Help 90g, Dutch style, first try

[Burr740]

Tomorrow is the day where the new plants arrive, considering that my tank never seen co2 for the last 6-7 months, the pH that my controller is reading, can consider it degassed? Is it an error to drop the pH by 1 point right away? I used to drop the pH by 1.4,1.5 when the plant mass was enough

Consider it degassed, yes. Id go ahead and dial it in at the 1.4-1.5. Heres why

Theres a thread on here but I cant remember the title. Basically its been discovered that the classic 1 point does not equal 30 ppm of co2, because tanks are typically degassing closer to 1 ppm or even less

The 1 point drop rule assumed 2-3 ppm present when degassed. But since in reality its a lot less, it takes a lot more than a 1 point drop to approach having 30 ppm. So youre safe dropping it 1.4-1.5, assuming livestock are ok. Some of us have realized even a bigger drop than that is ideal. And Id go ahead and do it now to have it stable and set when the plants get there, or soon thereafter

 

[Koan]

Theres a thread on here

It was a rabbit hole

Thread '"PH drop": drop from what?'

Sep 13, 2024

Today, we all agree that the pH drop method is the best for estimating and profiling CO2 levels in our tanks.

However, I still to this day think that when we talk about a pH drop, there still isn't a universally agreed upon rule/practice for how we must all measure our starting pH.

This is despite it being extremely important for knowing our starting CO2 level. We need to have a good estimate for our starting CO2 concentration in order to know what our pH drop means.

Dennis Wong wrote the best guide on the topic. But he says to take a tank water sample, let it sit to degas, and assume...

• Marwen
• Replies: 18
• Forum: Fertilizing and Aquarium Chemistry

• 

FYI the Hanna CO2 titration kit option can save you from the madness..

 

[riioKen]

Consider it degassed, yes. Id go ahead and dial it in at the 1.4-1.5. Heres why

Theres a thread on here but I cant remember the title. Basically its been discovered that the classic 1 point does not equal 30 ppm of co2, because tanks are typically degassing closer to 1 ppm or even less

The 1 point drop rule assumed 2-3 ppm present when degassed. But since in reality its a lot less, it takes a lot more than a 1 point drop to approach having 30 ppm. So youre safe dropping it 1.4-1.5, assuming livestock are ok. Some of us have realized even a bigger drop than that is ideal. And Id go ahead and do it now to have it stable and set when the plants get there, or soon thereafter

Got it, ph 6.5 directly to ph 5.2 (it stops at 5.1 and start again at 5.3), livestock seems fine.
Recap.
Micro (by @Burr740 ):
280 L tank, 480 ML container, 10 ML dose 3x week
DTPA 11% - .12 ppm - 13.75 gr
Mn - 025ppm - 0.969g
B (H3BO3) - 023ppm - 1,66g
Zn - 0.02ppm - 0.738g
Cu - 0.0021ppm - 0,104g
Mo - 35 mg - 0,035g

Macro 2000ml (2lt) container - 60ml dose daily - APT3 Complete - clone
Kno3 - 17,61g
KH2PO4 - 6g
K2SO4 - 31,78g
MGSO4 - 24,34g

in both i've added 0,5g x 500ml.

Why i did APT3 instead of 4-1-6 x3 week? I did the fert this morning at 2am, i was veery tired and i completely forgot which ferts i was intended to do, so i opened ifc calc, last fert i cloned was apt3 and here we go, the dosage are enough for 4.8 weeks, so a month and we see if its working good.


front to back:
Left side:

• Rotala indica
• lindernia india

Middle

• nymphea red lotus
• acmella repens
• limnophila hippuroides
• Rotala Macrandra variegated

Right:

• Rotala sunset
• ludwigia white
• althernatera reinecki kleines papageinblatt

What's missing?
Ar mini, Rotala florida, Eriocaulon sieboldanium, ratnagiricum, quinquangulare, Xyris Red, hygrophila chai. Should arrive the next week

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I’d give your plants as much co2 as you can give without hurting your livestock.

And yes the only co2 you should have if you’re not injecting currently is from natural gaseous exchange.

-sorry, missed the previous replies before I posted this

 

[riioKen]

I’d give your plants as much co2 as you can give without hurting your livestock.

And yes the only co2 you should have if your not injecting currently is from natural gaseous exchange.

Right now, before CO2 was injecting (remember last time was months ago), 6.5 before co2 on to 5.0 co2 on.

Let's see what happens in the next days

 

[riioKen]

Right now, before CO2 was injecting (remember last time was months ago), 6.5 before co2 on to 5.0 co2 on.

Let's see what happens in the next days

Oook too much CO2 for my livestock, decreased by 0.1.

At 5.0 fish are lethargic, shrimps upside down running around. Sooo yep it was too much. Both pipes raised above water level, in around 15 minutes everything turned normal.

 

[riioKen]

Ok guys, I'm struggling to make my own ferts.

The macro mix turns brown after a few days (I can’t really tell with the micro since it’s already brown). After 1–2 weeks, mold appears inside the bottles.

The macro solution contains:
E202, E300 (both suggested by IFC Calc), K₂SO₄, KH₂PO₄, and KNO₃.

The micro is Burr’s mix + both E202 and E300.

I’ve remade both my macro and micro solutions.

For the micro, I only added ascorbic acid as Burr suggested, while for the macro I didn’t include either E202 or E300 this time.

We’ll see how it goes in the next few days…

 

[riioKen]

Hi guys i would like to upgrade my light, but i would like to know what y'all think about.

Right now it is a Week Aqua P900, 7100lm for 330L water. The tank is 110x50x60hcm.

i see that the plants around the corner of the tank are bending towards the center.

The idea is to upgrade to the new P1200 which is 10800lm or maybe buy 2 A430 which are 14000lm, price difference isn't a problem, but is quite large, 250€ vs 400€,

what do you think about?

i'd like to know more from @Burr740 and @GreggZ but even @Art that i know you have a430

 

[SkaleyAquatics]

Burr and Greggz have T5s. If it were me I would just get the p1200. I use 2x p900 for my 6ft x 2ft(180cm x 60cm) tank and I do not have an issue with plants in corners bending towards the lights.

 

[GreggZ]

Burr and Greggz have T5s. If it were me I would just get the p1200. I use 2x p900 for my 6ft x 2ft(180cm x 60cm) tank and I do not have an issue with plants in corners bending towards the lights.

Yep I'm still old old old school...........

 

[DutchMuch]

Yep I'm still old old old school...........

View attachment 11811

I used to love my old T5 bulbs, but I could never find them anymore. I believe Geissman, the manufacturer, stopped producing them at least from what I could see at the time.

So, where do you source your bulbs, and which ones do you use?

Thanks!

 

[gnatster]

So, where do you source your bulbs, and which ones do you use?

When I was searching for a compact fluorescent for an old light, I stumbled on these T5s. High-Output T5 Bulbs for Indoor Horticulture | HTG Supply

 

[JayP]

I think @Dennis Wong uses A430s.

 

[JayP]

My thought was that a P900 should have enough power to fully cover a 110cm tank, even with a 60cm depth. How high above the water surface is the light? Moving it higher gets better spread but, of course, lower par at the substrate. I pulled this from the Week Aqua site:
"P Series Information:
The light fixture, with a depth of 18cm, is suitable for use with wider aquariums. When installed 30cm above the water surface, it can effectively illuminate a 90cm tank with the P600, a 120cm tank with the P900, and a 150cm tank with the P1200. This light supports the growth of all types of aquatic plants. Equipped with a cooling fan, regular cleaning is recommended to maintain optimal performance."

 

[DutchMuch]

I think @Dennis Wong uses A430s.

Just want to +1, the A430’s are fantastic.

Ordering them from WeekAqua can be a pain though in general, however I recommend ordering from their site directly. Far more convenient.

Sincerely,
Biased A430 owner.

 

[riioKen]

How high above the water surface is the light?

Around 20cm above water surface

 

[GreggZ]

I used to love my old T5 bulbs, but I could never find them anymore. I believe Geissman, the manufacturer, stopped producing them at least from what I could see at the time.

So, where do you source your bulbs, and which ones do you use?

Thanks!

I don't mean to thread jack but I use a combination of Giesemann Super Flora, Giesemann Super Purple, and Powerveg 660's. You can still find them all and I have a pretty good stash on hand that will last for many years.

 

[riioKen]

I don't mean to thread jack but I use a combination of Giesemann Super Flora, Giesemann Super Purple, and Powerveg 660's. You can still find them all and I have a pretty good stash on hand that will last for many years.

I'm interested honestly in your setup, I saw that t5 bulbs are cheaper, Isn't worth now buying it? Which kind setup are you using? I can't find all around 18-20€ exception for Powerveg 660, seems that isn't available in Europe

 

[DutchMuch]

I saw that t5 bulbs are cheaper, Isn't worth now buying it?

I’m sharing my personal experience, but my old Agrobrite 6 bulb T5HO with custom bulbs similar to Burrs had significantly increased my electric bill by almost $30 per month at the time, which was something I didn’t think about.

It also became very hot, so much so that it heated the bedroom during the cold winter months!

 

[GreggZ]

I'm interested honestly in your setup, I saw that t5 bulbs are cheaper, Isn't worth now buying it? Which kind setup are you using? I can't find all around 18-20€ exception for Powerveg 660, seems that isn't available in Europe

I run a combination of T5 bulbs. A total of 8 controlled by a Kasa power strip. I know it's old school but it's what I have been using forever.

Some of the bulbs are getting harder to find, which is why I have stockpiled some. If I was starting off new right now, it would be a tough choice. I love the color rendition and warmth of T5, but the LED's have improved to a point that I would I would for sure consider it.

One myth is that you need to change T5 bulbs yearly. I run them until they burn out, which is quite a while.