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The hidden assumption here is that there is one color of light that algae uses. Unfortunately algae can use the entire visible spectrum of light. And there are algae species that can also use the invisible spectrum, UV and IR light. So to grow any algae any light source will work. The same...

The KH test you describe is called a titration test. basically by measuring the amount needed to change the color. This is more accurate than comparing the color of a solution to a color chart. Not everyone seas colors the same. This is an alternative. You mix 20 mil of tank water with one...

Yes in acidic water they will dissolve, Very slowly. With weekly water changes the change in GH is small. It the PH is above 7 nothing happens to the shells. In a fresh water tank it is almost impossible for the sehells to push the PH to 7.4. I use sea shells in my RO water tank to control...

I have used plumbing solder from the hardware store. it is mostly silver tin copper alloy. Then for a totally different reason I had a lab water test done. the only thing it showed trace of silver. Never had an problems with the shrimp or snails in the tank..

From wikipedia So wikipedia states water lettuce is not toxic to people but it lasts terrible. However this site it is listed as toxic if eaten in large quantiies. As to fish I see anything conclusive with a google search. But a lot of people have it in their tanks. So I would suspect...

Most fertilizers have Fe DTPA or gluconate. Only recently has that started to change. So it is understandable people have a problem with it. Most fertilizers have plenty of potassium. But if your fish produce a significant amount of nitrogen it ia possible for a potassium deficiency to...

Stan510 Last I looked at their advertisement,the website that sells nutrients has run out of powdered iron! Or,I would have ordered. The price was so low. But "Not in stock".. I looked at both of the links I posted earlier. I found the Nilocg.com link was not working and corrected that Both...

If it leaves a red tint in the water it is Fe EDDHA that is good up to a PH of 10. few people have tried this in an aquarium and most don't like the color tint. Many were also following old iron dosing guidlines that were from FE EDTA or iron gluconate which means people were dosing 1ppm some...

Fe EDTA is unstable at a pPH of 6.5. At that point The iron corrodes. Frew people have tanks with a PH of lower than 6.5. Iron DPA is stable to a ph 7,5 to 8. Right now Fe DTPA is the best choice for aquariums.. 1/2 pound cost about $10 dollars (excluding shipping costs). That is enough...

Well water chemistry can change with the season (dry /wet season) and and even droughts. You really should be monitoring your PH, Kh, and GH of the well water and the water in the tank. If you have anyPH, KH< GH from the past it would be helpful to recheck this. If you don't it may not be...

this isn't a food issue. Once the shell it made it is like hair or your finger nails. Any damage to it will not heal. There are two things that damage snail shells like this Acidic water. your PH of 7.6 is high enough to exclude this. Abrasion.. Basically rubbing on a hard abrasive...

I would put fill the tank with water and add citric acid or vinegar to reach a PH of 4. That should dissolve calcium an magnesium carbonate that make up most of the lime deposits. Some scrubbing might be required Afterward drain it and rinse twice.

If the room temperature is well controlled at room temperature a 20W to 50W heater should be more than enough. Note wattage doesn't tell you anything about heater reliability. It only tells you how much heat it will produce. However if 100W heater gets stuck on it could cook or you fish and...

The amount of phosphate listed Is not enough for plant growth but there is some in the fertilizer. Plant need sphsphate to make DNA during cell reproduction and growth. 1ppm is about what plants need. So if is not good because it is not enoiugh instead unwanted. Phosphate is commonly found...

My apology I didn't notice the table was 2 tables side by side. So your water test results were more comprehensive than I originally perceived.

The reason you have to test for iron is because Seachem uses iron gluconate. Bacteria attack this referring the iron unusable to plants. Iron Gluconate is a terrible iron fertilizer but it is Cheap. At your PH you could use Iron DTPA instead it is stable at your PH and bacteria don't touch...

Seachem iron is iron Gluconate It is a type of acidic sugar. bacteria consume gluconate very quickly. When the gluconate is gone the iron rusts. May people try to maintain a iron level of 1ppm with this product Some peaple have to add iron gluconate almost daily to maintain soluble iron levels...

When I saw a video of it the tank was probably in the a 30 gallon But (they didn't say) and they used a empty soda bottle to in the tank to hold the CO2. I honestly think it will work in any aquarium but I only a have 5 gallon shrimp tank. Also in my oppinion you water flow around the belll...

The best way to attack this issue is to use nerve snails it is their favorite food. Put one fight on top of it and they will start to eat it.

The liquid in liquid CO2 is glutaraldehyde. It is used a disinfectant for medical i tools. Apparently is it similar to a chemical in plants but I have not seen any scientific studies indicating it actually helps plants. The chemical is dangerous to fish if overdosed and does damage some...

Typically only a drop of glue (typicallysuper glue ) is used to attach a rhizome to a rock or other item The plant will produce roots all along the rhizome. The plants will not notice the glue and it will have no effect on new growth (roots and stem). For plants without rhizome weights are...

You need to verify the fertilizer has nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sulfur, chlorine, iron, Manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and nickel. Many fertilizers don't include nutrients that are commonly in tap water. So you should no use distilled or RO water. Also...

Legally and scientifically if you measure it, it is a fact. Fish, shrimp and bacteria produce CO2 that is a fact scientist have measure it. That's a fact. But no one in this hobby can measure CO2. So if your say most aquariums plenty of CO2. Sorry legally and scientifically without any...

Aqua soil has nutrients but over time it will deplete. And eventually algae will start to take over. When it starts to runout of nutrients the plants will still look fine but eventually they will stop growing. Surprisingly it can sometimes take months pass from the first appearance of the...

This is speculation. There is no way available to the Hobbiest to measure CO2. I only use it to eliminate it as a possible problem. And I use the minimum possible. That means passive CO2. And it is not possible to to kill your fish with passive CO2.

In my experience CO2 does not prevent algae. i use passive CO2 and have had algae issues and traced the issue to the fertilizer. Algae (Especially Hair and hard green spot algae) is typically an indication of a nutreint problem in the water. Once a week, after a 50%water change (RO water...

Limestone (or sea shells or crushed coral will also ware. They are all mainly calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate will neutralize the acid in your water allowing the PH tostkbilize at about 7 and maybe few 20ths higher. It will affect GH but it should be minor if it is indeed rain water. I...

That is about one drop. You don't have to make any modifications to use RO water. There are RO systems that can attach to a standard facet without any modifications. Then a second hose goes to the drain. And the third can do directly to your tank. No modifications to any plumbing are...

The key issues with digital is cost. You can get some digital checkers that cost about $50 but you need one for each test you want to doS So if you want to test for PH, Ammonia, Nitrate, nitrite you would need to spend at least $200. You can get devices that will do multiple tests but price...

TDS measure total DISSOLVED solids. Filter floss will not remove any dissolved material. If the TDS went up then the filter floss may have been contaminated with a small amount of something that dissolved increasing the reading slightly. Filter floss will remove solids but generally solids...

Prime does nothing for the plants. Withoutany fertilizer your plants will get most of their nutrients from the water change and whatever is in your tap water. And the two fish and snails isn't going to produce a lot of nutrients. So your slow growth would be expected. Doing a larger water...

Anubias nana is a dwarf version of a common house plant (Pothos) and it does well fully submerged as well as some of the larger house version. The larger house version will also climb trees and when they do the leaves go from the normal 2-3 incheas long to over about 12 inches more. Many...

hardness is a measure of the calcium and magneisum in the water. Rain water has a GH of zero degrees One degree is 17.8mg/L and rain water likely has less than 0.01mg/L. So Animals and plants need calcium and magnesium so a GH booster should be used to bring up the GH of one degree for...

If you purify the water with plants eventually you would have nutrient deficiencies and the plants would stop growing. Yes organic mater has a lot of carbon but it doesn't have a lot of water soluble iron, manganese, zinc, Copper, Molybdenum, and nickel and copper. These elements quickly...

There are 2 reasons to use a baking soda (sodium carbonate) or potassium carbonate: to increase the carbonate level to match the KH of their natural environment. to increase PH of the water. This is problematic in that fish need a little of both sodium and potassium to be healthy. now most...

The big issue in this hobby few people do science experiments to to confirm what they have experienced. Most recomendations you read are from a persons experience. On this forum you will find little on lights since most tanks here are low tech. But if you go to forum were that focuses on high...

Most of the numbers in this refer to the number of LEDs but NOT the output power of them. You can buy one very bright LED or one Very dim LED and the actual chip in each is about the same size. The actual chip that produces the light is a little smaller than the head of pin. Most of what you...

I looked at the picture of your tank and it is very yellow. the yet the light reflecting of the water look white. How often do you do a water change and how much water do you replace? What is your normal weekly maintenance routine? Are you using any fertilizer for the plants and if so which...

crushed coral is mainly calcium carbonate. in soft water it only dissolves if the PH is below 7. When it dissolves it pushes the PH up. Once PH reaches 7 it stops dissolving and the PH stops at about 7. Now the final PH of your water depends on everything in your water calcium carbonate is...

Guys the dose I recommended that is less than 1/2 of a Degree of GH. Some RO systems (but not all) don't go down that low. Also some root tabs in include magnesium and calcium. Sachem root tabs which Byron use have calcium and magnesium chloride.