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I felt like yuck today, so I treated myself after work.

I beelined to the fishstore and came home with a
Coralife 96w 6700K lighting unit

1.5 to 2.4 wpg doesn't seem like much of a jump but the higher intensity of a T5 with reflector made a HUGE visual difference in the brightness of the tank and the amount of light penetrating to the substrate. The color of everything looks better too. I'm liking this !

I left my 30w strip with reflector on the back so I'm just over 3wpg total light. The coralife is a bit more to the front to help out the hairgrass and downoi. Crossing my fingers that it grows.

Going to try and trade some stuff to get more hairgrass plus E tenellus.

Wahooooooo !!!!


The Amazon Nut...

Just remember that more light means the plants will need more CO2 and more fertilizers. The all you need to do is sit back and watch it grow.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Thanks Wingsdlc

You're right, an occasional squirt, teaspoon of whatever will no longer work. I have Flourish Excel & Comprehensive, and hydro ferts on hand, potassium, traces etc. I'll have to figure out how to dose properly. I may be making my own fert balls to enrich the substrate as well, my flourite's a bit old.

More co2 hmm. I REALLY want to go pressurized but can't afford it atm. Diy or choose plants not heavily co2 dependant for now. The tank is half planted or less so good time to make setup changes.

I hear my hairgrass won't make it because it prefers a finer substrate like sand. Problem is I LOVE how it looks Wondering if I can just dig some flourite out of the front and make a sandbed ?

I have a tank blog in General as well, feel free to stop by, input is always welcome

The Amazon Nut...

Hi,
Why not give it a try? Scoop out an area and create a
"river or stream" that is a inch deep, fill it with sand,
and try it.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

You're right, an occasional squirt, teaspoon of whatever will no longer work. I have Flourish Excel & Comprehensive, and hydro ferts on hand, potassium, traces etc. I'll have to figure out how to dose properly. I may be making my own fert balls to enrich the substrate as well, my flourite's a bit old.

I personally like the EI method of fertilizing. It seems to work for me. I have not really dabbled with much of anything else though. If you have the Excel on hand I would make sure to use it very regularly so the plants get the carbon they need. 3wpg is the line where carbon becomes very important.

I hear my hairgrass won't make it because it prefers a finer substrate like sand. Problem is I LOVE how it looks Wondering if I can just dig some flourite out of the front and make a sandbed ?

I had hair grass in flourite with out any problems. I didn't keep it for a really long time but it grew well for me. I guess with a smaller substrate it will probably be able to spread and grow much closer together. Other than that its should grow for you.

You can see the hair grass growing in my old 40G long on the right hand side here.


55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Thanks both for your help

It's good to know a sand bed isn't critical. I think it would look cool though and if it helps the hairgrass spread more I think I'll try it. (I'd love a TON of hairgrass !)

I need to get rid of a few fish and knick-knacks and will be trying to trade them locally for plants. I'll try to get a few cups of black sand in the process If I can't get it that way I'm going north next weekend and will try to find some reddish sand containing iron and get a whack of it.

Now tell my darned keyholes to stop pulling on the hairgrass would you ? They're not listening to me, LOL.

Wingsdlc, your plants look amazing I'll check more into the EI, I'd probably adjust it for 25% water changes instead of 50.

I have the regular test kits but nothing for phosphate, iron etc.. Should I be getting some ? Is there one for potassium ?








The Amazon Nut...

I have the regular test kits but nothing for phosphate, iron etc.. Should I be getting some ? Is there one for potassium ?

Test kits? You are souposed to test the water??

I used to test but really haven't in a very long time. Also read this.

http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/62-estimative-index-dosing-no-need-test-kits.html
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Some good reading there, intensive in fact LOL.

My gh is very high and a good kh. Nitrates in both tanks average out at about 30ppm. Iron, Potassium and traces are the things I think I'll need.

The needs for the 2 tanks different atm.
40g - lightly stocked, lightly planted after my last pull.
mostly slow growing plants wanting iron and potassium I think. Traces enough in the tapwater but I'd dose it anyway. I dont overfeed the tank

10g - overstocked, (trying to trade off some of the fish and snails, then may try adding a few red cherry shrimp) excess bioload contributing to a bit of green algae although the majority of plants in here are fast growing and known to take up nutrients. Now according to Tom Barr, (I think) the ammonium from a now overstocked tank (as well as upgrading from 1.5 to 3wpg ?) would be the cause of the algae, as well as if a certain nutrient is lacking. Traces may be needed as well as iron and potassium, phosphate too perhaps if uptake is fast. Most of the fast growing plants (najas grass and amazon frogbit) will be switched out (a bit will be left) giving mosses and stargrass better light and water movement so nutrient needs will be reduced. Still asian ambulia in there. It's reacted well to the doubling of light, co2, and tweaks but a bit palish.

25% water changes are what I'd like to do, once per week, and half dose the nutrients accordingly. Now wondering how to measure 1/16th or 1/32 of a spoon ? LOL.

This should be interesting and I'd love to see how the plants react to the better light along with proper attention paid to dosing. I want to figure this out soon as possible and start

The Amazon Nut...

Now wondering how to measure 1/16th or 1/32 of a spoon ?

I think you they are the ones with pinch and such on them. Try someplace bed bath and beyond.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

1/16 and 1/32 of a teaspoon isn't something you should measure in teaspoons. Figure out how many drops from an eyedropper it takes for 1/8 (smallest spoon I have seen), divide to get the number of drops you want. I keep my ferts in eyedropper bottles for daily dosing in a 10 gallon tank.

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That is a good idea for liquid fertilizers. I was talking about dosing dry though. I didn't specify. Sorry my fault.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Kinda hard measuring drops of powder. If you wanna do the math for me I'm all game LOL. I'm too tired otherwise. I bought a nice ozelot sword with red and green, and brazilian microsword. I'm so tapped out, they're still in the bags.

Have a good night, and thanks for the tips ! I'm sure I'll have more questions as I try to figure this stuff out.

The Amazon Nut...