Does Easycarbo Or Tpn+

[sjolliff]

Well i added 15ml of TPN+ a fews hours later i tested and it was between 0.25 and 0.50ppm of ammonia
its been a 0 for over 24hrs

Just tested now and its 0??

 

[sjolliff]

Should i change to a different ferts?

 

[Truck]

no, it isnt the ferts causing the spike, something else is causing it. you need to find out what it is by process of elimination

 

[sjolliff]

That what i thought, unless it just a coincidence the ammonia dropping with me not adding ferts?

iv got a thread in the new world cichlids section and we still cant find out why!

im goin to add my normal daily dose 2moz and test 2 hours later

i can already tell the difference without adding ferts.

while dosing 15ML iv had loads of new plants starting with runners
the bottle says 5ml per 50L every water change i think that is a tad bit low.

Where is the cheapest place to buy? AE have a deal on at £10 76, but then theres delivery so might stock up

 

[Truck]

fluid sensor online is the cheapest place

 

[aaronnorth]

That what i thought, unless it just a coincidence the ammonia dropping with me not adding ferts?

iv got a thread in the new world cichlids section and we still cant find out why!

im goin to add my normal daily dose 2moz and test 2 hours later

i can already tell the difference without adding ferts.

while dosing 15ML iv had loads of new plants starting with runners
the bottle says 5ml per 50L every water change i think that is a tad bit low.

Where is the cheapest place to buy? AE have a deal on at £10 76, but then theres delivery so might stock up

its does sound like coincidence. I never tested my water so i cant tell you what values but if there was any danger i am sure you will firstly get algae then you would see poor fish health.
Fluidsensor online, warehouse aquatics & ebay. It is usually one of those. Or you can make your own using Potassium Nitrate rather than ammonium nitrate if you feel more secure that way...

 

[sjolliff]

Same happened today with ferts im going to stop using them for 2 days and see what happens then i put one in and see what happens then

 

[sjolliff]

2 days without ferts and iv got 0 ammonia every 12hrs, ao its got to be the ferts affecting the tests

 

[sjolliff]

Well added some ferts today and and got a ammonia reading around 0.25ppm

can anyone tell me whether its just affecting the results or actually causing real ammonia poisioning

 

[aaronnorth]

Tropica uses ammonium nitrate so it will be giving a reading off a test kit.

You could mix up your own TPN+ using potassium nitrate, or stop worrying, because think how many people use TPN+ at the same dosage rates as you... then think how many experience fish deaths... i havent heard anyone tell me yet on here or other dedicated plants forums.

here is the DIY mixture

http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm

 

[sjolliff]

Ok cheers.
I thought the ferts were giving off ammonia, then the bacteria eating the ammonia, causing my PH to go down.

Before using the ferts i got around 6.4-6.8 but with the ferts it goes to 5.5 to 6.0.

So if the ferts is not giving off ammonia. what could be causing the PH drop?

 

[aaronnorth]

Ok cheers.
I thought the ferts were giving off ammonia, then the bacteria eating the ammonia, causing my PH to go down.

Before using the ferts i got around 6.4-6.8 but with the ferts it goes to 5.5 to 6.0.

So if the ferts is not giving off ammonia. what could be causing the PH drop?

didnt you add some bogwood though?

 

[sjolliff]

Yeah took it out and was still dropping, without ferts it stayed around 6.4

 

[Dave Spencer]

You are using TPN+ which is giving you healthy plants and an algae free tank, right?

You have Discus spawning, right?

You are using test kits which are bringing you nothing but worry, right?

I am going to be a bit controversial for TFF, but have you considered binning the test kits and, therefore, enhance your enjoyment of the hobby?

Dave.

 

[waterdrop]

I am less radical than Dave but I would like to comment that I'm in agreement with the general aim I see him getting at. *All* the technical things we do should probably be in -service- to the aesthetic enjoyment of healthy tanks of plants and fish. Tools, techniques and result readings should not themselves replace these ultimate goals.

The creation of inexpensive little hobbyist liquid test kits is no doubt fraught with assumptions and complications. A test which works reasonably well under simple conditions might not work as well in a more complicated environment. I think these test kits have quite a bit of value as an aid for beginners learning various basics but that over time they become a diagnostic tool that more experienced aquarists pull out as a double-check less and less often. I think that's because the aquarist becomes more and more skilled at staying within tried and true narrow sets of behaviors that work and simultaneously better and better at "reading the tank," meaning the skill of seeing and understanding symptoms from the plants, fish, water and knowing the recent history of what's been happening to the tank.

Its often harder to communicate the "scope" within which a good aquarist would use the information in a test reading and we are all often lazy at teaching that. A good example I see daily over in the beginners section are beginners obsessing over whether a particular daily reading for ammonia was 1,2, or 4ppm of ammonia (in a fishless cycle for instance) or such, when all the aquarist would really be worrying about was whether there was any ammonia there or whether it was zero or 8.

~~waterdrop~~