K2so4?

[SuperColey1]

This is one for me to get lambasted or given warnings about but here goes.

Although I am STILL waiting for my high watt bulb to coe so that I can upgrade my lights to 2.8WPG. I am currently at 1.25WPG (very approx)

I have 1.5 x the inch per gallon fish rule.

Therefore, should I assume that as I have hard Lincolnshire water , which being in a rural area tends to have quite a decent amount of Nitrate and Phosphate + the discharge from the fish and left over food, that I wouldn't need to dose N or P?

I have a nice sized bag of Potassium Sulphate I got from Work (from a 80 tonne pile in a bay. lol) and I was thinking of dosing just this every other day like Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Dosing Tropica Plant Nutrition on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Water change on sunday of 25%

Doses I was looking at would be 2 teaspoons of K2S04 added to 100ml DI water and then the lot put into the tank each time
and 5ml Plant Nutrition each time.

I have 2 x Nutrafin kits supplying a ceramic diffusor, have a steady stream of micro bubbles, and the drop checker shows a mid to light green colour (with the KH=4 solution).

Any advice on the K2SO4, should I dose more, less etc. and any ideas on the dosage of plant Nutrition.

I will definately be moving up to the 2.8WPG within days of the bulb arriving so I am not really looking at working out the dosage for my current low light.

My tank is heavily planted with a few types of Ludwigia, a few types of Hygrophylia, Java Fern, Vallis, a couple of crypt species and Swords.

Look forward to your ideas
Andy

 

[Dave Spencer]

Assuming you have test kits for nitrate and phosphate, you could use these to see if either are being used by your plants. If you find you rarely need to dose either, then getting K in your tank will be the issue. I don`t know the dosing rate for K2SO4, which would be the cheapest method, but you could also consider something like Ferka K.

Dave.

 

[SuperColey1]

I have the cheapest method for all the doses. I work at William Sinclair, who make Gardening Composts and Fertilisers etc, so I have a free supply of Pot Nitrate, Pot Sulphateetc. I can also get Chelates. Therefore I already have a bag in my cabinet of K2SO4 with about 500g in it.

I don't have a phosphate kit but my Nitrates come out of the tap at about 15-20 and the tank water test at 15-20 each time, so I am assuming that the plants (at the moment under low light) are only using the fish produced and the taps nitrate is being left.