Tank Mot And Plant Food Help

[kjb66]

HOPE THIS IS THE RIGHT SECTION FOR THIS POST
OK HERE ARE SOME STATS
TANK IS 48"X13"X12" ABOUT 26 UK GALLONS
ph7,ammonia 0,nitrite 0,nitrate 10,kh 12 and gh 17
I have 3 48" 36 watt arcadia freshwater tubes on for 5hrs off 2hrs on 5hrs
fluval 205 external filter and 2 nutrafin co2 systems (diy mix) I only have a gravel substratebut my plants are growing very well im cutting back at least every 2 weeks my plants consist of vallis,swords,crypts,augustfolia,java moss,wisteria,java moss,onion plant,floating amazon frogbit and a few other stem plants.I did have alot of algea but i added more plants and the second nutrafin system and daily cleaning and its been gone 3 weeks now(hope it does not come back).
FISH
3 boseman rainbow`s
3 peal gourami`s
5 otto`s
3 emerald cory`s
1 bristlenose
am i OVERSTOCKED i wanted 2 angel fish
The plants in my tank have been growing at a steady rate which could be due to some plant food i bought from ebay of a seller that mixed his own but im nearly out and @£6 +£2 for delivery for a 60ml bottle i think its a bit expensive and i doubt he is going to tell me the mix if he is making money from it.I have been adding 2 ml every day to my tank as per his instructions and i use food sticks under most of my swords.I am hoping the mix he sold me is the PMDD mix and im going to make my own hopefully unless someone advises me not to,is this mix ok
2 teaspoons of potassium sulfate
1 teaspoon potassium nitrate
2.5 tablespoons magnesium sulfate
1 tablespoon chelated trace elements
300 ml distiled water
so after all this typing basically my questions are
is potassium sulfate the same as sulfate of potash
how much of the PMDD mix should i add on a daily basis
have i room for 2 angel fish
are my stats ok
and any advice would be great as i want to get it right
thanks

 

[Themuleous]

Hi,

I can’t say I have any clue if that mix is ok or not. I can say that I’ve just started to use the EI method, which it sounds to me like you're going to a certain extent.

I get my ferts (as do lots of other people on here) from Aqua essentials. Not sure if you have the dry ferts yet, but if not give them a try.

One thing though, if you mix all that into one pot you'll be adding iron and NO3 and PO4 and that can cause cloudiness in the tank, so most people tend to does them on alternate days to prevent this i.e. iron one day then PO4 and NO3 the next.

I would say potassium sulphate is the same as sulphate of potash as the term 'potash' is what potassium used to be called (and still is by many people, my dad included!)

Depending on the size of those fish, I reckon you're probably at about your limit. However, it really depends what you're after, if this is a truly planted tank, people would always advise under-stocking, in which case the angles are prob out. That said if you are keeping plants for the sake of the fish then 2 more angles probably won’t hurt, so long as the filter can handle the extra bioload?

Other people might have different views though. BTW do you test for phosphate?

Hope this helps

Sam

PS whatever you do, I wouldn't get any more of that fert from ebay, that bloke is probably just making it up from who knows what and at the end of the day you're probably paying for the privilege of having it dissolved in water, eps when it comes to postage!

 

[kjb66]

thanks for the link but i found another site http/www.gardendirect.co.uk and it is alot cheaper just hope the potassium sulfate is sulfate of potash should get all the ingredients delivered for about £30 THAT CANT BE BAD
I am not sure about the angel fish yet do my stats and setup look ok

 

[Themuleous]

Look fine I think, but Im not expert!

S

EDit - you using garden ferts in the tank?

 

[kjb66]

If ferts have the same name and they come from an aquatic or garden dealer surely they will be the same can some body confirm this im sure im right

 

[George Farmer]

If ferts have the same name and they come from an aquatic or garden dealer surely they will be the same can some body confirm this im sure im right

Your garden ferts will be ok. Personally I now use Aqua Essentials though because I like to support the hobby.

Sulphate of Potash is Potassium sulphate (K2SO4). I bought some of this my from my local garden centre and found it wouldn't completely dissolve, so I assume the leftovers were impurities - they also looked like a very fine grit (brown/grey colour). Another good reason to buy from a dedicated aquatic goods outlet.

 

[kjb66]

I think you get what you pay for its alot cheaper at the site i mentioned but probably not as god as the aqua essentials but im on a tight budget at the moment (the mrs is watching my every move)thanks for the input though gf