# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Slow growth / Nutrients low?



## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

I remember when i first set up the tank a few months back and had pearling on all the plants. Now I have noticed 3 months later that the rate has decreased dramatically. I have a 6500K-65Watt bulb running 12 hours a day. No ambient light. I am starting to think that the plants have stripped some essential element from the water. So I have started to add more fertilizer but am afraid that hair algae will grow. I change with RO water and clean the filter once every 2 weeks. I want my plants to grow fast again and not sure what is causing the slow growth.


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## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

I remember when i first set up the tank a few months back and had pearling on all the plants. Now I have noticed 3 months later that the rate has decreased dramatically. I have a 6500K-65Watt bulb running 12 hours a day. No ambient light. I am starting to think that the plants have stripped some essential element from the water. So I have started to add more fertilizer but am afraid that hair algae will grow. I change with RO water and clean the filter once every 2 weeks. I want my plants to grow fast again and not sure what is causing the slow growth.


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## nino (Oct 2, 2004)

What's the tank size? Also, do you add some trace back to the RO water or mix it with tap? Pure RO water has no minerals and traces needed by plants.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

What size tank?
What is the kH and gH?
Why are you using RO water?
What are the nitrate and phosphate levels?
What kind of fertilizer are you dosing and how much and how often?
Do you have CO2?

There are no nutrients in RO water BTW.

And if you live in Seattle I can't for the life of me understand why you would be using RO water you basically have liquid silk coming from the Seattle water department. You are paying for RO water and it practically comes from your tap.


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## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

Thanks for the advice. My tank is a 20-gallon and I use about a half a cap a week of Seachem Flourish and yes, I do have CO2 injection. The ph drops to about 6.45 at night and I set the CO2 to go off at 6.8. The reason I use RO water is because when ever I change the water it looks much clearer and the pearling is immediate. When I use tap I get a slight green tint to the water and hair algae starts up. As I said I am to cheep to buy any test kits but would like to know which are the most important in order as I may bust out a few bucks. 
PS. Rex Grigg thanks for the great site. I will try to read it today. http://www.rexgrigg.com

Corbett.


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## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

PSS. Here is a link to pictures of my tank.

http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=4006090712&f=1306023812&m=224109068


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Corbett... The test kits you need is N03, P04, KH, PH. I found when my plant growth slowed down I was lacking N03 and once I started dosing potassium nitrate my plant growth took off & the hair algae went away. I would also start dosing micro nutrients.


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## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

I am thinking now that I have a combination of lacking key nutrients and to much light as the plants under the floating plants have less algae, wider leaves and better color. So I am going to drop the light from 12 hours a day to 8. I have also added a clown pleco and 10 glass shrimp. I have 4 amono shrimp as well. I will probably buy N03 test kit first.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Corbett... 1X65 watt bulb over a 20G tank is not to much light. If you want to cut back light only cut back 2 hours to 10 hours daily, you need a least 10 hours per day for proper plant growth. I think your lack of growth and algae is from a inbalance in your nutrients. As you mentioned getting the N03 test first is a good idea then I would get the P04. Also once you get the KH/PH test you can find out how much C02 you have in the water, you need at least 20-30ppm. Don't skimp on these test kits because you will need these to get maximum plant growth and the algae under control.


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## Corbett (Apr 17, 2004)

Great advice. Now I just need some advice on where to find them on the internet and what brands most people prefer as most pet stores around here don’t have these kits.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Try one of these places, I found they have the best prices... http://www.bigalsonline.com/?splash_done=1 or http://petsolutions.com/Default.asp?bhcd2=1096636276

I use Seachem brand for P04 and for PH, KH, N03 I use Tetratest brand. I have also heard that RedSea makes good test kits.


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## magicmagni (Aug 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Corbett:
> Great advice. Now I just need some advice on where to find them on the internet and what brands most people prefer as most pet stores around here don't have these kits.


Sad isn't it. I'm noticing stores selling less and less of this stuff. o' well I'll take my money elsewhere. I had the Redsea test kit, but I like the Aquarium Pharm. brand better. It seems to be easier to read. At least for 10pmm on under.


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## imported_BSS (Apr 14, 2004)

I really like my RedSea PO4 kit. Has several gradients in the low range (below 1.0) and it has worked well for me. 

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the RedSea Nitrate kit. I think I got a defective one, so I called for a second one, and it fails the same way. I haven't had the time to completely troubleshoot the kit(s) as of yet.


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