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Bensaf:

If you don't mind I have another fert questions for you.
Right now I'm dosing:

CO2
KNO3
K2O (Flourish Potassium)
Flourish Trace

PO4 - Plan to add via Flourish product or other

After looking at this I realize I don't have FE or MG. Should I be adding regular Flourish or does your TMG take the place of Flourish and Flourish Trace.

Please indulge me one more time. Believe it or not I took AP Chem in high school.

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LittleFish:
I did get error message first time when pic was definitely too big, looked and saw the less than 100k size, so I resized and it looked like it went through, but obviously not.

Thanks!

Your right, the pic was still too big.

Last edited by tetratech at 12-Aug-2005 12:57

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tetra,

I might not know an answer to your slime issue, but maybe I can help with the pic.

It has to be less than 100k and probably shouldn't be very large in size either (last one is a guess), probably 800x800 is still ok.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Bensaf,

Obviously we have spoken about the slime. Not sure why pic didn't link. I did attempt to load directly from my computer and then the entire thread locked up for me, that's why I started new one where we spoke.

Anyway, I have to get this dark cloud off of me I can't even post a pic.

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Tetra,

Your pic is not linking for some reason.

You're a premie now right ? Just attach directly from your computer.

I'm not real good with algae issues because I've never really had any. I'd like to stay as ignorant as possible for as long as possible

Have a look at the APC site, you're a member there too. Go to the Algae Finder theres an interesting article on the Grey slime you are having issues with.

From what I remember it does start because of nitrate issues, but it's apparently a real bugger to get rid of once it gets a hold. Have a look at it. I think there is a solution there but a rather drastic one

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Grey Slime

Really need help with this grey slime.
From what I could tell kh3 ph6.5 nitrates around 20.
But still it comes.



tetratech attached this image:


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Grey Slime



tetratech attached this image:


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3 is perfect. No reason for it to shift.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Thanks Bensaf, I think what's throwing me is there is duplication with some chemicals between for example Flourish and flourish trace. There's also a Flourish Iron product, but I guess it depends on your situation (tap water contents, water hardness etc.) By the way my KH always seems to stay at 3 (If my test kit is accurate)



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I see regular Flourish has some phosphate (in the form of p2o5). Would I still need to add phosphate (po4)

Yep.Try to keep Nitrate to Phosphate ratio 10:1.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Thanks for all the analysis. I think I will probably end up doing the most cost-effective approach eventually. Right now I have 500ml of Flourish Trace and Potassium.
I'm also adding KN03 via Greenlight Stump Remover. So if I add the regular Flourish that should balance things out?
I see regular Flourish has some phosphate (in the form of p2o5). Would I still need to add phosphate (po4)

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I get it for $20 a 500ml bottle here. Enough for 10 weeks. About $2 a week. Pretty reasonale , I can live with it.

Now all that math has made my head hurt :%)

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Seachem has really detailed product info at [link=http://www.seachem.com]http://www.seachem.com" style="COLOR: #36af30[/link]

Flourish Trace

Guaranteed Analysis
Boron (B)

0.0028%
Cobalt (Co)
0.00003%
Copper Cu)
0.0032%
0.0032% Soluble Copper (Cu)

Manganese (Mn)
0.085%
0.0085%Soluble Manganese(Mn)

Molybdenum (Mo)
0.0003%
Zinc (Zn)
0.0169%
0.0169% Soluble Zinc (Zn)

Rubidium (Rh)
0.000008%
Nickel (Ni)
0.000003%
Vanadium (V)
0.000002%

Derived from: copper sulfate, cobalt sulfate, manganese sulfate, boric acid, sodium molybdate, zinc sulfate, rubidium chloride, nickel chloride, vanadium sulfate

50 mL TMG is insane I've heard it's a great product though. :88) Too cheap to try it myself.

No problem Tetra.

Trys has said it all already.

I'm not familiar with Flourish Trace so no idea what's in it. But yes I'd definately go with the Flourish Regular or TMG. They should give all you need. There's not much difference between them but I like the TMG as it has a little kick of Potassium which the Flourish doesn't and it seems to give the leaves a sheen that other ferts I've tried don't.You can up the dosage of either product quite a bit without issues. Most companies understate the dosage stated on the bottle. I use almost 50mls of TMG a week now almost double the reccomended dose.

If your GH is above 3 degrees you'll have plenty of Calcium and Mg. Your weekly water change will top this up.

KNO3, KH2PO4, Flourish Regular/TMG/Sera etc (or the CSM Plantex +B), a GH of 3 degrees or more will provide all the macro and micros you need.

Potassium Chloride or Mono Potassium Sulphate are optional for higher potassium levels.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

You mentioned the price of KH2PO4 in another thread, I'll just answer that here. $12 is really cheap, for a tank that size 0.2 g will raise PO4 ~ 1 ppm.....

So if you're adding 2 ppm with each dose, with a bit of math you'll get 1134 doses out of a pound of KH2PO4.... it's about $0.01 per dose at $12, Seachem line works but it will cost you more in the long run. I looked locally at hydroponics supply stores and gardening centres, even with international shipping to Canada the cheapest prices I could find were at Greg Watson's site.

TMG does take care of Mg and Fe. With what you're adding now for Fe specifically you will want to add some, If you're odering KH2PO4 I would just tack some Iron Chelate or Plantex CSM+B w/ extra Fe on (could replace flourish trace with plantex to save more $$$). If you want to stick with the Flourish line, Flourish Iron will work for you or regular flourish will also add a bit of Mg. Depending on the hardness of your water and frequency of water changes, Mg may not even be an issue for you.

I hate to sound like an advert for GW, he just had the lowest prices I could find anywhere and I'm very happy with the results. My plants are doing great.

Adding the extra yeast bottle is OK as a temporary measure until you get the pressurized system up, just test frequently when you add it to see what you're getting out of it. You may also want to alter your yeast mix slightly for better longevity if you've been having problems.

Last edited by trystianity at 10-Aug-2005 23:09

I am currently using one 1.9 litre bottle for my 46 gallon. I'm thinking about adding a second bottle and resetting the mix every two weeks alternating bottles this way there will always be some co2 flowing at a somewhat consistent rate. I'm doing this until I get my pressurized setup going. Does anyone think this is a bad idea?

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Well I'm giving up on yeast-based co2. It's just too unstable for my 46 Gallon. I lost a bunch of cardinals that I had for about 1 1/2 years due to a ph swing from the co2 going down.

If anyone could recommend a compact and inexpensive system that would work well for a 46gallon tank I would appreciate it.

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As tankie said it's a floating plant by nature and needs to held down in some manner. It's a delicate plant and won't take much disturbance without floating away.

I had to move mine from the big tank as the fish were shredding it.The type of fish in the small tank don't touch it. It would be an even bigger headache with bottom feeders.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

riccia doesnt plant well....if ur planning to keep it at the bottom..u have to have some sort of net holding it down...and from time to time..as it grows...ull end up with some floating.

Guys,

Thanks for the Riccia information. I have one question regarding this plant, if you don’t mind.

Would it make sense to say that Riccia and Bottom Feeders don’t mix, or in other words - is Riccia easily uprooted?

Thanks in advance,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club