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Guess the deficiency

Aeropars

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2007
Messages
818
Location
Leicester
Hi guys,

Its safe to say my tank has gone through some neglect over the past couple of months. That said I've done a water change every week without fail (60%) and kept up with the fertilising.

Even when I was on top of the maintenance I still have this problem with old leafs discolouring and eventually releasing form the plant. I'm sure I have some stunting as well in some plants but I cant remember the names to look up the issues.

Form the below pictures can anyone give me an idea what the issues are? I'm guessing potassium and Iron? I'm confused if that's the case as I'm dosing EI so it should have all it needs, right?

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Evening,

How about light and photoperiod?

Even using "EI" doesn´t mean a thing.. what is your target?

Where can i see the full set up?
 
Well 4 x TMC of those ones gives you 10.000 Lumens! Each strip has 2650 lumens.
That´s quite a lot indeed..

If i were you i reduce 40 to 50% that lightning central. That is the first reason for your GSA.

You have a 6500 Kelvins wicth is perfect but way too much Lumens.
 
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I check your post and some of your coments and i bleive you´re still doing wrong..

Issue 4: With that filter you have more than enough flow. What you really need is a good dissolution of your CO2 and for that my ffriend you wont´get it till you buy good stuff. A ADA or DOAqua diffusor is your best way. If you try to put a Inliner or something between inthe way of the filter than you´ll have a fifth issue. Lack of flow.

Buy a 30 PPM calibrated solution, put it on the DropCheker and there you go. Simple. No need to read thousands of arguments around the CO2

I look some of your last photos and it seems to me that you still have quite a lot water movement also. You don´t need that mcuh and plants doesn´t get to well with it. Good flow doesn´t mean a lot.. or having plants "dancing".
Also too much flow increase algae and specially BBA. Be advise.

Co2 is not for being cheked and changed. Once you have it well according to the Drop Checker and a RELIABLE reagent you don´t need to touch it no more.

Eliminate parameters one by one till you have one and only one to change : LIGHT.

So:
Set up CO2 and don´t touch it ahead. Do you know how to set it? Your drop should be marking green one hour after lights went up. You should sinchronise CO2 to start in a proper time to achieve that. Could be one, two or three hours before.
I rather prefer more time to achive the same goal than less. That way you will not change water chemistry so fast.

Set up your "EI" Receipe FERTS and mark a medium target. Not full "EI" cause that is also a mistake. Nutrient is a nutrient no mather if it is dissolved in a after market brand or in a Salt. Excess of nutrients will always be an excess.

This is what i would do if i have your hardware.

By the way.. how you´re doing the filter maintenance (routines)? What hardware is in in it?

Big hug
 
@Paulo Soares - I understand that I could turn the lights down however I am wanting to learn more about what causes specific deficiencies.

I was reading a very interesting article on here about the effect hard water has on nutrient uptake and while I'm no expect, I do believe this could be having an effect on my tank. I live in a hard water area and have seen another member having some stunting issues and there was some talk of adding additional Iron. I'm was hoping someone might be able to give me similar advice.
 
My water is 10 to 12 KH and 16 to 18 GH...
For your Knowledge let me tell you that in the past i tried many combinations with osmosis.
Combining osmosis with TAP water aboout 50/50 and 60/40 and 70/30 in order to achieve different KH and gh and you know what?

Never seen any results or improvement...
So isso did get back to my tap water but control lighting and there you go..

Don't trust too much on everythings on the web... most are not actually or acura te.

I believe that for many years..too many indeed.. People complicate this natural and simple hobby.

Get to basics my friend
Light + fért + co2. Simple!

But LIGHT is the key .


Enviado do meu SM-A510F através de Tapatalk
 
According to Jame's dosing calculator and assuming it's the 180L tank in you signature, this is your recipe:
KNO3 - 72gr
KH2PO4 - 19.8gr
MgSO4 - 91.8gr
500ml of water

a single dose of 40ml in a 180L tank:
19.62ppm NO3
6.14ppm PO4
12.38+2.53 = 14.91ppm K
4.04ppm Mg

But it all depends on the spoon... :lol:

Teaspoon quantities
I have calculated the amount of each chemical by weighing the amount using a standard teaspoon (5ml) which is available from most kitchen stores. Depending on where you obtain your chemicals from you may get slightly different weights. I get all mine from The Nutrient Company. Here are the weights I have used for each chemical using one teaspoon:

Potassium Nitrate 6.0g
Potassium Phosphate 6.6g
Potassium Sulphate 5.1g
Magnesium Sulphate heptahydrate 5.1g
Calcium Sulphate dihydrate 4.1g
Calcium Chloride anhydrous 3.5g

(nb.The tablespoon amount is calculated by multiplying the teaspoon amount by 3)
 
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The affected leaves on your ludwigia look to be below the place you last trimmed them, you could uproot and replant the new stems or trim off those leaves, always worth trimming as close to the substrate as possible imo. You seem to be using the apfuk ei recipe which is a bit light on salts.

Taken from cegs ei article
NPK (Nitrogen+Phosphorus+Potassium) Mixture for 20 Gallon Tank
1 month = 4 Weeks
3 doses of NPK per week
Therefore there are 12 doses of NPK per month.
Multiply a single dose teaspoon value by 12 => [3/16 tsp KNO3]*12 = 2 ¼ tsp KNO3
[1/16 tsp KH2PO4]*12 = ¾ tsp KH2PO4
[1/2 tsp MgSO4]*12 = 6 tsp MgSO4
Add these to 600ml of tap or distilled water

Now this mixture must serve 12 doses so each dose is 600ml/12 = 50ml
This makes life easier because you need only dose 50ml of this NPK solution 3 times per week.

Work in us gallons and multiply out for your tank size, this recipie has worked very well for my tanks when I've used ei.
 
The affected leaves on your ludwigia look to be below the place you last trimmed them, you could uproot and replant the new stems or trim off those leaves, always worth trimming as close to the substrate as possible imo. You seem to be using the apfuk ei recipe which is a bit light on salts.

Taken from cegs ei article
NPK (Nitrogen+Phosphorus+Potassium) Mixture for 20 Gallon Tank
1 month = 4 Weeks
3 doses of NPK per week
Therefore there are 12 doses of NPK per month.
Multiply a single dose teaspoon value by 12 => [3/16 tsp KNO3]*12 = 2 ¼ tsp KNO3
[1/16 tsp KH2PO4]*12 = ¾ tsp KH2PO4
[1/2 tsp MgSO4]*12 = 6 tsp MgSO4
Add these to 600ml of tap or distilled water

Now this mixture must serve 12 doses so each dose is 600ml/12 = 50ml
This makes life easier because you need only dose 50ml of this NPK solution 3 times per week.

Work in us gallons and multiply out for your tank size, this recipie has worked very well for my tanks when I've used ei.

Sorry Tim, I missed your post just now.

So are you in agreement that it could be phosphorus that's the issue?
 
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