EI journal

[zig]

I've had a look back at the pictures i posted last weekend and some have grown nearly 2.5"

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How many WPG are you useing, with 3 wpg on my own tank i have to prune the stem plants heavily every week, think it might be time to get rid of them, to much of a chore, and put in something slower growing, but in the beginning you need fast growers.

You should test your tap water for nitrate levels and phosphate levels just for starters, thats if you dont know allready.

 

[houndour]

OK, changed CO2 last night. Will be testing before and after dosing tonight.

So far things are good. The extra CO2 unit has made a definite improvement and my plants have pearled every day since and the algae, although still present, is improving (I know I keep saying this but I'm excited about it!!)

I'm also getting very excited about my mini project and oooohhh I have to tell you guys cos noone in the invertabret forum bothers replying half the time...I have a pregnant shrimp I've found out that the babies dont survive cos they need brackish water, but I'm dead chuffed all the same cos it must mean that they are happy.

Will post test results later.

ND how's it going?

I would love to give you some riccia...um but its covered in algae. But if all goes to plan and the algae dies off I should have some algae free riccia The only other thing I really have to spare is Hygro (but you prob have tonnes anyway) and maybe a sword plant (again, you probably have a fair few). If you're prepared to wait if my glosso takes off you can have some...but reckon its going to be a toughy to grow.

 

[nodding_dino]

ND how's it going?

I would love to give you some riccia...um but its covered in algae. But if all goes to plan and the algae dies off I should have some algae free riccia The only other thing I really have to spare is Hygro (but you prob have tonnes anyway) and maybe a sword plant (again, you probably have a fair few). If you're prepared to wait if my glosso takes off you can have some...but reckon its going to be a toughy to grow.

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Everything seems to be coming along just fine....I can't remember a day now that the plants haven't pearled away with a constant stream of bubbles. I will do a quick nitrate and phosphate test later to see what things look like after yesterdays macro dose. All the plants are growing really quickly. I have noticed that the wisteria is now growing across the top of the bogwood, and some of the stem plants are going to need a prune! (I'm actually going to post a question about the best way to prune later on )

I am getting a very light covering of algea on the front and side glasses every day, I'm not sure if this is expected and will slow as I finally build up to target levels or whether this is something that we have to live with with a mod/high lit tank and extended photoperiods?

I am hopefully going to do some more research about carpetting plants this weekend, and may well place an order for something from Greenline next week...

Thanks for the riccia offer (I'll have to check what hygro is!)...I'll take you up on that at some point...although I'll need to get something to grow it across first! Makes sense for us (all) to share cuttings where we can rather than splash our on the same plant and then chuck loads in the bin because it's growing so fast!

The fish are looking great too (and it's obviously doing wonders for your shrimp )...I think their really benefiting from the extra greenery, it just seems so much more natural to see them swimming in and out of the plants...!

 

[nodding_dino]

Todays test results done...

pH 6.8
KH 130ppm
Nitrate 6/7
Phosphate 1

Changed one of the CO2 cannisters yesterday. and the pH has dropped slightly with a resultant increase in CO2 to approx 35ppm.

Nitrate looks as though it's on it's way up - slowly - I will dose a larger amount tomorrow and see where it takes me!

 

[zig]

Todays test results done...

pH 6.8
KH 130ppm
Nitrate 6/7
Phosphate 1

Changed one of the CO2 cannisters yesterday. and the pH has dropped slightly with a resultant increase in CO2 to approx 35ppm.

Nitrate looks as though it's on it's way up - slowly - I will dose a larger amount tomorrow and see where it takes me!

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Near perfect readings ND like you say just have to increase the nitrates, i wouldnt worry about the co2 at 35ppm mine usually floats somewhere around that level.

 

[nodding_dino]

Near perfect readings ND like you say just have to increase the nitrates

woohoo!

 

[nodding_dino]

Just finished testing/dosing the tank for KNO3 and KH2PO4.

I tested after I had dosed and am pleased to say I have hit the magic numbers/ratios!

pH 6.9
CO2 28ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
Phosphate 1.0ppm

One of the CO2 cannisters needs changing which I will do tomorrow, and the pH has risen a touch as expected due to the reduction in CO2.

I'm going to do the weekly 'reset' tomorrow.

Can I just confirm (for peace of mind) that once the 50% change has been done, I should try and dose all the way up to the target values in one hit - the fish are now used to these levels.

I will then dose every other day to maintain those levels.

Thanks again to everyone that's helped...I'm beginning to think I've got it!

 

[zig]

Just finished testing/dosing the tank for KNO3 and KH2PO4.

I tested after I had dosed and am pleased to say I have hit the magic numbers/ratios!

pH 6.9
CO2 28ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
Phosphate 1.0ppm

One of the CO2 cannisters needs changing which I will do tomorrow, and the pH has risen a touch as expected due to the reduction in CO2.

I'm going to do the weekly 'reset' tomorrow.

Can I just confirm (for peace of mind) that once the 50% change has been done, I should try and dose all the way up to the target values in one hit - the fish are now used to these levels.

I will then dose every other day to maintain those levels.

Thanks again to everyone that's helped...I'm beginning to think I've got it!

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Yes it really is as simple as that nodding-dino, just test before you do the water change until you get used to it (when i say to get used to it i mean that in a few weeks you will probably be able to have a very good guess as to the amount you should be adding without even testing) on the day of the water change you will add KNO3 and PO4 to bring the levels back up to the target ppm, the next day you will add the trace, and so forth during the week topping up the KNO3 and PO4 as they are used up, and thats it, algae free tank and happy plants.

 

[nodding_dino]

thanks so much Zig...! I'll keep you all posted as to progress...!

Hows things with you houndour...all going OK?

 

[houndour]

oooh thanks zig. I thought I had to get it up slowly every week. :$ I've been hacking a bit this week cos I got my KNO3 and K2HPO4 late. So I'm starting properly tomorrow. But if my Nitrates are at 8ppm, then tomorrow I can dose straight to 8ppm? rather than starting over again?

 

[zig]

oooh thanks zig. I thought I had to get it up slowly every week. :$ I've been hacking a bit this week cos I got my KNO3 and K2HPO4 late. So I'm starting properly tomorrow. But if my Nitrates are at 8ppm, then tomorrow I can dose straight to 8ppm? rather than starting over again?

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Not sure if i follow you Sam, if you are starting proper tomorrow i would suggest you do the 50% water change to reset the tank, sunday is the day i picked for water changes i think its a good day to start, you know usually not much going on, lots of time on a sunday etc.

Anyway i would do the tests first for PO4 and NO3, do the 50% water change and then add the amount you need of PO4 and NO3 to bring you back up to the target level.

So basically what i am saying is, if you have reached the target level for PO4 and NO3 when you do the water change you just top it back up to those levels again, and thats all you do on water change day, the next day monday you will add the trace, and for the rest of the week you will just top up the PO4 and NO3 and add the trace.

So your schedule will be something like this

Sunday 50% water change add KNO3 and PO4

Monday add trace

Tuesday top up Kno3 and PO4

Wednesday add trace

Thursday top up KNO3 and PO4

Friday add trace

Sathurday .....Day off

Sunday start again

Now it is not nescessary to top up the PO4 as much as i have outlined above, once on the day of the water change and one other day midweek should be sufficient to keep it at 1ppm, the KNO3 you will top up more regularily as outlined above, and thats really it, you dont have to build it up each week, you only do that at the start if you are under the required amounts, once you have reached the target levels you just do topups to keep them there, so basically yes you go straight back up to 8ppm on the KNO3, auctually i would suggest you go to 10ppm at this stage, it will be fine and just do topups during the week.

Sorry i understand what you mean now, yes just go straight to 10ppm and im not sure where you are with the PO4 but if you are close enough to 1ppm i would go straight to that level after the water change.

Sorry i hope i havent made the above to complicated, just ask if i have, ill be around tomorrow anyway if you are unsure of anything.....k

 

[houndour]

no you haven't complicated things. What I was trying to say is cos my stuff arrived Tuesday I missed a doseage. I'm not quite up to 10ppm nitrates yet. But I'm on about 8ppm. So I'm assuming that I can dose today after the water change to immediately get to 8ppm Nitrate?

I was planning on a higher ppm for nitrates tho...more like 15ppm. Is 10ppm enough?

 

[zig]

no you haven't complicated things. What I was trying to say is cos my stuff arrived Tuesday I missed a doseage. I'm not quite up to 10ppm nitrates yet. But I'm on about 8ppm. So I'm assuming that I can dose today after the water change to immediately get to 8ppm Nitrate?

I was planning on a higher ppm for nitrates tho...more like 15ppm. Is 10ppm enough?

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Yes thats correct, you can go straight to 8ppm, but i would probably go to 10ppm today, you had nitrates in the tank when you started so going to 10ppm shouldnt be a problem, id probably stick at 10ppm for a few weeks and see how you get on, you mightnt need more than that, but 15ppm is still ok but it mightnt be nescessary.

 

[nodding_dino]

well, thats the end of my first week of EI!

I just completed a 50% water change, tested the levels and dosed appropriately. So I'm sitting with a sparkly clean tank and the following parameters:

pH 7.0
KH 120ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Ammonia 0
Phosphate 1

I have also changed one of the CO2 cannister mixtures, so that should pull the ppm back up a touch.

Back onto micros tomorrow...I can finally see a routine coming!

 

[smithrc]

Right then... Here goes...

I've just tested my Tap water...
PO4 = 2.5ppm
NO3 = 7.5ppm

I'm using Aquatrace 7 fertiliser (rich in iron but no Nitrates and Phosphates)

Its a 100l tank.

I'm not one for water changes and will be planning my dosing around a 3 week 50% change.

So the next thing to do is mix up the solutions...

What have you guys used - Chucks guide dosnt have the same chemical that I have....

Potassium Nitrate
N - 12%
K20 - 46%

Potassium Phosphate
P2O5 - 52%
K20 34%

Are these right? if so what are they on chucks calculator?


If anyone was to come round now - it'd look very dodgy... I'm weighing out white powder on a set of electronic scales!