Just A "few" Questions ?

[severn]

hi,

my new equipment is arriving in dribs and drabs
ive got a co2 unit from german ebay seller..arrived in 2 days but with german instructions which have now been replaced by english ones thank god..
got 4 X 6000 k 39w deltec t5 tubes...just waiting for the starters arcadia starters and reflectors to arrive..

im happy to buy into the EI thing so will be getting the chemicals from aqua essentials in the next week or so.....

just got a few questions that i need help with please ....
[my tank is 90 gallons rena claasic ,rena filstar xp3,eheim 2026, 15w uv ... 8 altum angels 6>8 inches high, 4 rams. 2 polka dot loaches, 4 corrys of some kind..i do 2 water changes of 75 litres each per week with remineralised ro water ]

1.will the 2 water changes mess up the EI dosing regime ?..as opposed to the 1 x 50 %
2. the whole of the background of the tank [120 cm] is planted in amazon swords...i guess the only way to replace these is simply just to pull them out...OR is there any merit in leaving the roots in..uhmm..therby acting as a substrate compost ? [sorry about that one..i might know the answer already ]
3. i see from Georges article in PFK that the advice is to plant 70% fast growing plants first..do i still need to do this..[my tank has been established for 2 years].
4.there seems to be alot of talk about low stocking density...will current fish load mean i need to adjust anything ei fertilization wise ?
5. i have about 1.5 inches of gravel covering the tank..is this enough ? if not i might like to add something like this http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=789 OR http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=764 ..any opinions on either ?
6.should i mix something like JBL Florapol that could be mixed into my existing gravel ..or is there anything better than this ?
7. are permanent test co2 things worth having ?
8 finally...i think ... my current light fittings are fixed onto the metal bars in my tank i think by silcone..will this be the best stuff to use the secure my t5 stuff in place?..when it arrives..

lots of niggling little questions..sorry about that but surely better to ask like this than in 8 different posts etc...

thanks
Jon

 

[George Farmer]

Hi severn,

Your set up sounds wonderful. Altums are one of my all time favourite fish.

I will do my best to answer your questions -

1. Your water changes equate to almost 50% per week in total so the standard EI dosing regime should be fine. If in doubt test your NO3 and PO4 to check there's no excess build-up and alter the dosing to suit.

2. Normally I would recommend removing the whole plant if possible but if they're well established then this may prove very awkward with their huge root structure. So if you simply cut away as much as the plant as possible and plant heavily over the old roots with new plants (assuming they have roots too), then the breakdown of the old sword roots will be dealt with effectively by the new plants.

3. As your filter(s) will be mature you may well get away with growing slower growers from the start. It is wise to keep some fast weeds though to help reduce the algae risk as the biological balance will have been affected by the removal of your old plants.

4. Stocking density, planting, CO2, light etc. all influence nutrient uptake. Obviously the higher bio-load and slower plant growth, the less dosing you will need. The EI program recommended in my article assumes low-fish load and moderate-high light and heavy planting. So my adivce would be to perhaps dose half the recommended qtys. and test for NO3 and PO4, as suggested in answer to question 1. Normally I don't like testing, especially NO3 but in your case, with sensitive fish it may well be worth it. Try to find an accurate NO3 kit if possible. I have heard the JBL kit is good although I cannot personally vouch for it.

5. You will need a deeper substrate for most plants to do well. I'm surprised you've grown Amazon swords in only 1.5". I've not used or heard any experience of either substrate you mention, although the Caribsea product with a grain size of 6-12mm may be too large. 1-3mm is better. I'd certainly recommend an inert substrate that doesn't boost pH/hardness.

6. A gravel additive like the JBL product is a good idea. Again I've no experience with this product but like most modern substrate additived I expect it to be a good performer.

7. No. Buy a decent pH kit and KH kit. The Nutrafin kits are good value and fairly accurate IME.

8. Not sure. Have you any photos of the existing set up? What do the new T5 units look like? Have you considered the 54w tubes, at 1149mm they would fit your tank nicely?

Hope this helps. Please share the progress with us all won't you?

hi,

my new equipment is arriving in dribs and drabs
ive got a co2 unit from german ebay seller..arrived in 2 days but with german instructions which have now been replaced by english ones thank god..
got 4 X 6000 k 39w deltec t5 tubes...just waiting for the starters arcadia starters and reflectors to arrive..

im happy to buy into the EI thing so will be getting the chemicals from aqua essentials in the next week or so.....

just got a few questions that i need help with please ....
[my tank is 90 gallons rena claasic ,rena filstar xp3,eheim 2026, 15w uv ... 8 altum angels 6>8 inches high, 4 rams. 2 polka dot loaches, 4 corrys of some kind..i do 2 water changes of 75 litres each per week with remineralised ro water ]

1.will the 2 water changes mess up the EI dosing regime ?..as opposed to the 1 x 50 %
2. the whole of the background of the tank [120 cm] is planted in amazon swords...i guess the only way to replace these is simply just to pull them out...OR is there any merit in leaving the roots in..uhmm..therby acting as a substrate compost ? [sorry about that one..i might know the answer already ]
3. i see from Georges article in PFK that the advice is to plant 70% fast growing plants first..do i still need to do this..[my tank has been established for 2 years].
4.there seems to be alot of talk about low stocking density...will current fish load mean i need to adjust anything ei fertilization wise ?
5. i have about 1.5 inches of gravel covering the tank..is this enough ? if not i might like to add something like this http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=789 OR http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=764 ..any opinions on either ?
6.should i mix something like JBL Florapol that could be mixed into my existing gravel ..or is there anything better than this ?
7. are permanent test co2 things worth having ?
8 finally...i think ... my current light fittings are fixed onto the metal bars in my tank i think by silcone..will this be the best stuff to use the secure my t5 stuff in place?..when it arrives..

lots of niggling little questions..sorry about that but surely better to ask like this than in 8 different posts etc...

thanks
Jon