Superb results from dosing within 3 days!

[Tiggs]

Quick post as very busy but....


350 liter tank - heavy plants and med-high fish load.

Upped the lights and saw hair algae within 1 week......got quite bad and affected 80% of plants.

Within a further week i started to does nitrate and phosphate (and leaf zone)

still only adding 3ppm nitrate working up slowly to a reading of 10ppm - current readings still show 0 but....

algae stopped growing within 3 days....i was having to give the glass a wipe over every day to remove a days growth of the algae from it...that stopped on day 3.......now 8 days in and, despite readings for nitrate still 0, the hair lagae is only on 20% of plants and that is dead/dying away (i could cut out the effected stuff but it looks quite natural so i will just prune as is required)

All fresh plant growth is bright green and algae free.

T

ps- water change of 15% every other day and the water is crystal (apart from looking like lemonade due to the o2 from the ricca covered substarte!)

 

[zig]

Hiya Tiggs

Great news, the algae should disappear for good if you keep it up, just a couple of things, why are you doing 15% water changes every day or so?

A 50% water change once a week should be sufficient, this resets your tank, also how often are you adding the nitrate, is this every day or every 2 days, at this stage you should have a build up well above 0.

 

[Tiggs]

Hiya Tiggs

Great news, the algae should disappear for good if you keep it up, just a couple of things, why are you doing 15% water changes every day or so?

A 50% water change once a week should be sufficient, this resets your tank, also how often are you adding the nitrate, is this every day or every 2 days, at this stage you should have a build up well above 0.

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15% every day or so i find easier and it must have less impact on the water temp, chemicals, etc

been doing 1ppm for 4 days, 2ppm 4 days........just started on 3ppm............last test was day 2 of 2ppm - reading 0.

did a sample test with a huge bucket and an accurate dose so i know my kit test is ok

 

[zig]

Yeah ok its a big tank, i wouldnt fancy the water changes on that.

Id stick with what you are doing, your doing it correct, the fish should be getting used to the nitrates by now, just initially you have to be careful with them, the plants are obviously chewing up the nitrates, thats why you are getting 0 readings, id dose the 3ppm for about 3 days and test then to see if you get a reading, if its still at 0 id start going at 5ppm for a few days and test the nitrate again, at this stage you should get a reading.

When you start to get a reading build it up to 10ppm, try and keep it there or there abouts, but you dont have to dose everyday, every second day should be sufficient, when you get it up to 10ppm after about a week or so you should have a fair idea of the uptake rate by the plants, and at that stage it will become a more of a routine, just adding enough every couple of days to bring the level back up.

You should have a look in the new thread as well for any further info on the EI method, it was started by hondour and nodding-dino today as they are going to use this method also, im sure it will be a good thread with lots of input by those of us allready useing EI.

Good luck with it, glad to hear its working out, i also had green hair algae in the beginning, as soon as i started doseing nitrates it disappeared and hasnt been back since, not a trace, so the method works.

 

[George Farmer]

I hate to say it but "told you so!!"