Non CO2 Planted Aquarium
March 14, 2007 by admin · Comments Off
Non CO2 Planted Aquarium
By William St.Cyr
Having a planted tank does not have to be very complicated or very expensive. After a couple years in the hobby I have settled on a system which I enjoy very much both for it’s ease and for it’s simplicity. I am a fan of medium light planted tanks which use Excel as a carbon source. I currently have five of them. I have tried pressurized CO2, DIY CO2 and I have tried not using any carbon source at all but this is the system I enjoy the best. The primary source of the technical knowledge behind the system I use is Tom Barr’s article “Non CO2 Methods” at the “barrreport.com”. Please check it out if you want more detailed information.
I always start with the lighting. There is a generally accepted maximum amount of lighting which you can use on this type of a system. Anything over this seems to be asking for an algae bloom unless you add CO2. That maximum is 2 wpg of twin tube type compact fluorescents in the 5k to 10k Kelvin range with good quality reflectors. Now if the reflectors are not very good or if the bulbs are regular fluorescents then you could get away with more wattage because the effective light output is going to be lower anyway. The rule also tends to break down on tanks below 10 gallons because the size of the tank skews the formula allowing a higher watt per gallon ratio without CO2.
All my tanks are right at this maximum level. I like this level because it allows me to grow almost anything anyone else is growing – just more slooowly. The main limitation I have seen is getting the kind of red colors out of the plants that you see in the aquascaping contests. So I can grow Limnophila aromatica, Ludwigia repens and brevipes, Rotala indica etc. but I don’t get the intense reds and purples that some other can. I do still get some color just much less intense and sometimes it’s even only a touch of red. I have accepted this limitation and aquascape my tanks accordingly. There are some plants like Alternathera reinecki aka red temple and Myriophyllum heterophyllum aka red foxtail that do produce beautiful colors for me and there may be others out there that I have not tried.
You can use less light than 2wpg but then you do start to develop more limitations in your plant choices. If you do have lower light levels then you can use the “Plantfinder” at “aquaticplantcentral.com” which can be sorted by light levels so you can choose your plants accordingly. Remember that many of the plants can be grown at lower light levels than stated. They will just grow slower and without the intense reds.
The simplest way to dose is to base your plan on Tom Barr’s recommendations. Here is a sample dosing plan for a tank with a light fish load. This is from a thread on the “barrreport.com”:
So a 20 gal using excel would get:
2 w/gal light
Dose 1/8 teaspoon KNO3 1-2x a week
KH2PO4, 1/16th, 1-2x a week
Traces, 2mls 2x a week
SeaChem EQ 1/8th once a week
50% weekly water change
Dose 1.5-2x the rec dosing for Excel.
The KNO3 and KH2PO4 cover the macrunutrients of Nitrogen, Phosphates and Potassium. The traces and Seachem EQ cover your trace nutrients. The Excel gives you a liquid source of carbon. All of these are available at “gregwatson.com”. You can adjust these amounts based on the size of your tank. So a ten gallon would get half as much, my 37 gallon would get twice as much and my 75 gallon would get four times as much. Yes I know the math is not exact but it doesn’t have to be.
The 50% weekly water changes keep the dosage from adding up to more than twice what you are dosing. This frees you from having to do any testing.
Personally I currently use the regular dosage of Excel and do once a month water changes. Because of this I test once or twice a month for NO3 with a Hach test kit which I have tested against a fixed solution to check for accuracy. I adjust my dosing plan up or down based on those test results and my observation of the aquarium.
For substrate I have used Seachem Flourite and Seachem Onyx Sand. Both products have worked well for me but I definitely prefer the Onyx Sand. I like the color and the smaller size is a little easier to plant in. Whatever you use make sure you rinse it well. My initial use of fluorite was marred by massive cloudiness that required extensive filtration to clear up.
For filtration you can use whatever you like because you don’t have to worry about off gassing CO2 because you are not adding any. I like the hang on tank power filters for their ease of use and minimal expense. I use them with a sponge filter on the inlet and sponge material as media in the units. The initial sponge provides mechanical filtration and I clean it of debris every couple weeks. It also prevents baby fish or shrimp being sucked up by my filters. The other sponge media provides biological filtration. I like to size them so that I get plenty of circulation in the tank which keeps debris from building up and becoming a breeding area for algae. I find the HOT Magnum does well for this in my 37 gallon and my 2 55’s. I also have used this filter with diatom powder when needed to clear up green water or cloudy water.
While I wouldn’t guarantee that your tank will be algae free this system does safeguard you in several ways. The lower light limits and slows algae growth. The fertilizers encourage the plants to grow fast enough to outcompete algae. Excel seems to be able to limit and sometimes eliminate algae particularly at higher doses.
Estimative Index in 21 Days
March 14, 2007 by admin · Comments Off
The Estimative Index in 21 Days
Tom Barr describes the Estimative Index as “a simple method to dose nutrients for any tank without test kits. In a nut shell, the aquarist doses frequently to prevent anything from running out (plant nutrient deficiency) and does large weekly water changes to prevent any build up (Plant inhibition). In this manner, we can easily maintain a close approximation or an “estimation index” of the nutrient levels during the week, not too high, not too low and…..no need for a test kit because the accuracy is close and in most cases closer than a test kit.”
But What Does That Mean?
The basic premise is that we dose macro nutrients on odd days and micro nutrients on even days followed by a major water change to “flush out” any excess nutrients which may have built up during the week. You can read the full Estimative Index article here: http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1
This strategy is based on the concept that we are going to dose a maximum amount of macro and micro nutrients that our plants will need – in order to make sure that we do not “run out” of nutrients and thus experience a deficiency.
So how do we “do” this Estimative Index dosing strategy?
It’s called the Estimative Index because each day the aquatic hobbyists simply adds a set amount of micro nutrients (traces) and macro nutrients per 20 gallons of tank volume followed by a weekly water change.
If the tank has less plants, low light, this can/may be reduce in frequency but not dosage.
Tom writes: “You can extend this method out to include all the other nutrients like traces and PO4 even KH and GH. You can try whatever you feel is "perfect" for plant growth and experiment around. Good sized weekly water changes are an excellent way to do this and avoid build up and any **dosing** errors or **testing** errors.”
So how much do we dose for a 20 gallon aquarium with high light?
Since the Estimative Index is based on a premise of dosing a maximum amount of nutrients that our plants could need – Tom recommends the following for a 20 gallon aquarium with 5.5 watts per gallon of light (boy is that A LOT of light!!!!).
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On Odd Days of the Week for 20 gallons
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On Even Days of the Week for 20 gallons
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After Water Changes for a 20 gallon tank
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That is all there is to it … dosing the Estimative Index approach can really be just that simple. But if you need help, check out my Estimative Index in 21 Days email service. For 21 days, I will send you an email message with a reminder of what needs to be done that day … can it be any simpler than that? Click here to send an email message to start to receive your Estimative Index in 21 Days email reminders or simply send a blank email message to EIin21Days@GregWatson.com
But what if I don’t have a high light tank with 5.5 watts per gallon?
Tom recommends with the Estimative Index, that don’t have the super-charged turbo Ferrari style lighting like a 5.5 watts per gallon … we can simply dose less frequently or slowly back off the dosing amount until you notice plant growth slowing.
I still just don’t get it?
That’s ok. Let’s talk about Plant Nutrition 101.
Plant Nutrition 101
Plants need a well balanced diet of Light, Carbon, Macro Nutrients, and Micro Nutrients. The more Light you have, the more CO2 your plants will demand, and if they have enough CO2, the more Macro and Micro Nutrients they will need.
Light plus Carbon plus Macro Nutrients plus Micro Nutrients
Thus Light and Carbon are the gas pedal …
If you have an aquarium with 5.5 watts per gallon, your plants are going to demand a LOT of CO2 … and if they have enough CO2, they will also need a lot of Macro and Micro Nutrients.
If you have an aquarium with 1.0 watts per gallon, your plants are going to demand less CO2 and somewhat less Macro and Micro Nutrients.
Just like driving a turbo charged Ferrari on a gravel road … if you run out of anything you are likely to crash and burn … thus the Estimative Index is focused on making sure that we do not run out of our Macro and Micro Nutrients …
The Estimative Index Isn’t Working For Me!
If you are following the Estimative Index and it just isn’t working, then you are likely coming up short somewhere. The Estimative Index makes the assumption that you have adequate CO2, and in most cases the nutrient deficiency is showing up in the form of not enough Carbon (or CO2).
So what is this “The Estimative Index in 21 Days”
Most people need to do something for 21 days in order for it to become a habit. The Estimative Index in 21 Days is a daily email reminder service to help you remember and understand what you need to do each day to follow the Estimative Index and have happy plants. Each day for 21 days, you will receive an email message with a short simple reminder of what you need to do that day.
At the end of the 21 days you should have developed a good estimative habit of taking care of your plants and meeting their daily nutritional requirements.
Thanks,
Greg Watson
How To Dose Plantex CSM
March 14, 2007 by admin · Comments Off
One of the most common questions asked is "I currently use Flourish, How Do I Dose Plantex CSM?"
The traditional PMDD recipe doses both Macro and Micro nutrients together. However, many of us are used to dosing macro nutrients separately from micro nutrients. You can "roll your own" micro nutrient solution by simply creating your own micro nutrient solution using Plantex CSM+B and Magnesium Sulfate.
How to roll your own PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution with Plantex CSM+B
Plantex CSM has no Boron in it, so it must either be added, or purchased from a supplier who pre-mixes Plantex CSM+B. To add Boron to Plantex CSM, add 10.5 teaspoons of Plantex CSM plus 1 teaspoon of Boric Acid.
To make your dosing solution, mix in 1/2 litre of water:
1 tablespoon of Plantex CSM+B and
1 tablespoon of Magnesium Sulfate in 1/2 litre of water.
A 1/2 liter of Plantex CSM Dosing Solution is a lot of solution for the typical aquarium, so you may wish to experiment by reducing the quantities to make a smaller batch. To reduce, you may wish to try 1 teaspoon of Plantex CSM+B and 1/6th liter of water (167 milliliters).
How to Dose your own PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution with Plantex CSM+B
The traditional dosing method of dosing the complete PMDD receipe is to dose to reach a target Iron level of 0.1 ppm. You can use the same guide to dose your PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution. See instructions on TheKrib.com.
For those that are used to dosing commercial liquids, the traditional PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution with Plantex CSM+B is not as concentrated as commercial alternatives such as Flourish. A good approximate equivalent is 1.25 to 1 – or 1.25 ml of your PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution to 1 ml of Flourish.
If you are used to dosing 1 tablespoon of Flourish (15 ml), try dosing approximately 1.25 tablespoons of your Plantex CSM Solution.
Why consider "rolling your own PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution?
There are many wonderful commercial liquid alternatives available. One of the underlying concepts of the PMDD philosphy is to meet the uptake requirements of your aquarium in a cost effective manner.
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Certainly try the various commercially available products – most of us started out using them and were perfectly happy with them. |
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PMDD ingredients are relatively cheap in the long run. |
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PMDD allows you to adjust the dosing ratio of various ingredients to better meet the uptake requirements of your plants. |
How to Store your own PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution
Unmixed PMDD ingredients are relatively stable when stored in a cool dry location. Cheleted trace mixes such as Plantex CSM should be stored in the dark. It is generally recommended that your PMDD Micro-Nutrient Solution be stored in a dark or opaque bottle because light can destabilize chelates.
Many people recommend refrigerating your micro-nutrient solutions, however, I try to only mix up several weeks worth of solution at a time and simply store my solution under the aquarium. Commercial products usually contain a Chloramine or Chloride as a preservative, however I have never tried this and thus cannot personally recommend it.
Sources for Chelated Trace Mixes
1. Plantex CSM+B.
http://www.AquariumFertilizer.com
2. Microplex
If anyone knows of an online source, please let me know
Perpetual Preservation System
February 27, 2007 by admin · Comments Off
For those that love an intimate technical understanding of the daily nutrient uptake rates of their aquariums; one of the most sophisticated dosing strategies is the Perpetual Preservation System. Popularized by Edward on the APC forums, Edward has taken a lot of the emersed growth science of hydroponics and applied those theories to the submersed growth of aquatic plants.
The power behind the PPS system is the fundamental concept that not all aquariums are identical. Not all aquariums are technologically the same; i.e. they do not all utilize the same configuration of hardware and equipment. Not all water chemistry is the same; some individuals have hard water, some individuals have soft water. Furthermore, some aquariums are densely planted, some aquariums are sparsely planted. Some aquariums have a heavy biological fish load, some have a light biological fish load. All of these factors make a one-size fits all approach challenging at best, or at least not an optimal balance. Thus the Perpetual Preservation System seeks to adjust a variety of nutrient levels independently to achieve a targeted optimal level.
SS Standard Solution
PF Phosphate Free Solution
NF Nitrate Free Solution
MG Magnesium Solution
TE Trace Element Solution
An excellent dosing calculator is provided in the form of a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. And quite a library exists of documents and spreadsheets to assist in your daily water tests and the daily calculations on how much of various solutions should be dosed.
You can read more about the Perpetual Preservation System at http://www.AquaticPlantNews.com/pps.htm
Estimative Index
February 27, 2007 by admin · Comments Off
The Estimative Index
Tom Barr describes the Estimative Index as “a simple method to dose nutrients for any tank without test kits. In a nut shell, the aquarist doses frequently to prevent anything from running out (plant nutrient deficiency) and does large weekly water changes to prevent any build up (Plant inhibition). In this manner, we can easily maintain a close approximation or an “estimation index” of the nutrient levels during the week, not too high, not too low and…..no need for a test kit because the accuracy is close and in most cases closer than a test kit.”
But What Does That Mean?
The basic premise is that we dose macro nutrients on odd days and micro nutrients on even days followed by a major water change to “flush out” any excess nutrients which may have built up during the week. You can read the full Estimative Index article here: http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1
This strategy is based on the concept that we are going to dose a maximum amount of macro and micro nutrients that our plants will need – in order to make sure that we do not “run out” of nutrients and thus experience a deficiency.
So how do we “do” this Estimative Index dosing strategy?
It’s called the Estimative Index because each day the aquatic hobbyists simply adds a set amount of micro nutrients (traces) and macro nutrients per 20 gallons of tank volume followed by a weekly water change.
If the tank has less plants, low light, this can/may be reduce in frequency but not dosage.
Tom writes: “You can extend this method out to include all the other nutrients like traces and PO4 even KH and GH. You can try whatever you feel is "perfect" for plant growth and experiment around. Good sized weekly water changes are an excellent way to do this and avoid build up and any **dosing** errors or **testing** errors.”
So how much do we dose for a 20 gallon aquarium with high light?
Since the Estimative Index is based on a premise of dosing a maximum amount of nutrients that our plants could need – Tom recommends the following for a 20 gallon aquarium with 5.5 watts per gallon of light (boy is that A LOT of light!!!!).
 |
On Odd Days of the Week for 20 gallons
|
||||
|
On Even Days of the Week for 20 gallons
|
||||
|
After Water Changes for a 20 gallon tank
|
That is all there is to it … dosing the Estimative Index approach can really be just that simple. But if you need help, check out my Estimative Index in 21 Days email service. For 21 days, I will send you an email message with a reminder of what needs to be done that day … can it be any simpler than that? Click here to send an email message to start to receive your Estimative Index in 21 Days email reminders or simply send a blank email message to EIin21Days@GregWatson.com
But what if I don’t have a high light tank with 5.5 watts per gallon?
Tom recommends with the Estimative Index, that don’t have the super-charged turbo Ferrari style lighting like a 5.5 watts per gallon … we can simply dose less frequently or slowly back off the dosing amount until you notice plant growth slowing.
I still just don’t get it?
That’s ok. Let’s talk about Plant Nutrition 101.
Plant Nutrition 101
Plants need a well balanced diet of Light, Carbon, Macro Nutrients, and Micro Nutrients. The more Light you have, the more CO2 your plants will demand, and if they have enough CO2, the more Macro and Micro Nutrients they will need.
Light plus Carbon plus Macro Nutrients plus Micro Nutrients
Thus Light and Carbon are the gas pedal …
If you have an aquarium with 5.5 watts per gallon, your plants are going to demand a LOT of CO2 … and if they have enough CO2, they will also need a lot of Macro and Micro Nutrients.
If you have an aquarium with 1.0 watts per gallon, your plants are going to demand less CO2 and somewhat less Macro and Micro Nutrients.
Just like driving a turbo charged Ferrari on a gravel road … if you run out of anything you are likely to crash and burn … thus the Estimative Index is focused on making sure that we do not run out of our Macro and Micro Nutrients …
The Estimative Index Isn’t Working For Me!
If you are following the Estimative Index and it just isn’t working, then you are likely coming up short somewhere. The Estimative Index makes the assumption that you have adequate CO2, and in most cases the nutrient deficiency is showing up in the form of not enough Carbon (or CO2).
So what is this “The Estimative Index in 21 Days”
