Dosing question?

[Pat7676]

How do i test for these?

K+ range 10-30 ppm
PO4 range 1.0-2.0 ppm
Fe 0.2-0.5ppm or higher

Right now im dosing

+/- 1/16 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
+/- ¼ tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp (5ml) Trace Elements 3x a week
50% weekly water change
Pressurized CO2 With Diffuser 2 BPS

I have a 29 gallon tank. Im wanting to know how to test for these because some of my plants are getting black spots on them mainly my Java Fern.

[BPASCreighton]

You can't really test accurately unless you have an accurate test kit. Most of the ones a pet stores give you a pretty broad spectrum of results. You're using EI right? How much light do you have? Do you have a drop checker with 4kh solution to get a good guess of your CO2 levels? Quoting Tom Barr most algae problems are cause by lack of CO2, but I can't really give a good answer without knowing how much light you have?

Is there a plant club in Mississippi? Were starting one in Birmingham ,Alabama. I'd be happy to mail you some plants sometime when I have extra since you're not so far away. And if you like them you can me some back .

Hope that helps a bit,
Creighton

[John N.]

I've had black spots on my narrow leaf java fern too. Changing nothing else but increasing the nitrate and potassium dosage slightly, the new growth sprouted without any more black spots. Some of the black areas are also result from older leaves simply dying off and giving rise to new leaves.

I wouldn't recommend looking for a test kit to measure those elements. As mentioned previously our hobbyist tests kits aren't very effective or accurate for what we want to do with them. Instead see how a little increase of fertilzers affects your plants.

-John N.

[George Farmer]

What's a test kit?! I've not used one in over 3 years, except pH reagent for my CO2 drop test.

If your CO2 is good (30ppm stable), then consider adding more ferts up to 2x full EI.

What lighting and other plants do you have?

[Pat7676]

Yeah im using the EI method. Right now i have 65 watts going over my 29 gallon that puts me at 2.24 watts per gallon. I have a drop checker and it shows that everything is ok shows green. Running i think 2 BPS. Seems like all my plants have kind stopped growing as fast as they were. Also what would be the worst thing to happen if i started adding a little more in my dosing?

These are the plants that i have :
Rotala Sp. Green, Hygrophila Corymbosa Salicifolia, Sagittaria Subulata, Rotala Rotundifolia, Hygrophila difformis (Wisteria), Myriophyllum pinnatum, Lobelia cardinalis small form, Cryptocoryne wendtii red or green, Aponogeton crispus, Lilaeopsis mauritius, Java Fern, Amazon Sword, Red Tiger Lotus, Cryptocoryne balansae LARGE, Singapore moss, Cabomba Caroliniana, Corkscrew Val.

BPASCreighton no there is not a club in Mississippi I visit Birmingham about once every other month. Would be cool if you got one going there. I would love to get some extra plants from you and i would be more than happy to send you some as well.

[BPASCreighton]

Just call me Creighton .
Our first meeting is March 22 if your going to be in town then. I'll send you the details if you want them. Looks like you have a good bunch of plants. When your in town just drop me a PM and I'll see if I can't give you something interesting.

As far as the double dosing, you should be okay as long as you do the water changes, but even then plants and fish can tolerate pretty high levels (except ammonia). I tried double dosing and it didn't really change much, but I think my CO2 was more of the issue.

Originally Posted by Pat7676

Yeah im using the EI method. Right now i have 65 watts going over my 29 gallon that puts me at 2.24 watts per gallon. I have a drop checker and it shows that everything is ok shows green. Running i think 2 BPS. Seems like all my plants have kind stopped growing as fast as they were. Also what would be the worst thing to happen if i started adding a little more in my dosing?

These are the plants that i have :
Rotala Sp. Green, Hygrophila Corymbosa Salicifolia, Sagittaria Subulata, Rotala Rotundifolia, Hygrophila difformis (Wisteria), Myriophyllum pinnatum, Lobelia cardinalis small form, Cryptocoryne wendtii red or green, Aponogeton crispus, Lilaeopsis mauritius, Java Fern, Amazon Sword, Red Tiger Lotus, Cryptocoryne balansae LARGE, Singapore moss, Cabomba Caroliniana, Corkscrew Val.

BPASCreighton no there is not a club in Mississippi I visit Birmingham about once every other month. Would be cool if you got one going there. I would love to get some extra plants from you and i would be more than happy to send you some as well.

[Pat7676]

Not going to be up there for a while work has been so busy lately.

[Hoppy]

Pat, I don't believe that fertilizing requires accuracy. Plants can easily adapt to different levels of nutrients in the water, as long as those levels are consistent. This leads me to favor the EI dosing method, since it just assures me that I have enough of everything, but not so much extra that the fish or plants are harmed. And, like George, I don't test anything. Occasionally I use the pH test and the KH test, if I am experimenting with CO2, and for the pH test kit I use the reagent in my drop checker. More rarely I use the GH test just to see if the city water has changed much.

[Pat7676]

Ok i will just keep to the same dosing that i am doing right now.