# How do you maintain your tank...



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

As it should be obvious to anyone who's been around the hobby for a while, there are multiple ways that folks maintain their planted tanks. Obviously, some folks do it a lot more successfully than others. I'd like to start a thread where we all civilly report how we maintain our tanks and what, if any, problems we face. There are a myriad of different techniques we use differing in lighting, substrates, fert schemes, etc.

I would hope this would show folks that there are multiple ways to achieve a relatively healthy, planted aquarium. I realize that one person might consider a little bba growing on their tank to be perfectly acceptable, while someone else would want a spotless tank.

I know from practical experience that what works for some does not work for me, but I have learned from, and modified other's techniques to fit my tank's needs, and continue to do so as time goes by.

BTW, this is not intended to be a 'my way's better than yours', nor a bashing of people's ways. If it deteriorates into that, we will close it. Hopefully, we can learn from each other and further the hobby.

Here's a template to follow for standardization sake:

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 
2. Substrate:
3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it
---Excel used?
4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:
5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :
6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?
7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:
8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:
---Macros?:
---Micros?:
---Root tabs?:
9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) 
10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? 
11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/
---large/med/small?
12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?
13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?
14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well
15. Other personal comments:*

I'll start it out - Oceanic 50 gal tank:

1. 50 gal/30x18x21/year and a half old
2. Mix of flourite and Eco
3. Pressurized CO2 with diy in-line reactor. 
---No accurate measurement other than keep pH approx 1.1 unit below equilibrated tank water.
---I dose Excel at recommended dosages only at water change.
4. Lighting is via 2 x 55W AHS kits. One bulb 6700K other bulb is 9325K; 9hr photoperiod
5. Filtered via Rena XP2, no powerheads
6. Well water; gh12; kh9-10 (AP test kit); temp is room temp (Florida) or those few cold days maintained via Hydor in-line heater at 78
7. 50% weekly water changes; straight well water
8. Macros once a week at water change: 1/4tsp KNO3; 1/16t KH2PO4; 1/2tsp K2SO4; 1/2tsp MgSO4
---Micros dosed : daily except for water changes: 2ml Flourish and 1ml of iron chelate solution from Greg Watson
9. Densely planted heavy with Anubias and Crypts and some stems (aromatica and japonica)
10. In-line Hydor heater
11. Moderately stocked with guppies, 5 panda cories, 2 sae's, rcs. Fed daily.
12. 2 sae's, rcs
13. For a while had a green dust problem. Cut down photoperiod and lowered nitrate dosing has helped. Wipe down glass weekly at water change. Old Anubias leaves have a little green spot.
14. Soft water plants are out of the question due to hardness of water. R. macranda also just slowly withers. L. aromatica tends to lose its lower leaves. 
15. I started this tank heavy with Anubias and should have known better. Live and learn.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Second tank: 50gal AGA

1. 50 gal breeder/ 36x18x18/almost 3 years old
2. Flourite/Eco mixture
3. Pressurized CO2 with in-line diy reactor
---Approx 1.1 pH unit below equilibrated tank water
---Dose Excel only after water change
4. 1 - 96W AHS kit (6700K) and a 30W standard flourescent strip/10hr photoperiod
5. Rena XP2, no powerheads
6. Well water; gh12; kh9-10 (AP test kit); temp is room temp (Florida) or those few cold days maintained via Hydor in-line heater at 78
7. 50% weekly water changes; straight well water
8. Macros only at water change: 1/4tsp KNO3; 1/16t KH2PO4; 1/2tsp K2SO4; 1/2tsp MgSO4
---Micros dosed : daily except for water changes: 2ml TMG and 1ml of iron chelate solution from Greg Watson
9. Densely planted; approx 30-40% Anubias/Crypts; rest stems
10. In line Hydor heater
11. Moderate-heavy levels of guppies; 2 SAE's; Amanos and rcs's.
12. 2 SAE's amanos, rcs's and a couple of nerites
13. Other than a little gs on older Anubias, no algae issues. Glass is wiped down every 2-3 weeks. 
14. Same as other tank; plus A. reinickii stunts occasionally
15. My stablest tank for unknown (to me) reasons.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Here's mine:

*Tank #1*

1. All-glass 180g, setup Sep 2006, 72"x24"x24" 
2. 100% eco-complete
3. 20 lb cylinder, DIY 3" PVC in-line reactor, controlled by Pinpoint controller range set at pH 5.95-6.15. Estimated level? who knows, fish & shrimp are ok, plants pearl and grow nicely. No excel.
4. 150W HQI metal halide x 3 with 6,500K bulbs for 4 hours per day. 4x39W T-5 Tek retrofit with 6,500K bulbs for 10 hrs/day. I'll be upgrading the HQI's to ADA 8,000K bulbs.
5. Circulation via a closed-loop system with 3/4" and 1" PVC piping, valves, etc, with an Eheim 1260 pump running the system. Return is via a 3/4" DIY spraybar along the back wall at substrate level. Filtration is provided with two Eheim 2217 classic canister filters.
6. GH 6-7, KH 3.5, Temp 74F, Ca/Mg ratio currently about 5:1, Lamotte kits, measured weekly, calibrated? no, reagents changed prior to expiration date.
7. Weekly trim, 20% WC on M,W, & Sat with 100% RO water.
8. I started with 8ppm NO3 and 2ppm PO4 dosed 3x/week. Currently I'm dosing 4ppm NO3 and 1.5 ppm PO4. I almost never test macro levels. On WC days I add CaSO4 and MgSO4 to keep GH around 6 and NaHCO3 to keep KH around 3.5. Micros are 60ml TMG 3X/week and 30ml Flourish Iron 3X/week. I use a few root tabs around crypts 2-3x /year.
9. Massive planting - very thick with stemmies & rosettes in the background, HM & HC foreground, a few crypts and anubias in the midground.
10. Heaters are two in-line 300W Hydors on the Eheim Cansiter return lines. I have an in-line 15W UV unit that I use only after major substrate disturbances for 12-24 hours.
11. Moderate stocking, 15 congos, 24 rummies, 9 corries, 20 otos, 3 SAE's, 50 amanos.
12. Clean up crew? see above
13. MAJOR, MAJOR grey slime issues on startup. This persisted >1 month, but now things are much better. I had a bit of BBA and staghorn for a while, but this is settling down. GSA on the glass is removed 1X/week, but I don't get too bothered by it. Old anubias leaves have some algae.
14. R. macranda didn't fare too well, but that was during startup. HC, A. renekii, L. 'guinea', R. 'vietnam', P. stellatus 'Broad' are doing fine, regular P. stellatus is stunting at present.
15. The tank is still growing in and has a bit of surface scum sometimes. I rarely check NO3 & PO4, but they're currently higher than my dosing scheme would predict & I'm gradually moving toward leaner dosing. I'm very happy with the noon-burst lighting technique. During this it pearls to the point of being annoying.

*Tank #2*

1. 46g bowfront, 36" long, setup June 2006 
2. 100% Soilmaster Select, charcoal
3. 5 lb CO2 bottle, Milwaukee regulator, bubblecount set at 1bps through a 1.5" DIY PVC in-line reactor. CO2 levels? who knows. No excel.
4. Lighting - DIY hood with spiral CF's 26Wx8, 6,500K bulbs, fan. 11 hour photoperiod.
5. Eheim 2215 cansiter with reactor in-line with return.
6. I've done no water testing in 3 months. Temp is 76-78F.
7. I do 50% WC's once every 6 weeks or so. 100% tapwater (GH 20, KH 9).
8. I add about 5 ppm NO3 and 2 ppm PO4 with WC's. I add a few cc's of TMG and Flourish Fe maybe once every 2 weeks or so. Other than that I dose no macros. There are a few root tabs around crypts.
9. Density is between moderate and high, mostly stemmies, some crypts, some anubias.
10. In-tank 100W Jaeger heater.
11. Current stocking is fairly light - 3 glass cats, 3 neons, 1 threadfin, 4 corries, 5 otos, 4 nerites.
12. See above
13. No discernable algae at present except some rare thread stuff in the plant tops. Very easily removed.
14. Can't grow L. 'cuba', R. macranda, R. 'vietnam', or regular P. stellatus in this tank.
15. I'd sure like to know why this tank is doing so well. It's completely neglected, gets almost no macros or micros, fish get fed 3-4x/week if lucky, plant size/shape/coloration is beautiful, water is crystal-clear, and it needs pruning every 2-3 weeks. Go figure.


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

Another killer thread! It's topics like this that can benefit us all so I really hope it does not become a debate over which method is better.

1. Standard 55 gallon, 1 year old
2. basic aquarium gravel
3. Pressurized CO2, ADA pollen glass 30, levels approx 30 ppm or a bit higher based on drop checker
4. Lighting - 2 65w 6700k Coralife Aqualight, 12 hours a day
5. Fluval 304
6. Tap water KH 1, GH 1 with AP test kit ( KH calibrated, GH not calibrated ), 78 degrees, visitherm stealth
7. 50 % weekly water change with tap water
8. dosing EI, 3/8 tsp KNO3, 1/8 tsp KH2PO4, 10 ml Flourish, 3 x / week. Up until a month or so ago I was adding Seachem EQ and baking soda to bring the KH and GH both up to approx 3. This was based on what I read I should be doing. After reading about others with low KH and GH that don't dose I decided to stop with EQ and baking soda about a month ago. The only difference I can see is that vals don't seem to grow as fast.
9. Moderate to heavy density with mostly stems ( L. aromatica, cabomba, hygro, l. repens ), java ferns, couple of swords, anubias and a riccia carpet.
10. stealth visitherm, 25 watt gamma UV
11. lightly stocked - 10 cardinal, 5 black skirt, 4 serpae tetras
12. 2 ottos, some ramshorns that hitched along with some plants
13. a little GSA on the glass and a bit of GDA. The GDA is a recent occurence so as of today I'm cutting my lighting period to 11 hours to see if that helps.
14. Tried tonina a while back when I was using DIY CO2. It didn't do much - didn't grow but didn't really die either. I was also dosing EQ and baking soda at the time. I have some tonina on the way and want to give it another try since my CO2 is better and I'm not adding baking soda now.
15. As of today I'm also giving lower macro dosing a try just to see what happens. If I don't need so much then why do it.



Bert,
Have you always dosed macros on a weekly basis. It sounds like you're doing well on what would seem like inadequate amounts of macros based on EI dosing. Does your tap water contains nitrate or phosphate?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I have three planted tanks, so I'll just pick one.

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: *20 gallon long/ 
(30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 3/4)/3 years

_*2. Substrate: *Mix of pool filter sand & Flourite_

_*3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other: *Pressurized with Hagan ladder_
_*---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it *... I don't. _
_*---Excel used?*...No_

_*4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod: *Coralife 65 watt fixture/6700k/10 hours_

_*5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? : *Rena filstar XP1/No_

_*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc: *GH ?,KH 2-3,temp 75 degrees/PH 6.5-7.0_
_*---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated? *Rarely, AP/Redsea/Tetra test/Seachem, No._

_*7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?: *25 % Water change bi-weekly with tap water, along with 2 gallon water changes 2-3 times per week, filter cleaned monthly._

_*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:*_
_*---Macros?: *Phosphates (Seachem) 1/2cc 3x per week, nitrates (Green light stump remover) 1/2cc 3x per week_
_*---Micros?: *Kent 1/2cc 3 times per week, Seachem iron 1cc 1xper week_
_*---Root tabs?: *occasionally (Seachem)_

_*9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) *Heavily planted:Blyxa j, x-mas/Tawain moss, Crypts, petite nana, duckweed,four leaf clover_

_*10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? *Ebo-jager heater_

_*11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/ *Moderate to heavy/small_
_*---large/med/small?*_

_*12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc? *Various shrimp,common snails_

_*13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad? *Green spot algae on back glass(moderate) & Black beard algae (very light)_

_*14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well*...Glosso, pygmy chain sword_

_*15. Other personal comments*... I'm amazed on how little ferts that I can use with pressurized C02 and not have any major algae issues; along with how well my plants grow with less ferts. This makes me re-think my dosing amounts on my other tanks._


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

1. 75gallon all-glass aquarium/ 48" x 18" x 20" / started in april 2006 

2. Substrate: Flourite with a topping of "Tahitian moon" black sand

3. CO2? - Pressurized, milwaukee regulator, 20lb. cylinder, 3"diam 24" tall DIY reactor.
---Estimated levels 30-45ppm/ with a dropchecker calibrated with distillied water and adjusted KH via Baking Soda and aquarium phamacuticals test kit. 
---No excell

4. Lighting – 260 watts PC from a coralife fixture/6700°K coralife bulbs / photoperiod 8.5hrs with each bank of bulbs offset by roughly 30mins:

5. Filtration system - Filstar XP2, using the jet outlet instead of the spraybar, figured I'd give it a shot and so far I like it.

6. Water parameters gh8, kh3, temp 75F, etc:
---measured probably monthly using aquarium pharmacuticals GH and KH kits, which I've never Calibrated.

7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used – RO, tap, combo?: weekly water changes 50-80% weekly using 100%tapwater with an adjusted KH using baking soda. My tap water has a really low KH I raise it to keep the PH reasonable when CO2 is injected. 

8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency: I dose a modified EI schedule, I've watched my plants/tank and found the following works best for me keeping good plant growth and algae to a minimum. 
---Macros?: 1tsp KNO3, .6-.8tsp KH2PO4, 1/4tsp K2SO4 all dosed 3 times a week on the same day
---Micros?: 10mL Flourish, and 1/4tsp 10%FeDPTA from Greg Watson both are dosed 3 times a week
---Root tabs?: never tried them

9. Density and plant types? pretty densly planted with mostly stems and rosettes, there is a full plant list in my profile I keep it pretty current. 

10. Other tank hardware: 300watt visitherm stealth heater 

11. Fish stocking levels – I'd say I have a pretty heavy stocking of fish although they are mostly smaller fish.

12. Clean up crew? – several Otos and 5 SAEs plus numerous snails that have come in on plants.

13. Algae issues? – I have some old GSA spots on old anubia leaves and a little GDA but nothing terrible

14. Problem plants? - Cabomba Carolinia never really grew well in my tank, it would either be leggy or pale in color, I've since removed it all and moved on to other plants which have really taken off. 

15. Other personal comments: Currently I'm trying to adjust to a leaner fertilizer regimin without causing deficiencies or algae, the hope is to really get my red plants to pop and possibly eliminate the little GSA I get by the end of the week. Last week I finally switched to the pressurized CO2 system from a 6gallon DIY setup(maintenance nightmare) and I've already noticed several changes, BBA which had stopped growing before but wouldn't go away is gone, my plants are growing faster and pearling has become very consistent. Before the switch pearling would be somewhat sporadic, one day it would be out of control and the next it would be very little, it was weird because it didn't seem to match the weekly pattern of refreshing the yeast solution. I think the fluctuating room temperature was affecting the consistency of CO2 generation looking back on it. Oh well those days are over I can't wait to see it in a couple weeks.


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## joephys (May 9, 2006)

1.5 year old, standard size 29 gallon tank
Substrate is small pea gravel
No CO2.
Lighting is 3 25 watt screw in CF's (the lights of america ones from wally world), but there is a lot of floating plants matter to help block it out.
Filtration is an Aquaclear 50 HOB
KH is about 4 dKH, GH is about 1 dGH using AP test kits.
50% water change every week with tap water
I alternate Greg's dry macro ferts and flourish on a daily basis. I have rough proports, but not with me at the moment, but total ferts is about half a teaspoon every other day, and about two cap threads of flourish every other day.
Very dense, anubias, cryps, a sword, a barclaya, some valls, rotalla, and myro, with some water lettuce for good measure.
only other hardware is a heater.
Heavily stocked with small fish
Clean up crew is hitchhiker snails and worms in the substrate
No algae problems
the myro doesn't grow well due to low light levels and lack of CO2. It just wants to grow fast.

All and all I am happy with the results, it did have DIY CO2 at first, but once it filled in how I liked it, I took the CO2 off to slow growth. Guess I am lucky the algae didn't come around, but I think the water lettuce helps with that.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 45 gallon, about 30" long, 20" high and about 16" front to back.
2. Substrate: Soilmaster Pro Select Charcoal
3. CO2? - pressurized using a Barr Internal Venturi reactor
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it - use a drop checker, with 5dKH distilled water in it - about 30 - 40 ppm
---Excel used? - yes, at times to counter algae problems
4. Lighting – 110 watts, 6700K, 8 hours a day (AH Supply 2X55 watt kit)
6. Water parameters - temp about 75 - 79 F. Nothing else checked.
7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used – continuous water change system, using cold tap water. Occasional big water changes for cleaning.
8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:
---Macros - KNO3 1/2 tsp every other day, KH2PO4 about 3/16 tsp every other day
---Micros - just switched to Tropika Plant Nutrition Liquid, about a week ago.
---Root tabs? - none
9. Density and plant types? –stems, Anubias, etc? Very heavily planted - over planted, with stems, petite anubias, windelov Java fern, etc.
10. Other tank hardware: 50 watt heater, Magnum 250 filter, drop checker
11. Fish stocking levels – lightly stocked with fish and cherry shrimp, mostly guppies and "lambchop rasboras".
12. Clean up crew? – cherry shrimp, otos, Yoyo loaches
13. Algae issues? – varies. Tank being neglected now, so have BBA and minor GDA.
14. Problem plants? - Mermaid weed, mosses, dwarf sword plants - gave up on them
15. Other personal comments: Also have a 2.5 gallon nano on my computer desk, equally neglected, but doing very well. Soon will be back to being a responsible aquatic plant grower.


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age:
108 gal just the water/147x57x60/3 years old
2. Substrate:
Flourite, mulm, peat initially
3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:
Pressurized/reactor (lifeguard microfilter chambers)/pinpoint ph controller
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it:
Approx 0.9 - 0.8 pH unit below equilibrated tank water (depends on the off-on range of the ph monitor), tank pearls heavy
---Excel used?
No
4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:
MH - 3x150/4200K Osram single ends HCI-T 150w/ND UVS natural white de luxe (gives yellow cast to the tank)/ 6h/day
5. Filtration system/extra powerheads?:
DIY, 2 Lifequard towers with 50 micron microfilters for mechanical filtration (changed with cleaned ones twice a week) huge DIY biological with bioballs with (small percent of total water passes through it), pump Quitelife 2.500 lt/h /extra powerhead 2000 lt/h one hour on one hour off
6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:
12/8/25
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?
Often/colorimeter Hanna C200 36 different tests, Hanna HI 93750 Potassium turbidometer/I hope so I was after them to calibrate 100% their tests for 6 months.
7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:
Well it depends on the stage it was, currently 25% WC twice/week sometimes combined with mulm removal sometimes not, addition of RO water only for evaporation, all are part of the plumbing of the tank, in algae infested periods every other day fluffing scrubbing cursing, you know the rest.
8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:
---Macros?:
Added from dosing pumps many times a day calibrated so pumps dose in increments of 3x0.5 ppm NO3 from KNO3 daily, 3x0.2ppm PO4 daily from KH2PO4 daily, Additional K 3x0.5 ppm K from K2SO4 (I started this lately K from KNO3 was not enough and there was a very obvious K deficiency in lower leaves specially of L. Aromatica, this was remedied). Some details, if I see a deficiency I am pretty sure of I pulse a fairly big amount of the nutrient once to help the condition then I add in small amounts. I don't add macros after the WC I like the dilution of the nutrients in the tank water WC bring for a day or 2. KNO3 is always around 30 ppm in the column at least for the last 3-4 months with just 10 ppm KNO3 added weekly to the tank (isn't that interesting?), PO4 in the column is around 1-2,5 ppm, K is around 8-17 ppm additional iron seemed to bring it to the lower value. Mg I add 1-2 ppm once a week.
---Micros?:
1 ppm total iron daily in powder form from both 1/32 spoon Microplex+B daily, and 4 days DTPA iron 7% then 3 days iron gluconate adding the same amount iron daily (up to the 1ppm value) then the circle is repeated.
Iron is disappearing fast 1 ppm addition daily gives a reading in the column 0.08-0.12 ppm Fe2-Fe3, UV may play a part on it together with light oxygen. 
---Root tabs?:
Clay mixed with forest soil in small amount and laterite made wet and shaped into 1-1.5 cm clayballs by hand and baked in the sun are slowly added all over the tank.
Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list)
Dense/ stems,anubias, ferns, grasses, difficult and easy ones
10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other?
UV 24/7 18w on an additional pump 1200 lt/h, 300w heater in lifequard tower, Undergravel cable 100w one hour off one on.
11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/
---large/med/small?
Light 35 glowlights, 3 small plecos, 2 ottos, 1 gardneri 2 pearl gouramis and a few glowlight babies appearing now and then.
12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?
See above, no nerites, no snails, no shrimp.
13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?
At the moment some spot algae on the glass, a light green dust appears once a week and cleaned, some spot algae on some anubia leaves from the past which I remove slowly, basically there is no algae in the tank currently.
14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well
Hemianthus family I can't grow properly, Blyxa always died on me in the past maybe not anymore this days that I add a ton of iron, alternatheras don't do that well, wallichii doesn't grow. Also there were periods that plants were growing fine and then they stopped I attribute this to nutrient toxicity mostly.
Currently grows lots of difficult at least for me plants 
15. Other personal comments:
This is the most overdriven tank and the worst problem wise for me and I had lots of tanks in my life. There were periods that it was infested with green, brown dust, bga, for the last 6 months it is very clean (lowering the lights, NO3, increasing iron did it mostly). Well I wanted to go the high all way.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> Bert,
> Have you always dosed macros on a weekly basis. It sounds like you're doing well on what would seem like inadequate amounts of macros based on EI dosing. Does your tap water contains nitrate or phosphate?


Jeff, I used to dose twice a week with the same amounts. I was measuring nitrates occasionally with a calibrated LaMotte kit and never found much apparent nitrate uptake during the week. When I developed some gd issues with one of the tanks, decided to cut back on the dosing for it. The gd abated somewhat, and I went ahead and implemented the same regimen for both. I would guess during a week's time I can measure about a 2-3ppm drop in nitrate from water change to water change - the lowest I've measured is around 6ppm. My tap water does not contain any measurable nitrate or phosphate.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

33 gallon long / 48" x 12" x 13"

ADA Aquasoil Amazonia

Pressurized CO2 (1 bps or so, I hate testing) and 6 mLs of excel daily)

2 x 36 watt ADA PC bulbs for 10 hours

Eheim 2215 (serves as CO2 diffuser also) and Aquaclear 30 powerhead to get circulation to the other side of the tank.

Testing? What's that?

Tap water used whenever I get around to it for water changes. Water is about 12 GH 2 KH and pH 6.8 from tap.

*Daily*
Seachem Flourish 3 mL
Seachem Iron 3 mL
Macro mix 1:3 nitrate : phophate mix 10 mL

9. Super dense rare plant farm. Mostly stems with a few foreground grass type plants.

no heater or anything else

1 Botia histronica, 1 male endler

flagfish, Niger ottos, nerites

occasional greenspot, but nothing that's not easily fixed

no problem plants

Keeping the light levels lower has helped me control this tank much better.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

AaronT said:


> *Daily*
> Macro mix 1:3 nitrate : phophate mix 10 mL


You add 3x the amount of PO4 as NO3?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

dennis said:


> You add 3x the amount of PO4 as NO3?


No, but I am prone to typos.  That should read the other way around.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: *

29 gallon, 30" long X 19" high X 12 ". Set up for 2 1/2 years

*2. Substrate:*

2mm - 3mm gravel over topsoil

*3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it
---Excel used?*

No injected CO2
Excell used on occasion as an algicide

*4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:*

60 watts, 5500K T12, 10 hours

*5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :*

Small HOB aquaclear for water circulation.

*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?*

Well water has GH of 10, KH of 9, pH of 7.7 (at the tap)
about 11 ppm of NO3; less than 1 ppm of phosphates.

Kits are mainly API

Not calibrated; will be at some point; not a high priority in this slow growth environment.

*7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:*

Not much. Occasionally debris is siphoned out and the glass is wiped. Replacement water is from the well or water from a stream that is soft and acid.

*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:*
---Macros?: About 1/16 tsp of KNO3 a month, on average
---Micros?: 1/8 tsp Flourish weekly
---Root tabs?: No

*9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list)*

Fairly heavily with easy to grow, low light plants - crypts, java fern, anubias.

*10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? *

200 WPG heater.

*11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/
---large/med/small?*

2 4" angelfish; about 25 inches of small fish. Moderate to heavy?

*12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?*

None

*13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?*

BBA, bad enough to require removal of infested leaves. Other leaves replace them.

*14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well*

None. In this tank I am not very ambitious.

*15. Other personal comments:*

None


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## Philip C (Jan 1, 2007)

Note: This method was used for 6 years with a single 9” large mouth bass, don’t know how successful will be on my new tetra setup.

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 
55g (plus) / 48”x 13” x 21” / 20yrs+

2. Substrate:
Cat litter, dirt from outback and sand

3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:
Nothing at all, except for what Bass breaths out 

4. Lighting – wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:
One 4ft shop light with 2 bulbs about 6yrs old, one cool white and one plant and aquarium, I think they are 40 watt each?

5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :
Nothing at all

6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?
Never had done this so I don’t know

7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used – RO, tap, combo?:
Water change about once a month about from 50 – 70%, well water

8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:
Never done this 

9. Density and plant types? –stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) 
Sagittaria subulata – so dense I could not find the bass, so I put hundreds of rocks to help thin out
Red Tiger Lotus – the odd thing my tank could only support two full grown plants. I started with one and it would shoot out runners, but the runner will take the originals’ place. Year after year a new plant will come up but another will die in its place, so I have had two and no more.

10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other?
Just my handy python

11. Fish stocking levels – light/moderate/heavy/
Single 9” large mouth bass

12. Clean up crew? – algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?
Hundreds of pond snails and clams from the bayou

13. Algae issues? – what type and how bad?
The rocks I put in will have a green build up on them, but nothing on the glass.
And from time to time long hair algae will build up. 

14. Problem plants? - ones you’ve tried but can’t get to grow well
At start up I put the Sag and Val at same time, the Sag took over everything and its what I have left.

15. Other personal comments:
Nope


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: * 30g/ 36x16x12/ month old

*2. Substrate:* ADA powersand/tourmalineBC/aquasoil

*3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:* pressurized/pollen glass diffuser
*---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it* ~30ppm/drop checker/2-3bps
*---Excel used?* No

*4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:* coralife pc 2x96w/6700°K/96w-7hrs/192w-1hr noon burst

*5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :* eheim 2213 with eheim lily pipe instead of spraybar

*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:* 8gh/6kh/76f
*---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?* rarely/API kit/ I guess

*7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:* 50-60% wc/weekly/tap

*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:* EI/gregwatson/3x week alternating micros/macros
*---Macros?:* NPK 
*---Micros?:* csm+b/seachem Iron
*---Root tabs?:* ADA tourmalineBC count?

*9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) * heavily planted/mostly stems

*10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? * ebo-jagger 150w heater,coralife digital timer along with marineland analog for staging noon burst

*11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/* somewhat heavy
*---large/med/small?* small to medium

*12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?* Amano shrimp/otocinclus niger

*13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?* very little of green spot algae but that was before lowering the lighting period to what it is now, do not know if it will go away. very little.

*14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well* rotala macranda but I think it's making a comeback

*15. Other personal comments:* anything can be done as long as you are willing to work with it, also it's just a hobby!


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## AMP (Nov 11, 2006)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 55G/ 48x18x13/ 20 years yes 20 not a typo 

2. Substrate: Seachams Fluorite 

3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other: pressurized/ 10lb / JBJ regulated/ DIY Powered Reactor w/sponge filter attached
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it ~30-40ppm/ PH-GH Chart
---Excel used?Yes/ Daily

4. Lighting – wattage/°K bulb/photo period: Orbit PC 2x65w/6700°K/ 2x65w/ 6700-10000k / 130w-7hrs/260w-4hr noon burst

5. Filtration system/extra power heads? : Eheim 2217 with eheim skimmer, Eheim 2211. Fluval 404/ DIY spraybar

6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc: 8gh/6kh/ 79.1f - 81.1f
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated? Bi Weekly/API kit

7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used – RO, tap, combo?: 30-40% wc/ weekly/ stored tap 55G Contained Heated and treated to maintain existing tank conditions

8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency: Seachams Dosing Regimen Adjusted accordingly 

9. Density and plant types? –stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) heavily planted/mostly stems Anubias, 


10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? 200W titanium Heater, Two Stage Timer for CO2 and Lighting, Single Stage Timer for Secondary Eveing Lighting

11. Fish stocking levels – light/moderate/heavy/ Very heavy 210%
---large/med/small? small to medium

12. Clean up crew? – algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc? Rainbow Shark, and does a very Nice Job 

13. Algae issues? – what type and how bad? Started Bad, BDA, Now Notta 
Just the Nuisance dust algae that collects very finely on the tank walls, easily removed weekly.

14. Problem plants? - None yet, planning on Bio toping the Tank, we will see then

15. Other personal comments: For those that thought about getting into planted tanks, Read read and do some more reading, Ask a lot of questions, The Investment can be Great if starting from scratch, But well worth it in the end.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 
40g (180litre)/ 36x18x18/ 4 years plus old (in current planted incarnation)

2. Substrate: 
Flourite covered with silica sand

3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other: 
pressurized/DIY CO2 Reactor
---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it: 
~30ppm/drop checker/1.5-2bps
---Excel used? 
No

4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod: 
Dawn/dusk 15W incandescent bulb (07:00 to 10:30 and 21:30 to 22:30)
Twin 18W T8 Interpet Daylight Plus flourescents (10:00 to 22:00)
55W Compact T5 Interpet Daylight Plus (12:00 to 20:00)

5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? : 
Ancient Fluval 203 with surface skimmer intake

6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc: 
pH 5.5, 3dGH, 0dKH, 26oC, Nitrate <12.5mg/l, Nitrite 0mg/l, Phosphate 0.5mg/l.
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated? 
Irregularly, various brands (mainly Tetra) and not calibrated

7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?: 25 litre change weekly (14%ish) with RO water remineralised with Kent RO Right

8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency: Aqua Essentials powdered fertilisers, only K2SO4 and Trace minerals. Iron suplhate added irregularly
---Macros?: 
None
---Micros?: 
K2SO4, Trace mixture and FeSO4
---Root tabs?: None

9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) 
A real mix. Swords, stems, Crypts and floating amazon frogbit

10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? 
2 150W Hagen Tronic heaters disguised with slate

11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/ 
Currently heavy, but will be thinned down some possibly in the future.
---large/med/small? 
small to small/medium (2 Ancistrus)

12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc? 
2 Ancistrus, plus babies.
3 SAEs rotate round my tanks periodically

13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad? 
Had BGA, now gone, and have tiny amounts of BBA on the edges of older leaves and some bogwood

14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well 
None particularly, but I haven't got anything too demanding really

15. Other personal comments: 
Don't be afraid to try something different as long as you've really thought it through and always have a back up plan!


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: * 20g/24x12x16 8months

*2. Substrate:* inert tahittian moon sand

*3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:* diy gelatin mix on 2x3L bottles/glass diffuser
*---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it* ~30ppm tested through ph/kh
*---Excel used?* No

*4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:* coralife 20" 96w/6700°K/8hrs

*5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :* eheim 2213 with eheim lily pipe instead of spraybar

*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:* 10gh/8kh/76f
*---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?* rarely/API kit/ I guess

*7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:* 50-60% wc/weekly/tap

*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:* seachem per seachem's chart
*---Macros?:* seachem NPK 
*---Micros?:* seachem flourish/seachem Iron
*---Root tabs?:* seachem flourish tabs

*9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) * heavily planted/mostly stems

*10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? * acura 150w heater,coralife digital timer 

*11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/* somewhat heavy
*---large/med/small?* small to medium

*12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?* Albino bristlenose pleco, pygmy cory cats

*13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?* very little of green spot algae

*14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well* crinum

*15. Other personal comments:* anything can be done as long as you are willing to work with it, also it's just a hobby!


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

*1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: * 2.5g/12x6x8/8mths

*2. Substrate:* red sea flora base

*3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other:* none
*---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it* who knows?
*---Excel used?* No

*4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod:* coralife 8" 2x9w/6700°K/8hrs

*5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :* azoo nano hob with custom plate to direct water flow across water surface

*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:* never tested it
*---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated?* never

*7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:* 20% wc/weekly/tap

*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:* none
*---Macros?:* none 
*---Micros?:* none
*---Root tabs?:* none

*9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) * was heavily planted with Riccia/HM and taiwan moss

*10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? * custom legs? 

*11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/* somewhat heavy
*---large/med/small?* no fish

*12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc?* tons of RCS

*13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad?* none

*14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well* don't know I have only grown what's listed.

*15. Other personal comments:* anything can be done as long as you are willing to work with it, also it's just a hobby!


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## kabo (Feb 4, 2007)

1. 29g bowfront set up since nov. 2006
2. plain gravel
3. nutrafin co2 (twice) diy yeast and sugar
4. 1x65 w corallife fluoresent fixture 1 2x5 hours a day
5. :hob aqauclear 70
6. PH 7.2 Temp 78 amm 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20 check all this on a weekly basis
7. weekly 50% waterchanges and glasscleaning
8. Fertilization greg watson 1/8 KNO3, 1/32 KH2PO4,3xweek 2ml leaf zone also 3xweek
9. water Wisteria, amazon swords,micro swords, and 2 other plants don't now there names
10. visitherm heater 100w
11. 6 Tiger Barbs, 1 Red Tail Black Shark
12. 3 Otocinclus
13. BBA not to bad on some leafs
14. I.m new and still learning but think I have MTS hahaha Have already a second one running 20g h

Kabo


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: 55 Gallons (Long), 2 Years Old
2. Substrate: Plain Gravel
3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other: (2) 2 Litre DIY Units, approximately 1 bubble per second using a Hagen Ladder. EXCEL used occassionally, more so during algae outbreaks
4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod: 2x55 Watt AHSupply DIY Lighting, 67000K, 5hours - 2hours (siesta) - 8hours
5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? : Whisper 60 HOB
6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc: Haven't measured H20 Params in awhile, I usually go to my LFS for this
7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?: 30% H20 Change Every Week (Tap Water)
8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency: Fertilization Done with H20 Change (Seachem Trace, Seachem Comprehensive, Seachem Iron, 4Tsp NoSalt for Potassium, 2 Tsp Epsom Salt from Trader Joe's for Magnesium, 6 Drops of Fleet Enema for Phosphates)
9. Density and plant types? Stems, Anubias, Medium-Light Plants Mostly 
10. Other tank hardware: 250W Whisper Heater
11. Fish stocking levels - Heavy, Mostly Tetras
12. Clean up crew? - SAE, Corydoras, Ottos
13. Algae issues? - Not Really Much, BGA Strikes When Co2 Levels are Low on Weak Plants Immediately
14. Problem plants? - Glosso (Of Course)
15. Other personal comments: Tank has undergone a lot of changes, I will post new pics soon.


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## azfishguy (Jul 1, 2005)

1. Tank size/ dimensions/ age: *120G 48x24x24, 3 years*
2. Substrate: *Bottom - Flourite + Eco complete Top - aquariumplants.com substrate*
3. CO2? - pressurized/diy/diffuser/reactor/other: *Pressurized, inline reactor*---Estimated levels/ how you estimated it - *1bps, level unknown*
---Excel used? *No*
4. Lighting - wattage/°K bulb/photoperiod: * 6 x 65W, 8000K CF 9 hours (3 hours of 260W, 3 hours of 390W, and 3 final hours of 260W)*
5. Filtration system/extra powerheads? :* Rena external canister, 1 powerhead with filter.*
6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc:
---How often measured? Kit brands? Calibrated? *gh - 50ppm, kh - 0, temp - 82F, tested once a week.*
7. Maintenance routine/how often/ water used - RO, tap, combo?:* 50% water change once a week. RO only with sporadic addition of calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate*
8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:
---Macros?:
---Micros?:
---Root tabs?: *Ferts - KH2PO4 as needed to 1-2ppm, K2SO4 5 grams at water change, sporadically KNO3, Seachem iron 10ml every day, Seachem Flourish - 10ml every other day*
9. Density and plant types? -stems, Anubias, etc? (General info- no need for entire plant list) *High density, stems, crypts, swords *
10. Other tank hardware: UV? Heater? Other? *UV inline on 24/7, 2x 150 W heaters.*
11. Fish stocking levels - light/moderate/heavy/ moderate
---large/med/small? *large and small*
12. Clean up crew? - algae eaters, nerites, shrimp, etc? *algae eaters*
13. Algae issues? - what type and how bad? *some BBA on C. helferi but not enough to bother me.*
14. Problem plants? - ones you've tried but can't get to grow well *R. macrandra*
Comments: *I never test for ph as I keep kh at 0. I rarely add nitrates. My Discus does it for me. *


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## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

*1. Tank size* 125Ltr / *dimensions* 800 x 420 x 550 / *age:* 8 Months

*2. Substrate:* Tetra Complete topped with play sand

*3. CO2* - pressurized regulator with Lunapet tubing, Solenoid and needle valve with disposable welding CO2 cannisters / diffuser - Rhinox 2000 with Gamba XII buble counter and NRV
*Estimated levels* 30ppm / *how you estimated it* Teardrop dropchecker using 4dKH reference solution and API Ph test kit
*Excel used* No

*4. Lighting* 1 x 55W PC Interpet DaylightPlus + 1 x 18W T8 Arcadia Freshwater. photoperiod 2hrs 18W / 8hrs 73W / 2 hrs 18W

*5. Filtration system* Tetratec EX700 (soon to have glass in/outflow lily pipes)

*6. Water parameters gh, kh, temp, etc* Temp 26C, parameters untested.
*How often measured* Never unless emergency *Kit brands* API

*7. Maintenance routine* *how often* once a week *water used* Tap 50% tank volume

*8. Fertilization schemes/ amounts added / brands used / frequency:*
*Macros* KN03, KH2PO4, K2SO4. Sun, Tues, Thurs
*Micros* Tropica Plant nutrition 6ml Mon, Weds, Fri

*9. Density and plant types?* 75% substrate coverage, 40% stems 10% rhizome, 5% bulb, 15% root, 5% liverwort

*10. Other tank hardware* *UV* V2ECTON 200 *Heater* Hydor ETH200 External

*11. Fish stocking levels* heavy. 4 pitbulls plecs, 8 Otos, 19 Cardinals

*12. Clean up crew* Pitbulls, Otos and MTS

*13. Algae issues* almost zero some inside in/outflow pipes closest to the centre of the lights

*14. Problem plants* Rotala Macrandra, Cypryus Helferi, Blyxia Japonica

*15. Other personal comments* I live in a very hard water area but the cardinals seem to be OK (CO2 brings ph down to 6.2-6.4) Ludwigia Repens and Polysperma Rosanervig are the most prolific growers in my tank

Andy


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