Crash Course Nutrients and Algae 101

P-Daddy · 08-19-2007, 09:29 PM

Ohhh, mine are also API, but it came without any directions at all, which is where I became confused.

Let me double check the box actually to make sure their not on the outside of it.

RoxiesMom · 08-19-2007, 11:32 PM

Here, let me give you the directions and the result calculations:

For both - you put the 5ml of water into the tube, then add 1 drop at a time, putting the lid on after each drop and mixing. Then the next drop... until:

GH: The color will change from orange to green. Each drop is 1 degree dGH or 17.9 ppm GH.

KH: The color will change from clear to bright yellow. Each drop is the same as the GH.

Hope that helps! If you'd like, I can fax/mail a copy to you.

P-Daddy · 08-20-2007, 04:49 PM

So if I have very low GH or KH it will change immediately after the first drop? If not each drop is 17.9ppm until it does?

Sorry if I am a bit confused, never done this before

RoxiesMom · 08-20-2007, 05:36 PM

Yes, that's true, the color will change after the 1st drop if you are at a 1 (17.9ppm). My GH usually runs around 12-14, and my KH runs 6-7. But I use well water.

The instructions say that if you can't tell if there has been a color change, look straight down into the tube and you will be able to see the change better.

I'm going to try and scan the instructions into Word and then post them so you can open and print. Notice I said try.

And hey, no problem at all! I'm just glad that for once, I know what I'm talking about

.

RoxiesMom · 08-20-2007, 07:06 PM

P-Daddy,

Here goes and I hope this works

P-Daddy · 08-20-2007, 07:24 PM

That actually worked extremely well, thank you so much!

RoxiesMom · 08-20-2007, 07:37 PM

My good deed for the day

!

Seriously, you are quite welcome. I'm getting so much help here that I'm very happy I could help you.

Jay,

Couple of questions:

1. Received the rest of my order today. Should I sidebar tonight?

2. Lights still at 8 hrs a day?

Thanks!

P-Daddy · 08-20-2007, 08:14 PM

Water Parameters:

PH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate:5.0ppm
dKH: 2
dGH: 17

Thanks again RoxiesMom

bsquizzato · 08-21-2007, 07:07 PM

Alright Jay I'm moving over to this thread

Hey guys I'm going to join in here, I copied part of this post over from my other thread I started, but this is the place to be here:

I have a 29gal (30x12x18), flourite, 65W compact flourescent 10000k, eheim 2213 filter. The tank was set up 2 days ago, today is day 3 and I've added the plants. Haven't begun the ammonia fishless cycle dosing yet, but that's to come shortly (i.e. today or tomorrow). Today before adding the plants I dosed Excel and Flourish as indicated on the bottles just as a starting point...

I've stocked the tank, unfortunately I wasn't all that impressed with my LFS's selections today, I really wanted to get some grasses like hairgrass or dwarf sag, but as you suggested I stuck for the most part (except for water sprite..) all to stem plants. Maybe I can get some pictures up soon

Currently in the tank:
Water sprite
Water wisteria
Java moss
Roundleaf rotala (this is kind of an experiment ... I -think- my lighting will be enough for it, it was growing decently under the LFS's crappy lighting, hoping to really turn it around)
Anubias nana
Hornwort

For all the stems I probably have between 5-8, except for the hornwort which I have quite a few very healthy and well-developed stems of.

Honestly I think java moss is a huge pain and I'll remove it once I acquire some nice grasses, I have a decent sized clump of this too.

For today I just dosed excel and flourish as recommended on the bottle, and I'm hoping my tap water has a good amount of the correct macro nutrients but like I said I don't have a water quality report right now. I'll also need to start on the ammonia dosing.

Current tank parameters after dosing excel/flourish shortly after adding the plants, (keep in mind before ammonia dosing has started):

pH: ~6.6
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
KH: 35.8 ppm (dKH = 2)

The GH wouldn't even turn out, I did 20 drops from my Aquarium Pharm KH/GH test kit and the color still did not change so I stopped, a little concerned. Could it really be this high? I have black slate in the tank and a root, no other rocks.

My pH out of the tap is about 7.6, so this is a pretty major change compared to the tank water... I assume the tank is low because I added excel? But if my GH is so high, how come it fluctuates so much? How quickly should I see a rise in pH as the plants take in carbon

Obviously I need to add nitrates somehow, when I start ammonia dosing I suppose this will start happening on its own, but are there any suggestions for some sort of macro nutrient supplement besides mixing my own at this point? Will things ever balance out to a point where I may not need to do nitrate dosing once I have a tank fully stocked with fish?

Also what/where is the sidebar on dosing with excel, is it right under my nose?

RoxiesMom · 08-21-2007, 07:50 PM

Welcome bsquizzato!

The sidebar was for my BBA control. Jay will let you know if you need it and from the looks of your setup so far, you don't! Lucky you! Let's hope you never do... I am just a beginner at plant nutrients and Jay has been super, just as his title suggests!