - provided that the filter was not powered down for too long.
Manisha
Member
Looks great Carpman - you've do he a great job with a notoriously hard shape of tank to scape & plants look well too ☺
New plants looking already, changed flow this evening as not much if any in the rear https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/juwel-190-flow-video.47924/. I have now added another spray bar and moved them and the Koralia to the front pointing towards rear corner, I will add another small video to other thread. Pics here tomorrow. Oh yeah tank now has it's first little occupants now (3 amano's).
Hi all,
The ammonia reduction (if we assume that it is a real reading) doesn't tell you anything about your microbial filtration, the plants will preferentially take up NH4+ ions from the water column, and they are most likely to be the largest factor in the fall in ammonia levels.
Ammonia addition doesn't serve any useful purpose in a planted tank and it may delay your tank filter media (and substrate) from developing the, robust and resilient, microbial flora that they will have when the tank is established.
cheers Darrel
<"You have to stop adding ammonia to your tank">.
The ammonia reduction (if we assume that it is a real reading) doesn't tell you anything about your microbial filtration, the plants will preferentially take up NH4+ ions from the water column, and they are most likely to be the largest factor in the fall in ammonia levels.
Ammonia addition doesn't serve any useful purpose in a planted tank and it may delay your tank filter media (and substrate) from developing the, robust and resilient, microbial flora that they will have when the tank is established.
cheers Darrel
kadoxu
Member
You should reduce your Macros dosage, or change the recipe (if you do your own solution), to dose less Nitrates.
Mine are the same, I have only seen some them pearl once ! should they be pearling all the time ?
I cant reduce dosage as I'm using TNC complete on daily basis dosing 3ml (recommendation is 20ml once per week).
