Journal 120 Dutch Ft. Yugang Reactor (Horizontal CO2 Reactor)

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

What are you dosing right now, and what's your water change %?

Also, any idea what your PAR is?

 

[Unexpected]

What are you dosing right now, and what's your water change %?

Also, any idea what your PAR is?

PAR is maybe 50 at the sub. Doing @Burr740 mix for both Macro and micro. Macro dose is 4.5 NO3, 1.2 PO4 and 6K. Changing just shy of 50 gallons a week and I'm guessing the tank is about 90 gallons of total water. I'll double dose both after the water change and 2 more doses over the week. Micros are near a .45Fe proxy.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

How do you dose your micros? Daily, multi-weekly, front loading?

 

[Unexpected]

How do you dose your micros? Daily, multi-weekly, front loading?

Double dose after the water change, then every other day for the remaining 2 doses.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Awesome, thank you! Really impressive colors for ~50PAR at the substrate. I think of that as quite low light, but I'm wondering if my "bar" for lighting is much higher than necessary for growing nice tanks...

 

[Unexpected]

Oh, each micro dose adds .15ppm Fe. So that's what, .6Fe total. So I take that back, not .45.

 

[Unexpected]

Awesome, thank you! Really impressive colors for ~50PAR at the substrate. I think of that as quite low light, but I'm wondering if my "bar" for lighting is much higher than necessary for growing nice tanks...

I'm surprised too, but that Macandra has definitely given up some color. Which is good, because I want it more yellow.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

That's just insane to me. I am growing ever-more convinced, after MONTHS of experimenting and doing my best, that high light and dense micros in the water just don't work (specifically in inert substrate sand tanks). I wonder if true high-light dutch-style tanks are only possible with aquasoils, where you can dose less micros, or the aquasoil can "absorb" certain micros from the water column to prevent light-triggered toxicity.

In my tanks with high light, 0.6ppm Fe/week absolutely destroys the plant health. Everything from stunting to instant algae on new growth. I've now spent months testing it and it's clear -- in lower light, micros dosing isn't that much of a problem for me in inert sand??? I can dose nearly 1.0ppm Fe with low light with hardly any issues, but if I go higher than 0.03ppm Fe/day daily dosing micros in my tanks, they suffer. Every time. I can test Macros all I want, I can run CO2 pH graphs and Hanna kits, and Salifert/Hanna Macros testing results, all with 25-30ppm Ca and 5-8ppm Mg, and it's clear that my issues are acutely related to micros somehow in this high-light, inert sand tanks. It's enough to make me want to switch back to aquasoil tanks just so I can be done with f*ckin around with micros, I'm over it.

That's why your tank is so inspiring to me, especially at 0.6ppm Fe/week... For reference, at 60% light intensity, I have about 120-150 PAR at the substrate level, tested with both the Photone App with diffuser, and an Apogee MQ-510 PAR meter. Imagine 3x the light at the substrate level... I've done it many times in aquasoil tanks, but I cannot seem to push it with inert sand substrates.

 

[Unexpected]

My first AGA tank was flawless with just pool filter sand. Same dosing as well back then, I just front loaded all my macros on water change day. It's somewhat recent that I've, at the advice of @Burr740, double dose micros after the water changes. The only issues I've had was running the tank out of macros and then switching to aqua soil. That's when all my problems began. Hence, why I switched back to BDBS .

As a note, the NBAT folks run inert and use less PAR than we do here in the USA. They may use root tabs or something similar, but mostly inert substrates and lower light.

 

[JayP]

As a note, the NBAT folks run inert and use less PAR than we do here in the USA

Assuming NBAT stands for Nederlandse Bond Aqua Terra?

 

[Koan]

Assuming NBAT stands for Nederlandse Bond Aqua Terra?

That's the one

Post in thread 'NBAT Dutch Contest'

Jan 31, 2025

Magazine is available in english!

Or browse the entire website in English through the magic of Google Translate / Website

• Koan

• 

 

[Unexpected]

Assuming NBAT stands for Nederlandse Bond Aqua Terra?

Yes

 

[OmidNiav]

That's just insane to me. I am growing ever-more convinced, after MONTHS of experimenting and doing my best, that high light and dense micros in the water just don't work (specifically in inert substrate sand tanks). I wonder if true high-light dutch-style tanks are only possible with aquasoils, where you can dose less micros, or the aquasoil can "absorb" certain micros from the water column to prevent light-triggered toxicity.

In my tanks with high light, 0.6ppm Fe/week absolutely destroys the plant health. Everything from stunting to instant algae on new growth. I've now spent months testing it and it's clear -- in lower light, micros dosing isn't that much of a problem for me in inert sand??? I can dose nearly 1.0ppm Fe with low light with hardly any issues, but if I go higher than 0.03ppm Fe/day daily dosing micros in my tanks, they suffer. Every time. I can test Macros all I want, I can run CO2 pH graphs and Hanna kits, and Salifert/Hanna Macros testing results, all with 25-30ppm Ca and 5-8ppm Mg, and it's clear that my issues are acutely related to micros somehow in this high-light, inert sand tanks. It's enough to make me want to switch back to aquasoil tanks just so I can be done with f*ckin around with micros, I'm over it.

That's why your tank is so inspiring to me, especially at 0.6ppm Fe/week... For reference, at 60% light intensity, I have about 120-150 PAR at the substrate level, tested with both the Photone App with diffuser, and an Apogee MQ-510 PAR meter. Imagine 3x the light at the substrate level... I've done it many times in aquasoil tanks, but I cannot seem to push it with inert sand substrates.

My last Dutch entry was with inert sand and I dosed higher Ca, Mg, NPK and micros. Higher light as well. Aquasoil is dirty and one of the biggest parameters in this hobby.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

My last Dutch entry was with inert sand and I dosed higher Ca, Mg, NPK and micros. Higher light as well. Aquasoil is dirty and one of the biggest parameters in this hobby.

Hey Omid, Love your work! But based on plant appearances I also think you don't run super high light, do you?

I can run super rich water column and micros up to about 100PAR at the substrate or less... Anything more results in stressed plants, even when all CO2/GH/Macros remain in perfect stable conditions for weeks at a time.

Do you know what the strength of your dutch scape lighting is?

Also, your Samolus Valerandi are some of the healthiest I've ever seen. Would love to see more of those!

 

[OmidNiav]

Hey Omid, Love your work! But based on plant appearances I also think you don't run super high light, do you?

I can run super rich water column and micros up to about 100PAR at the substrate or less... Anything more results in algae even when all CO2/GH/Macros remain in perfect stable conditions for weeks at a time.

Do you know what the strength of your dutch scape lighting is?

Also, your Samolus Valerandi are some of the healthiest I've ever seen. Would love to see more of those!

I measured using a seneye sensor (not an actual PAR meter) and I believe (if I remember correctly) I was at 100+ at substrate level for all the three Dutch tanks. My philosophy in keeping algae at bay is all about elbow grease and staying on top of weekly water changes when running high energy tanks. Currently I do not adhere to that routine due to busy life and get algae that subsides after a major clean up but then it would come back.

I used weekauqa lights on all those tanks as I like the color rendering better.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

How did you dose Micros in your dutch? What water change % each week?

 

[OmidNiav]

How did you dose Micros in your dutch? What water change % each week?

Micros were dosed daily I believe. The reason was that I did not want to dose 2-3 times a week with higher doses. In my current tanks I dose the micros at the suggested burr aqua levels 3 times a week with no ill effect. Water changes were done over the weekends and at about 60-70%.

 

[Unexpected]

The wife had an appointment, I mostly skipped working on the tank . Hopefully tomorrow I'll trim more than 1 plant haphazardly.

I will say, I'm going to take the Rubin out and put the Purple Cabomba there. Macandra is out as well and I'll try that sword somewhere in that area. I'm thinking Pennywort as right curtain. It's been done so many times, but oh well. Cardamine will get worked as well.

 

[Countrykingdom09]

Awesome tank, but also, you got some awesome fish. Love harlequin rasboras.

Looks great!

 

[Unexpected]

Awesome tank, but also, you got some awesome fish. Love harlequin rasboras.

Looks great!

Thanks. They are getting old unfortunately. They are turning 7 soon. I've decided to not buy fish until I have no more. My beautiful angel died last week after swallowing an entire bottom pellet of food. So, the decision was made. Fish purchases will be only for this tank and very selective.