# Hope you guys know what you are doing...



## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

because I rarely ask these questions anywhere else nowadays. I tested my water on Sunday and found 10 ppm of phosphates. I have been adding a KH2PO4 solution three days a week. I have been using this calculator http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm I have been dosing 10 ml 3x week. The solution I have made should give me about .08 ppm per ml. This should give me about 2.4 ppm a week assuming no usage. After a water change my water had 2 ppm of phospphates. Would you guys add any more? I read that PO4 should be about 10% of NO3. My nitrates were about 30 ppm before a WC and 10 ppm after. i have been dosing a solution that should yield .17 ppm per ml. 30 ml 3x week. Obviously my plants are not using everything I am putting in there. What would you recommend?


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

My tap parameters are:

PH 7.6 / 7.2
KH 4 / 4
Nitrite 0 / 0
GH 7 / 8
Phosphate 1 / 1
Nitrate 5 / 5
Ammonia 0 / 0

First number being right out of tap and second number after it sat for 24 hours. I don't know if this all matters but I figured i would throw it out there.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

2ppm PO4 is good. I shoot for the 2-3ppm range and 10-15ppm NO3, so you're looking good.

But I don't test.

Ever.

I just guess and dose what I -think- should go in. What is your tank telling you it needs?

BTW, how did you end up with 2ppm in the tank if your tap is 10ppm?


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

10 ppm is what it the PO4 was before a WC. It was 2 ppm after. My tap water is only 1ppm.


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

Would you add any more PO4 throughout the week or just let that ride?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

10ppm before the WC and 2ppm after? I don't know how much faith I would put in the test kits unless you did an 80% WC. Any time I get a strange reading like that I always do another test to make sure I didn't goof something up. Almost every time I have miscounted drops or something and got a more normal value with the second test ](*,) 

I don't bother much with ratios in my tanks and I don't test much anymore either. I don't think I have tested anything other than KH and pH since that time you brought your kits to my place. Only when I first started did I try to keep any type of ratio in my tank. It was horrible as far as I was concerned. Testing, trying to figure out how much to dose to get my NO3 to 10ppm since my PO4 was 1ppm...it was such a headache. Tom gave me some EI advice and I have followed it ever since, though I have modified it a bit.

I think your levels are fine the way they are! Try putting away the test kits for a week or two and just dose the tank. Well, keep up with the KH and pH measurements. Try adding 5-6 ppm of KNO3 and .5-1ppm of PO4 3-4X a week. Give it a few weeks and see how things go. Keep at the hair algae daily also. The tank is pretty new, so try and have some patience and let it grow in. I know the algae can be hard to live with.

The patience part is easier said than done though


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I just went through your dosing and you are adding about 15ppm of NO3 and 2.4 ppm of PO4 a week if my calculations are correct. Makes me wonder how your NO3 got to 30ppm and your PO4 to 10ppm especially if you are doing weekly water changes. I would have to say it is either test kit error or an error in reading the color on the kit. I know those kits can be tough to read! Don't worry too much about the levels being high either. It is much worse if they get too low than if they get too high! 

Just have a little faith in what you are dosing for the next couple of weeks and look at the results of the plants. Keep the CO2 up in the 30ppm range also and things should grow just fine over the next week or two.

I know, I know, faith and patience are two very hard things to come by when setting up a new tank


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

So lets say the tests are accurate. What would cause the plants to not use up the nutrients I give them?

It makes me feel good that we got the same numbers. At least some of this may be sinking in.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

What substrate are you using in your tank? There have been some bad batches of Eco Complete mentioned on the boards lately...and that may explain the high PO4 readings. 

If it's not the Eco, maybe it is over feeding???? You do have Discus in that tank don't you? Just a WAG on my part...


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

They get fed maybe twice a day. Usually once. And I have beaten the overfeeding point home with the wife. So I think that is covered. I have Eco in there. Everything looks fine. I thought there would be a visible issue if it was a bad batch. Maybe not. That would *suck* pulling everything out and starting over.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

If you want to bring a water sample to my place when you come on Thursday, we can run a few tests with my Lamotte kits. The PO4 only goes up to 2ppm so that may not be much help but the N kit may rule out any test kit errors. I may even test my 75g since I willhve the kits out  

I think you would have known if the Eco was bad. From what I have read, the bags in the bad batches are usually full of white liquid instead of clear liquid.

I wouldn't worry much about excess ferts. Tom did a few tests and was unable to induce algae with NO3 in the 100ppm range and PO4 at (I think) 5ppm. 

The algae is probably due partly to "new tank syndrome" and possibly low CO2 levels. Remember, I keep my pH at about 6.4 with a KH of ~5.5. The SMS-122 controller has an accuracy of .2 I think so I aim lower than needed. If the fish aren't stressing, neither am I


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

I have learned to live with the algae for awhile. I will wait it out. I am just concerned about the excess ferts in there. I will keep pushing the co2 as high as I can go. If the fish strt floating I will back it down a bit I guess.


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