# next step



## Aussie_star (Jan 7, 2005)

k, got my ferts from greg last week, came so quick. i have been busy try to raise my lombordi fry, tough stuff, anyways.

i got 2 bags of pmdd pre and 2 bags of po4. So whats the next step? ill test the levels tomorrow, so i guess we will have to go from there. All should i wait till i add my extra lighting first? or jsut increasing the light period and co2 with the ferts should over power this hair algae. It has started to grow into the and out of the gravel and pop out everywhere, as well as taking over the wood crazy stuff.


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## Aussie_star (Jan 7, 2005)

well i tested today and saw my results so i retested but they came out the same, so i took a sample to the LFS and he got the same

pH - 7.0
gH - 30 *dGH
kH - 13 8 *dKH
NO2 - < 0.3 ppm
NO3 - < 0.03 ppm
NH4/NH3 - < 0 ppm
PO4 - 0.1 ppm
(Is *dGH sames as 30 ppm?)
as you can see my gH and kH are huge, not sure why, is there anything i else i need to test


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Aussie_star said:


> well i tested today and saw my results so i retested but they came out the same, so i took a sample to the LFS and he got the same
> 
> pH - 7.0
> gH - 30 *dGH
> ...


What test kits are you using? If your test measures dGH/dKH those are some high numbers. To convert dGH/dKH to ppm you would need to multiply your results by 17.86

Your NO3 levels are very low and your PO4 is also low. A range of 10-20ppm for NO3 is a good range to shoot for and 1-2ppm of PO4 is also decent. Don't get hung up on the numbers, just make sure you don't run out of either NO3 or PO4.

As far as the algae, get in there and manually remove as much as possible. Pull the wood out and scrub it. Remove as much of the algae as you can either by hand or by trimming effected plants. Remove the algae and do a partial water change, then start fertilizing. The fertilizing alone will not take care of the algae.

Begin fertilizing after the water change. The plants will need the ferts to get growing well.


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## Aussie_star (Jan 7, 2005)

they are a sera and hagen ones, i didnt get any no3 so i will have to get some. I need some info, or someone to tell me with add ferts do i just mix ia bit in the water and tip it in, or make it up in a bottle and do it that way?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Aussie_star said:


> I need some info, or someone to tell me with add ferts do i just mix ia bit in the water and tip it in, or make it up in a bottle and do it that way?


Whichever ways works best for you would be the way to go for adding ferts.

I prefer to add the ferts dry to a small container, add a bit of water, shake it, and pour it in the tank. That way if I make a mistake in measuring, I have only made the mistake once. If you make up a solution with an error, you compound that error every time you add it to the tank.


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