New And Having Trouble

[stevereade]

Cool, ok, last couple of questions lol. Seeing as I've just set this up I know I should leave it alone for a month or so but does that mean no weekly water change? Also I added the nutrafin plant gro that came with the CO2 kit, I added 10ml which was the corrct dosage but it doesn't say how often you should add it, any ideas? I think i'll buy some more and keep adding it as it only came with a 30ml bottle, is it good stuff?

 

[SuperColey1]

Roots half way up the stems is quite normal as they are fast growers and therefore quite greedy. Therefore they use many methods to get as much as they can. However it is said (not a fact as far as I know) that plants grow more roots when they are short of N.

This would tie in with the Plant Gro which is basically just trace elements. It has no N an P. A common failure by many of the off the shlef ferts I'm afraid.

The majority of off the shelf ferts sell the the people that still believe the old myth of N and P causing algae, thus as a selling point the manufacturers leave them out. I'm sure the manufacturers know that N and P are definately needed however if it sells more that is what they will make. Most people 'in the tend to mix their own or buy TPN+, Seachem or at the expensive end the companies that sell many bottles to be dosed with each other etc.

You need some TPN+ or some dry powders to make your own with. And fast too if you have pressurised CO2. Light+CO2 = fast growth - nutrients = dead plants. Dose the Nutrafin until you get a preoper fert and then chuck it in the cupboard for a rainy day.

Hope that helps.

AC

 

[stevereade]

Googled TPN+ and got nothing is it something most aquatic specialists will stock in the uk?

 

[ian]

Google tropica plant nutrition plus and you'll find it that way, you will also stuggle to find it at an lfs. I'd go with greenmachine, the service and speed of delivery is second to none.

 

[RadaR]

I linked it here.

If you start to see deficiencies then you'll needed to get a fert containing macro nutrients.

 

[stevereade]

Well I drove far and wide for some kinda nutrition for my plants to see if I could find anything and I spoke to a plant specialist in a store miles from where I live and got this bottle of Ocean Nutrition - Giovanni's Trace+ and apparently its the dogs danglies, so I bought it drove all the way home, put the dosage in the tank then realised a print on the botton saying EXP 08 2009 lol would you still use it? I'm never going back there so can't take it back. Oh and seeing as this tank has just been moved, replanted and refilled, how long should I leave it till first water change?

 

[SuperColey1]

Well I drove far and wide for some kinda nutrition for my plants to see if I could find anything and I spoke to a plant specialist in a store miles from where I live and got this bottle of Ocean Nutrition - Giovanni's Trace+ and apparently its the dogs danglies, so I bought it drove all the way home, put the dosage in the tank then realised a print on the botton saying EXP 08 2009 lol would you still use it? I'm never going back there so can't take it back. Oh and seeing as this tank has just been moved, replanted and refilled, how long should I leave it till first water change?

The moral of the story is.............plant specialist - (Jim Royal catchphrase )

That is trace just as the plant Gro you have. You will need to buy either Seachem products from a LFS/chain store or bit the bullet and get dry ferts or TPN+ from the links. A few days isn't going to make much difference. When I used to buy TPN+ I bought it from the following place and it arrived within a day or 2. Take it from a real plant specialist (there are many of us here. Not many are in fish shops. lol) This is the real 'dogs danglies of premixes. and we are not getting paid to tell you that:
http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/tropica-plant-nutrition-500ml-p-1038.html

As for the date, if you are not going back to the store then you can use it but it won't help the N,P shortage!!! The date probably relates to the chelates used to stop the metals from boniding on contact with phosphates etc. The metals houls still be OK but they won't take long to be 'locked' once in the water.

Remember that most LFS' have people who know about fish. Few have people who 'really' know about plants. They may think they do but there aren't many. There are exceptions of course. Next time you buy anything plant related in LFS' give him/her a quick quiz and tell him you want to add nitrates to the tank and ask him what causes algae. If he/she answers you don't want nitrates in the tank. Walk away. If he/she says excess nutrients cause algae walk faster. You get my drift.

You're in safe hands here. We aren't being paid to sell. We tell people the facts (or what we believe to be the facts) and all free of charge

AC

 

[stevereade]

Cool thanks for all the advice, I need it asap, my ambulia aquatica is looking so sorry for itself, it says for the tpn+ add with every weekly water change, should i not be leaving my tank for a month or so before the first water change as its just been set up?

 

[SuperColey1]

Nope New tanks normally benefit from more frequent water changes than normal especially with higlight/CO2. It dilutes all those nasties that develop in the early period. Some scapers will do water changes every day for the first few weeks!!! I do 2 a week for the first month or so but only if it is a new substrate. When I reuse the old substrate without disturbing it too much (i.e. for the past 3 years) then I just continue as if it is the same established setup.

The instructions on the bottle as per most things are aimed at the average Joe rather than soeone who is packing the plants in and injecting CO2 etc.

Ignore the bottle instructions and dose whatever people are suggesting daily (Is it 1ml per 20 ltrs?)

AC

 

[stevereade]

Thnakyou again Ok well I'm buying the TPN+ from your link after seaching round my local shops I only found TPN not the plus that you said is needed, also is 2 watts per gallon enough lighting?

 

[RadaR]

Thnakyou again Ok well I'm buying the TPN+ from your link after seaching round my local shops I only found TPN not the plus that you said is needed, also is 2 watts per gallon enough lighting?

You have enough lighting. We've already established that lack of macro nutrients are holding you back. No need for more light

 

[SuperColey1]

Thnakyou again Ok well I'm buying the TPN+ from your link after seaching round my local shops I only found TPN not the plus that you said is needed, also is 2 watts per gallon enough lighting?

With CO2 yes. You can use lower light with CO2 than you can without. May sound like an oxy moron but if you are inkecting CO2 then the plants don't have to use any energy getting it and can then concentrate their energy on using the light more efficiently. that is of course if the other nutrients are addressed as then they will still be using energy to fight for nutrient.

For example a low light low tech tank can be 1WPG and do quite well. Add CO2 and it becomes a hi-tec tank . Hi-tec is in my eyes injected CO2 and nutrients added. The tank that was doing well under 1WPG could drop as low as 0.5WPG and still do well. more than likely better than the non CO2 with 1WPG.

If you then reverse and remove the CO2 but stay with 0.5WPG everything starts to struggle lightwise.

Confusing until you think about it

AC

 

[stevereade]

Cool I'm very grateful, thankyou so much your like a Jedi with aquarium plants lol and I'm impressed and learning a lot, just wanted to check too, I was told you devide the gallons (18) by the watts (36) so 18/36 which I thought was wrong so I worked it out the other way 36/18 = 2WPG guessing thats right? Well the plants aint dead yet lol most are fine I just need the TPN+ desperately for the Ambulia Aquatica but it should be here in a few days so I'm very hopeful.

 

[RadaR]

Watts per gallon.

36(watts) divided by 18(gallons).

It's a guidline. It doesnt apply for small tanks, or large tanks.

 

[stevereade]

Yeah thought so lol if it doesn't apply for small tanks or large tanks whats mine? 18 gallon?