for those of you that are set up with pressureized co2

[jpjagged]

how do you dose your ferts?

do you use potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, or monopotassium phosphate for your potassium dosing? and what trace elements mix do you use?

i would assume potassium sulfate since as we are keeping discus here.
give me the reasons you use what you use?

shouldnt the fish be producing enough nitrate in the water that we shouldnt have to add much?

and also many of the fish foods we feed to our discus are rich in phosphates also right? so should we not have to add much of that either?

[Chad Hughes]

how do you dose your ferts?

do you use potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, or monopotassium phosphate for your potassium dosing? and what trace elements mix do you use?

i would assume potassium sulfate since as we are keeping discus here.
give me the reasons you use what you use?

shouldnt the fish be producing enough nitrate in the water that we shouldnt have to add much?

and also many of the fish foods we feed to our discus are rich in phosphates also right? so should we not have to add much of that either?

I'll use my 150 gallon as an example here. I add the following:

MACROS

Potassium Nitrate
Potassium Monophosphate
Magnesium Sulphate
Potassium Sulphate

MICROS (CSM+B)

Chelated Copper
Chelated Iron
Chelated Zinc
Molybdenum
Boron

Now, this tank has a lot of lighting and fast growing plants with injected CO2. The reason that I add the Nitrate is due to my water tests. When I test this tank without nitrate additives it reads zero. I add it so that there is a trace reading. The phosphate is typically in the trace range as well, but very low. I add it anyway. If your plants are consuming everything that naturally exists in the tank, you have to add!

You will likely have to experiement with your dosing. I dose one to two times weekly depending on how things look. Water readings are only part of it. You have to watch the tank for algae, plant growth, plant deterioration, etc. All of these things play a part. The nice thing is once you get a routine down it hardly changes.

I hope this helps!

Best wishes!

[jpjagged]

what types of plants do you have in your tank? and is your substrate nutrient enriched?

[yikesjason]

I did a soil substrate for my tank so that I could do minimal ferts. I do have fert tab and I add a little bit of Flourish. I wasn't getting much red color so I recently started to add iron as well.

[Chad Hughes]

what types of plants do you have in your tank? and is your substrate nutrient enriched?

I use quickrete play sand. Nothing else. The 150 has cabomba, corkscrew val, amazon sword, ludwigia and rotala.

Best wishes!

[rbarn]

I just started mine few weeks ago. but is giving good results

ADA Aqua Soil

Full line of SeaChem Flourish ferts.
half cap Excel daily or so
half cap every other day of Iron, Phos, Pota.

Then I test to keep nitrate levels at or around 5-7ppm
Been working out to half a cap daily of Nitrogen.

Everything is pearling and growing like mad.

Co2 is kept in high 20ppm range which is about 6.9ph for my hardness.

If you're worried about get some iron and nitrate test kits.
I like API myself.

[calihawker]

300 gallon moderately planted.
Flourite substrate with occasional fert tabs under the swords
anubius barteri
anubius nana
amazon swords
ozelot swords
various crypts
rotala indica
a few others I can't think of right now

Low fish load relative to water volume
11 adult discus
30 h. rasbora
20 cardinal tetras
some loaches
L18 pleco

Pressurized DIY C02 at 25-30 ppm
4x86 watt T5 with occasional 500 watts metal halide

EI fert regimen
1 Tbls potassium nitrate every other day
1 tsp. mono potassium phosphate every other day
1 tsp. csm+b every other day

50% water change with gh booster each week
3 Tbls. potassium bicarbonate
2 Tbls. calcium chloride
1 Tbls. potassium sulfate
1/2Tbls magnesium sulfate

I don't test.

[Harriett]

I have a 6 x 2 x 2 CO2 injected heavily planted tank. About 400w of light. Started at 7 or 8 hours / day and moved to 11 hours a day over a few months.
Have messed around endlessly with this tank to get my ferts right over the last few years and now finally have a pretty good balance, though some of what I dose is redundant--go figure, it works.
I use
Flourish
Flourish Iron
Flourish EXCEL
(CSM+B)
Dry ferts: K+, KNO3, Mg++
Used to use K+ phosphate but this tank just doesn't need it and I quit.

I tried small daily doses, 3 x week dosing and now am doing once a week dosing only, which is working the best. Total dosing amount was fairly constant, but algae and plant growth varied with the different dosing. I did tone down dosing a bit altogether about ayear ago to keep plant growth moderate...otherwise it was too much trimming and cost more money for ferts, so why bother? Wierd that this tank likes weekly dosing better than daily, I had thought it would be the opposite...

I do one 75% water change a week with tap water/python. I live in the Chicago area; water parameters must be dealt with per your local conditions. I experimented and was able to stop using Prime or any conditioner at all, a few years ago. I am very careful in spring and fall when my water department changes their routine, of course...smaller water changes for a couple weeks, watch for stress. If I am growing out juvies, I do condition the water with sodium thiosulfate with daily large water changes.
The adult discus do fine.

Best regards
Harriett