• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

My 60p soft water

dutchy rescape, excited to see how it grows in.
IMG_7580.JPG
 
clear mutated hygrophila. plus cuphea.
IMG_2837.jpg
 
IMG_2878.jpg

growing in well. very happy with ludwigia cuba peaking over palustris. which is just what I wanted it to do. sadly i have some issues with algae as well. light is raised to max hight, hopefully that alone will get rid of the algae.
 
Is the algae issue with the Buces? Noticed that your Buces are being moved into new positions each pic - are you trying to look for a better location due to algae issues?

Currently my 'plan' is to let them be shaded by the stem plants, in the hopes that less light on the Buces will reduce algae. Buces are like any other plant in that the new growth is very healthy and algae free but the old leaves may be prone to algae. Unfortunately for Buces there are many old leaves as the new leaves take a long time to appear

I know there are many beautiful Buce tanks where every leaf seems to be healthy - I'm still trying to figure that out how they keep all the leaves looking so good :D
 
Is the algae issue with the Buces? Noticed that your Buces are being moved into new positions each pic - are you trying to look for a better location due to algae issues?

Currently my 'plan' is to let them be shaded by the stem plants, in the hopes that less light on the Buces will reduce algae. Buces are like any other plant in that the new growth is very healthy and algae free but the old leaves may be prone to algae. Unfortunately for Buces there are many old leaves as the new leaves take a long time to appear

I know there are many beautiful Buce tanks where every leaf seems to be healthy - I'm still trying to figure that out how they keep all the leaves looking so good :D
i just keep forgettng where they go, and it doesn't help that the suction cup isn't very strong haha.
yes, i think i will try make a shaded area for my buce. also raised the light a tad to see if it helps.
 
IMG_2955 (1).jpg
lots of algae and deficiency but, oh well.
 
looking at the new growth on the Syngonanthus 'Giant' for the most recent picture and the one before... its no longer green (or is it a lighting/camera issue?).

read in your earlier post you already dosing full EI I don't think its a fertiliser deficiency? All i can think of is that it is that S. Giant is a huge plant - have you trimmed it a little too hard? I have tried to plant a very 'short' Syngonanthus stalk and it wasn't viable (I made a mistake in trimming one of them) - think they are happier to be of a certain length.
 
What are you dosing?
30ppm No3, 20ppm K, 3ppm PO4. 0.4ppm Fe, Mg 3ppm per week
macros front load after water change. micros dosed 7 days a week. micros from aquariumplantfood.
micros bumped to 0.6 yesterday.
 
looking at the new growth on the Syngonanthus 'Giant' for the most recent picture and the one before... its no longer green (or is it a lighting/camera issue?).

read in your earlier post you already dosing full EI I don't think its a fertiliser deficiency? All i can think of is that it is that S. Giant is a huge plant - have you trimmed it a little too hard? I have tried to plant a very 'short' Syngonanthus stalk and it wasn't viable (I made a mistake in trimming one of them) - think they are happier to be of a certain length.
perhaps, thank you for the insight. i had to trim this short because they were melting bacl very badly. i didn't know this species was H2O2 Intolerant....
the stunted tips however are making new side shoots. hopefully with extra micros they'll grow in well.
 
30ppm No3, 20ppm K, 3ppm PO4. 0.4ppm Fe, Mg 3ppm per week
macros front load after water change. micros dosed 7 days a week. micros from aquariumplantfood.
micros bumped to 0.6 yesterday.

Interesting - as a softwater tank, you shouldn't have any issues with iron chelates, as presumably the pH is staying well below 7 all the time. Your increase in micros may well fix it.

The only other thing I can suggest trying is increasing the Mg to 10ppm (which is the general recommendation for EI), unless you are adding a load of it if you are remineralising RO?
 
Interesting - as a softwater tank, you shouldn't have any issues with iron chelates, as presumably the pH is staying well below 7 all the time. Your increase in micros may well fix it.
hopefully,
The only other thing I can suggest trying is increasing the Mg to 10ppm (which is the general recommendation for EI), unless you are adding a load of it if you are remineralising RO?
Mg at 10ppm during water change with RO. 3ppm more supplimented through-out the week.
 
Hi all,
Interesting - as a softwater tank, you shouldn't have any issues with iron chelates,
looking at the new growth on the Syngonanthus 'Giant' for the most recent picture and the one before... its no longer green
Assuming the new leaves really are as pale as they look? I would try a different iron (Fe) chelator. It is only really iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) deficiencies that cause <"chlorosis in new growth">.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,


Assuming the new leaves really are as pale as they look? I would try a different iron (Fe) chelator. It is only really iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) deficiencies that cause <"chlorosis in new growth">.

cheers Darrel
I am using EDTA Fe as part of the micro mix from apfuk. if I'm being honest, I'd REALLY want to avoid mixing my own micros.
does the time i dose have any impact? at the moment i dose at around 7:30am and then lights turn on at 3pm.
what's puzzling me is i have one stem that is doing very well. and others with varying levels of deficiency symptoms.
 
I am using EDTA Fe as part of the micro mix from apfuk. if I'm being honest, I'd REALLY want to avoid mixing my own micros.
does the time i dose have any impact? at the moment i dose at around 7:30am and then lights turn on at 3pm.
what's puzzling me is i have one stem that is doing very well. and others with varying levels of deficiency symptoms.

You can just add some DTPA iron to your mix - you should be able to get it online in powdered form, if TNC Iron is premixed and is DTPA chelated.

Does your tank pH ever go above 7 though? If it does, you may want to delay dosing the micros until the gas comes on and starts to bring the pH down.

EDIT: It's also worth checking your calculations, to ensure you're achieving the ppms you think you are.
 
Last edited:
You can just add some DTPA iron to your mix - you should be able to get it online in powdered form, if TNC Iron is premixed and is DTPA chelated.
will try adding dtpa if raising micros does not work. how much would i add?
Does your tank pH ever go above 7 though? If it does, you may want to delay dosing the micros until the gas comes on and starts to bring the pH down.
i do not think so.

i have 11.7g of micro mix in 750ml ro water.
gives me 15.6g/l
meaning 15600mg/l
15600x0.082 because the mix is 8.2% Fe
=1279mg
1279x0.002= 2.56 mg (2ml dose)
2.56/45=0.058
x7 around 0.4ppm.

i now dose 3 ml daily which should give me 0.6ppm Fe per week.
 
will try adding dtpa if raising micros does not work. how much would i add?

0.2-0.3 ppm should be enough - it'll be trial and error to an extent.

i do not think so.

i have 11.7g of micro mix in 750ml ro water.
gives me 15.6g/l
meaning 15600mg/l
15600x0.082 because the mix is 8.2% Fe
=1279mg
1279x0.002= 2.56 mg (2ml dose)
2.56/45=0.058
x7 around 0.4ppm.

i now dose 3 ml daily which should give me 0.6ppm Fe per week.

The maths looks right to me - incidentally 0.6pm is roughly what the standard APFUK dose comes out at (based on 1Tsp=6gr)
 
0.2-0.3 ppm should be enough - it'll be trial and error to an extent.



The maths looks right to me - incidentally 0.6pm is roughly what the standard APFUK dose comes out at (based on 1Tsp=6gr)
Thank you!
 
IMG_2997.JPG

upped po4 to 5ppm/week still front loading.
synoganthus is not too bad, a few shoots growing. but i have one stem that is growing perfectly which is odd.
 
Back
Top