My Ferts And Carbon Has Arrived......

[mattlee]

so i bit the bullet and ordered an EI starter pack and a 2L bottle of liquid carbon to try and keep my plants alive.....

they have both arrived today so im all ready to watch my plants flourish!!!!!

the starter pack comes with some dosing guidelines-

macro solution -
4tsp potassium nitrate
1tsp pottasium phosphate
6tsp magnesium sulphate
500ml boiled and cooled water

micro solution -
1tsp trace elements
500ml boiled and cooled water

shake and leave to dissolve overnight for both solutions.

dosing -

macro 3x per week (10ml per 50L of aquarium water)
micro 3x per week (10ml per 50L of aquarium water)

dose on alternative days

20-50% weekly water change


my tank contains roughly 6 anubias from large to small, 1 large windelov & 1 small, 17 ish crypts and a handfull of brazilian pennywort. i want to add to this if i can get these to grow but at the minute the tank isnt massivly planted so are the guidelines given with the ferts (above) accurate enough or does anyone know any different?

 

[mattlee]

also how much lighting do i need?

i have the option of adding up to 5x 32w arcadia led eco-aqua tubes

the tank currently has 2 of these lights running for 7 hours and the tank is a 60x18x24 so about 93 imp gallons or 112 US gallons ish

ill start dosing at the weekend after the normal 50% water change

 

[minnnt]

Follow what it says mate. EI is great because it gives you some leeway with the dosing until you find the correct amount to add.

As for the carbon, no idea. lol. Do the same i guess?

You will need to do a 50% water change weekly though (i do 2x25%) as it resets the nutrient content and removes the waste products that are released as the plants grow.

The plants that you have are relatively easy to keep afaik so don't expect masses of growth. That's what i did and became disheartened when nothing really happened. You should experience healthy growth though.

As for the lights, i'm unsure. Other members would probably be best to comment on that. Maybe another tube or 2 would help, especially with the carbon being added.

 

[mattlee]

well ive started my EI dosing today. first i did a 50% water change then added 80ml macro solution and 8ml of carbon, fingers crossed

just to add ive switched on the 3rd light again to see how it goes