Non CO2 methods

[Tom Barr]

While much of the attention and aquascape seen on the web focuses on CO2 enrichment in their methods, Diana Walstad presents an excellent argument for the approach of a non CO2 enriched planted Aquarium. We should also extend this to include Excel and carbon enrichment liquids as well as acetate which allow some algae to exist without any light or CO2 and grow heterotrophically (like us). She discusses not needing test kits, water changes, pruning often, dosing, work that most aquarist do not care for.

What? You mean no water changes? Yes, that's right.
No testing? Yes, that's right, but you can if you wish.
Not much pruning? Yes, that's right, the plants grow much slower.
No dosing? Generally yes for many easy to care for pland species(I'll discuss this much more later), the fish waste represents the dosing and you feeding them daily adds the nutrients.

So why don't more folks do it?
I'm not sure, given the goals they say they want when setting up a planted tank.

CO2 is a bit like a drug addiction that hobbyists get hooked on. That's fine, but this non CO2 approach will give an excuse to have another tank that needs less attention and is cheap.
I suggest folks coming from either the non CO2 or the CO2 enrichment approaches to give the other method a try and see what benefits it has.
CO2 and non CO2 tanks work for all the same reasons, but........
They grow at different rates.

Based off of my testing, I'd estimate close to 5 to 10 times slower than a CO2 enriched tank at 2-3 w/gal. This rate of growth is such that the fish waste alone is enough to supply the needs for the plants. If we added more light then the CO2 would start becoming a more limiting factor and allow algae to grow better (algae need higher light to grow well in non CO2 enriched systems whereas the plants are much more limited without CO2). A lower light level is required, generally about 1.5 to 2w/gal is good.

We also need a balanced fish load and feeding routine since this is our main long term input of plant nutrients. Fish food varies in it's amount and ratio of nutrients. This is not an issue unless it becomes limiting. Very often since non CO2 tanks get neglected, they have trouble growing certain plants. If these nutrients are not allowed to bottom out(Say PO4 or NO3), then many of the species folks suggest cannot be kept, suddenly can be kept in non CO2 tanks but they simply grow slower.

Rather than suggesting allelopathy, Fe algae limitation, or PO4 limitation, I will say none of this exist. Rather, non limiting nutrient levels for plants will provide better conditions.
Same applies for CO2 enriched systems, they just grow faster, but in both examples, the algae are never limited, algae is indirect, poor plant growth typically leads to algae blooms, thus plants define the system, not nutrients. When plants do poorly, they no long define the system, and algae can grow.

CO2 will limit plants much more than algae, the lower light(the only limiting factor for algae in planted tanks really) and high plant biomass density will provide a better place for the plants and a worse place for the algae. CO2 and non CO2 tanks work well and are algae free namely due to high plant biomass that is relatively healthy. This plant biomass removes NH4 from the fish waste rapidly. Over time, the plants, adpt well to low CO2 ppm concentration by producing more Rubsico and associated downstream enzymes to fix and make do with much less CO2 than a CO2 enriched system.

As long as the CO2 is stable, things are fine.
Large water changes tend to add a spike of CO2 and this can cause instability. Perhaps algae sense changes in CO2/low O2. Speculation certainly.

We can add KNO3 and KH2PO4 and show that in a non CO2 tank, excess PO4, NO3 (and Fe) do not cause algae blooms. We can add NH4 and induce a bloom just like a CO2 enriched tank.
We can also add Fe at high rates and also not get any algae. This assumption and knowledge frees us from limitation of nutrients which ultimately does more harm to the plants' health and well being, allowing a better environment for algae to grow.

Doing water changes adds CO2 back to a CO2 limited tank.
Plants and algae both can and do adapt to low CO2 environments and induce genes to make enzymes that concentrate CO2 around Rubisco, the CO2 fixing enzyme. When we add the CO2 at higher levels back, this causes the plants and algae to destroy the low CO2 enzymes and start growing without of them since they no longer need them to fix CO2 form the KH ( the -HCO3).
Why keep all this machinery around if you no longer need it? Doing weekly water changes "fools" the plants and helps encourage algae more. Algae are faster to respond to low CO2 than plants.
Once the plants do adapt, they can do well.

Soil substrates are popular with non CO2 users and they work well but peter out after about 6-12 months. They help the plants get established initailly abnd supply nutrients that are other wise lacking in the beginning before many fish are added and the tank has had a chance to accumulate waste.

I suggest onyx sand as it added Ca, Mg, and Fe, and I add mulm/detritus freshly from another established tank to add bacteria and cycle the tank immediately. I also add a form of organic material other than soil. The bacteria that break the waste down need a source of carbon as an electron donor besides the elements in the waste. Like us, they need their carbs as well. As these bacteria break the carbon and waste down, they consume O2.
This lowers the redox values in the substrate freeing up Fe2+ and other nutrients.

Add too much organic matter and O2 and you get O2 levels that are too low and cause issues for your tank. Soil also has NH4, this we know to cause algae in higher amounts and it does not take much! Ways around this: don;t use soil, it's messy and has NH4/urea. Boiling the soil for a few minutes will oxidize the NH4 to NO3. Allowing damp soil to be spread thinly outside for few weeks(3) will allow the NH4 to be converted into NO3 by bacteria.
Peat moss, ground peat, works well also.

The other options are add lots of mulm instead and leonardite.
Leonardite is great, it last a very long time, adds a slow release form of carbon, matches the gravel's color, sinks easily poses no issues if you disturb and uproot plants.

You should always add fresh mulm to any new tank. Add some form of carbon as well, pre soaked/boiled soil, pre soaked peat, leonardite.

Dosing:
Since the plants are the same as they are in a CO2 enriched tank and we know the rates of uptake are there, we can scale down the rates for the non CO2 dosing routine.

I removed all fish and critters from the test tanks, I dosed only with KNO3m, and other inorganic fertilizer so that I would see only plant uptake and inorganic ferts contributions to the plant's health.

Going back and assuming 80-90% of the nutrients will come from the fish load, I added once a week KNO3/KH2PO4.

While trace mixes can be added, I decided to use SeaChem Equlibrium instead.
It has Fe and Mn as well as Ca/K/Mg/SO4.
I will add about 1/4 teaspoon per 20 gal tank once every week or two.
This greatly enhances the growth of the plants.
I also will add about 1/8" and 1/32" teaspoon of KNO3 and KH2PO4 respectively once a week or two.

The plants will respond very well to this routine. You can let the tank go for awhile and not dose to purge any excesses that might have built up over a month or two or you can test to see rather than do the water change.

DW does not suggest dosing, but adding 2-3 things once a week or two, certainly is not that tough???? the plants do gain a lot and then you can grow most any plant in a non CO2 tank.
From here if you want more growth, Excel is a good option. You can add about 2-3x as much ferts then.

I think it's important to look at dosing and longer term systems from a management perspective. While this is a method to add just water column fertilizers to the inert sands, and to test whether algae are limited in these systems as well, adding nutrient rich sediments, soils, or ADA AS, etc, will enhance the stability over time, and work synergistically like the CO2 enrichment methods.
Things are not moved around as much, nor grow as fast, so soils and nutrients are left alone for longer time frames.
The plants have ample sources from both locations and each last longer and has a backup in both cases.

For testing purposes, "either or" helps, but we should also test them together afterwards to see if the combination works well also. By using the water column alone, we know and can measure the ppm's easily, and we alos know that the ppm's are non limiting to all algae. This is different question than how best to add fertilizers over time to CO2/non CO2/Excel based systems. Having shown that there is no limiting factor for algae and that algae is not a function of nutrients in the water column alone, this frees us up and allows us to better focus on plant health and growth.

Which is the focus of this hobby in the first place, not killing algae.
This method allows folks to slow the growth and maintenance down a huge amount, no CO2 makes everything less $$$ and easier to deal with.

Try it.

[chubasco]

Ooooooo (rubbing palms together) can't wait, Tom!

I thought somebody should post something with 40+ views :D

Bill

ps already voted the 5star Excellent, is that blind faith or what :D

[JadeButterfly]

yay!!!

I'm gonna be getting a new 5-10G tank just for this... :)

[AV8TOR]

Can’t wait either.

[jonathan11]

Just set up my 20 gallon. Ready and waiting!!

[Dolfan]

Just set up my 75 gallon tank with 2x55 watt compact flourescents with reflectors(AH Supply). Is this too much light for a non co2 tank?

[Dolfan]

Tom, I am wanting to order fertilizer from the PMDD store. Can you give me a general idea of what quantity and type to order for a six month supply. I have a 75 gallon tank. This way when you give the paramaters for dosing non co2 tanks I am ready.

thanks, Walt

[Tom Barr]

Just set up my 75 gallon tank with 2x55 watt compact flourescents with reflectors(AH Supply). Is this too much light for a non co2 tank?

No, about right.
Bend the reflectors outward or make sure themlight hits all the way front to back.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Dolfan]

Thanks Tom, I actually had already removed the reflectors but I can reinstall them. You can count me in on the freshwater plantfest in Fl. I'm only a couple hours away. Don't forget my dosing question please.

thanks, Walt

[Tom Barr]

Just set up my 75 gallon tank with 2x55 watt compact flourescents with reflectors(AH Supply). Is this too much light for a non co2 tank?

Yes, this is about right.

It should be noted that most of the issue is about CO2 and competition between plant species, ome plants, Say Erios are very porr competitors for CO2, or L pantanal, whereas Hydrilla, Egeria densa are extremely competitive and adaptable species, these can use HCO3 as well as free CO2[aq].
They also have much lower light compensation points, o they can use all the CO2 up before the light is strong enough to activate CO2 uptake/demand in other species.

A good paper is by Bowes, Haller and Van, 1976 on Submersed macrophytes.

Excellent description of 4 species and their differences in terms of light, CO2, growth etc.
Tropica has a good discussion with CO2 and Riccia and the trade offs and allocation with Light and CO2(high low combos of each.

I'll post a similar chart with light, CO2 and nutrients all together.



Regards,
Tom Barr

[Tom Barr]

While much of the attention and aquascape seen on the web focuses on CO2 enrichment in their methods, Diana Walstad presents an excellent arguement for the apporach of a non CO2 enriched planted Aquarium. We should also extend this to include Excel and carbon enrichement liquids as well as acetate which allow some algae to exist without any light or CO2 and grow heterotrophically (like us). She discusses not needing test kits, water changes, pruning often, dosing, work that most aquarist do not care for.

What? You mean no water chnages? Yes, that's right.
No testing? Yes, that's right, but you can if you wish.
Not much pruning? Yes, that's right, the plants grow much slower.
No dosing? Generally yes for many easy to care for pland species(I'll discuss this much more later), the fish waste represents the dosing and you feeding them daily adds the nutrients.

So why don't more folks do it?
I'm not sure, given the goals they say they want when setting up a planted tank.

CO2 is a bit like a drug addiction that hobbyists get hooked on. That's fine, but this non CO2 approach will give an excuse to have another tank that needs less attention and is cheap.

I suggest folks coming from either the non CO2 or the CO2 enrichement approaches to give the other method a try and see what benefits it has.

CO2 and non CO2 tanks work for all the same reasons, but........
They grow at different rates.

Based off of my testing, I'd estimate close to 5 to 10 times slower than a CO2 enriched tank at 2-3 w/gal.

This rate of growth is such that the fish waste alone is enough to supply the needs for the plants. If we added more light then the CO2 would start becoming a more limiting factor and allow algae to grow better (algae need higher light to grow well in non CO2 enriched systems wereas the plants are much more limited without CO2). A lower light level is required, generally about 1.5 to 2w/gal is good.

We also need a balanced fish load and feeding routine since this is our main long term input of plant nutrients. Fish food varies in it's amount and ratio of nutrients. This is not an issue unless it becomes limiting. Very often since non CO2 tanks get neglected, they have trouble growing certain plants. If these nutrients are not allowed to bottom out(Say PO4 or NO3), then many of the species folks suggest cannot be kept, suddenly can be kept in non CO2 tanks but they simply grow slower.

Rather than suggesting allelopathy, Fe algae limitation of PO4 limitation, I will say none of this exist. Rather, non limiting nutrient levels for plants will provide better conditions.

CO2 will limit both plants and algae, the lower light and high plant biomass density will provide a better place for the plants and a worse place for the algae. CO2 and non CO2 tanks work well and are algae free namely due to high plant biomass that is relatively healthy. This plant biomass removes NH4 from the fish waste.

We can add KNO3 and KH2PO4 and show that in a non CO2 tank, excess PO4, NO3 (and Fe) do not cause algae blooms. We can add NH4 and induce a bloom just like a CO2 enriched tank.

This assumption and knowledge frees us from limitation of nutrients which ultimately does more harm to the plants' health and well being, allowing a better environment for algae to grow.

Doing water changes adds CO2 back to a CO2 limited tank.
Plants and algae both can and do adapt to low CO2 environments and induce genes to make enzymes that concentrate CO2 around Rubisco, the CO2 fixing enzyme. When we add the CO2 at higher levels back, this causes the plants and algae to destroy the low CO2 enzymes and start growing without of them since they no longer need them to fix CO2 form the KH ( the -HCO3).
Why keep all this machinery around if you no longer need it? Doing weekly water changes "fools" the plants and helps encourage algae more. Algae are faster to respond to low CO2 than plants.
Once the plants do adapt, they can do well.

Soil substrates are popular with non CO2 users and they work well but peter out after about 6-12 months. They help the plants get established initailly abnd supply nutrients that are other wise lacking in the beginning before many fish are added and the tank has had a chance to accumulate waste.

I suggest onyx sand as it added Ca, Mg, and Fe, and I add mulm/detritus freshly from another established tank to add bacteria and cycle the tank immediately. I also add a form of organic material other than soil. The bacteria that break the waste down need a source of carbon as an electron donor besides the elements in the waste. Like us, they need their carbs as well. As these bacteria break the carbon and waste down, they consume O2.
This lowers the redox values in the substrate freeing up Fe2+ and other nutrients.

Add too much organic matter and O2 and you get O2 levels that are too low and cause issues for your tank. Soil also has NH4, this we know to cause algae in higher amounts and it does not take much! Ways around this: don;t use soil, it's messy and has NH4/urea. Boiling the soil for a few minutes will oxidize the NH4 to NO3. Allowing damp soil to be spread thinly outside for few weeks(3) will allow the NH4 to be converted into NO3 by bacteria.
Peat moss, ground peat, works well also.

The other options are add lots of mulm instead and leonardite.
Leonardite is great, it last a very long time, adds a slow release form of carbon, matches the gravel's color, sinks easily poses no issues if you disturb and uproot plants.

You should always add fresh mulm to any new tank. Add some form of carbon as well, pre soaked/boiled soil, pre soaked peat, leonardite.

Dosing:
Since the plants are the same as they are in a CO2 enriched tank and we know the rates of uptake are there, we can scale down the rates for the non CO2 dosing routine.

I removed all fish and critters from the test tanks, I dosed only with KNO3m, and other inorganic fertilizer so that I would see only plant uptake and inorganic ferts contributions to the plant's health.

Going back and assuming 80-90% of the nutrients will come from the fish load, I added once a week KNO3/KH2PO4.

While trace mixes can be added, I decided to use SeaChem Equlibrium instead.
It has Fe and Mn as well as Ca/K/Mg/SO4.
I will add about 1/4 teaspoon per 20 gal tank once every week or two.
This greatly enhances the growth of the plants.
I also will add about 1/8" and 1/32" teaspoon of KNO3 and KH2PO4 respectively once a week or two.

The plants will repsond very well to this routine. You can let the tank go for awhile and not dose to purge any excesses that might have built up over a month or two or you can test to see rather than do the water change.

DW does not suggest dosing, but adding 2-3 things once a week or two, certainly is not that tough???? the plants do gain a lot and then you can grow most any plant in a non CO2 tank.

From here if you want more growth, Excel is a good option. You can add about 2-3x as much ferts then.

[Tom Barr]

Smaller hang on the back filters work well.
One thing many folks setting up any planted tank seems tom over look, plant densely from the very start, do not wait for the plants to grow in!
Add some cheaper plants till the main display plants grow it and slowly remove the "starter plants" as needed.
Set up the substrate well, this is the main part of the non CO2 tank.
Feed the fish well. Add algae eaters, they will work many times more efficiently since the algae grow slower under non CO2 conditions also!

1" per gallon is a good rule of green thumb for fish stocking levels.
These tanks often look better on any given day than the CO2 enriched tanks.

The lower light and lack of gadgets and maintenance make these tanks much more efficent and cheaper for folks. If you leave for a week, the tank does fine as is. No worry.

Maintenance routines:

Dose once a week(optional)
Add evaporation top off water
Snip tops off plants that get too unruly.
Feed fish daily.
As dirt and growth get further out of hand, you can uproot and do a big hack and rearranging, do not do this more than once every 3-6 months. Do a water change right afterwards.
You may have to remove some algae manually every so often but the algae grows slow also.

That's it.


Regards,
Tom Barr

[Dolfan]

Hey Tom,

Thanks a lot for dosing info! I already had equilibrium and ordered the rest of the stuff from the PMDD Store. I found a product called Diamond Black that is supposed to be leonardite granules. Is this the type of product you were refering to, and what kind of dosing should we do? This is a great forum!

thanks again, Walt

[Tom Barr]

Diamond black is the stuff.
Add roughly 1" or peat or add 3/4" of DB leonardite.
You can add a dusting of peat into the leonardite + mulm.
Then cap that with flourite/onyx sand etc.


This will allow you to uproot plants and move them without a mess as well as re slope any terracing and prevent "flat tank syndrome".

Regards,
Tom Barr

[JadeButterfly]

good job Tom on explaining the non-CO2 approach.

I will be starting a 15-20G shortly using this method.

Is it possible to use playsand rather than flourite/onyx sand?

[turbomkt]

This will allow you to uproot plants and move them without a mess as well as re slope any terracing and prevent "flat tank syndrome".

Regards,
Tom Barr

JadeButterfly,
Sand will work, but you're not going to get any of the nutrients you would get from onyx, etc. Play sand is basically inert and will show things like flourite or eco-complete or anything else when it gets mixed up.

--Mike

[Tom Barr]

Tom, I am wanting to order fertilizer from the PMDD store. Can you give me a general idea of what quantity and type to order for a six month supply. I have a 75 gallon tank. This way when you give the paramaters for dosing non co2 tanks I am ready.

thanks, Walt

With fish, you will add about 1/4 teaspoon of KNO3 once a week
Add mainly algae eaters for the first month or two(longer is better).
This will add about 3ppm per week.

A max light/CO2 tank will use at most 20-30ppm per week.
So you will see that the dosing frequency and the amount has been reduced.

Adding more will do no harm, but the issue becomes one of build up.
Unlike a CO2 higher light method, there are no water changes here.
That is the balance you are dealing with.

So you can add and estimate the uptake and error slightly on the lower side.
If you do this in a high light tank, you have the potential to make more mistakes.

Less light/no CO2 means much slower growth rate, so there is less NO2, PO3, Trace element demand from the plant and they do not shut down and stunt quickly.

So weekly dosing works fine, adding just enough works fairly well.
Recall DW suggest fish waste alone is enough for the plants.

While true with hardier species of plants, many cannot be grown well doing this. Well, if you add SEaChem EQ and KNO3/KH2PO4 this is simply no longer true.

The plants grow 5-10x slower, but they do grow.
Now you can test the NO4/PO4 for signs of build up if you calibrate the test kits and they appear to be accurate and dose based on uptake, but since the growth uis slow, generally the plants themselves tell you when you need to dose or how much/add more etc.

Most of you already know what NO3 deficent plants look like or K+, traces etc, so you'll see the same types of things with non CO2, just slower.

So, add 1/4 of the KNO3, 1/8 of the KH2PO4, SeaChem EQ -1/4-1/2 teaspoon each week and if you forget one week, that's likely okay too.
Note plant health as your test guide.

I prefer the SeaChem EQ and the macro's alone, I use onyx sand with leonardite+ mulm.

Do water changes only if you uproot and replant and need to really clean.
Use a brine net to remove leaves, mulm etc and swipe the net through the tank once a week to keep it looking clean.

You can scale things down for a smaller tank.
Sinmp,y divide the teaspoon measurements into 1/4 units for the 20 gal and recall these amounts, if you are off a little, that's fine.

If you want to use smaller units and be more accurate, make solutions and dilute the macro's in there. If you prefer testing once every 1 to 3-4 weeks, that's fine also, that's not much testing really and it serves a purpose should something seem odd, otherwise not testing generally gets you far.

Just use the 10:1 or 7:1 dosing ratio for CO2 : non CO2 tanks.
CO2 : Excel dosing 3:1 and with low light 1.5:1.

These are rough estimates, so some tweaking can be done, they are general guidelines to get folks hitting their target ranges without causing the plants to become severely stunted and in most cases these ranges will provide excellent growth, certainly much better than mere fish food alone will provide.

What are excesses? I'm not sure. Same for the CO2 tanks except with respect to NO3 perhaps and CO2, but we don't add CO2........so...no need to fret over that one.

But you can pruge the tank's NO3 by not dosing for a week or two, you do not need to do the water change to lower things. Just let things go for awhile and see.

As always, pack the tank from day one, add mulm and a good substrate(this will pay for itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Adding a porous substrate like Floruite or Onyx sand will increase the waste cycling breakdown rates allowing better growth and less algae, since the main waste products are NO3/NH4, keeping NH4 down is well worth it and more bacteria are present on porous substrates.

So they will help add traces and help the cycling over the life of the tank, adding soil only last 6-12 months tops.

We can dose the KNO3/PO4/K+/GH and add fish food to supply what the soil will and dosing weekly is not tough.


Regards,
Tom Barr

[fosteder]

I am currently setting up a 55 gal. tank. It has 130 watt pc coralife fixture, onyx sand substrate (with either peat or leonardite added, I haven't decided which yet). After filling it the other night to test the home made stand and have a leak check, I realized how much work 50% water changes are going to be, even with a python! Right now I have a 20 gal with DIY CO2 and about 2 w/gal and 50% water changes are no big deal.

Originally I had been planning on investing in a pressurized CO2 system for the new tank, but I now have a baby on the way :D and it might be tough to talk the wife into letting me blow a couple hundred more on the tank. So then Tom writes this great article on non-CO2 methods! It definitely sounds appealing, but I have a few concerns:

1. Do I have too much light for a non-CO2 tank?

2. Is a non-co2 tank hard to keep algae out of compared to a co2 enriched tank (for the average Joe, not Tom Barr…I'm beginning to think Tom could grow plants in battery acid!) ;)

3. If I do need to have CO2 enrichment, will DIY suffice for a while?


Thanks for all your help!

[Tom Barr]

DIY is possible, you have too much light though, a shop light with a good reflector will do nicely.

Overall, non CO is easier once set up and if you can keep your hands out of the tank and start the tank off right(eg do not take short cuts on the set up).

I use a larger hose that drains the water right outside in about 2 minutes for large 50-150 gal tanks. I fill using a garden hose adapted to the bath/shower faucet. Refill takes about 4-5 minutes for a 55 gal tank. Draining takes about 5-6 minutes. 70% takes about 1-2 minutes longer.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[fosteder]

Yeah, I figured I probably had too much light. I may try the non-co2 method on a different tank. I can bite the bullet and buy a co2 set up i guess. Or sell the existing light (which I bought right before your article on light) and do a non-co2 setup. I guess i've got some thinking to do.

Thanks for the reply.

Derek

[AZFish1]

Set up a "odds and ends" 20 long. Got peat and mulm in the bottom. Topped with 3" profile, onyx and flourite (onyx from another tank and flourite from a tear down) Had a single 24" tube VHO set up with an aquasun bulb from the tear down as well. Retro fit it into the full hood and there ya go! This is gonna be fun! I am gonna use just a power head to move the water and havent decided on a heater or not. I figure the "75 watt" VHO wont be too much since it is a) in a full hood and b) not using a decent reflector at all. A lot of wasted light but its what was on hand + I really like the color of the aquasun bulbs. Makes the fish and plants look great :)

[Laith]

75w on a 20g is 3.75wpg. Even without a good reflector isn't this way too much for a non-CO2 tank?

[srozell]

I currently have 2 20 gallon tanks set up with 125 Watts of light on each.

I put the same types of plants in each.

One tank is CO2 dosed in large quantities.
Also dosed are Seachem Flourish
Potassium Sulphate once a week with water change
KN03 and KH2PO4 every second day
Seachem Flourish every second day.


One tank is a "Diana Walstad" tank.
About once a week I dose the same things I'm dosing in the CO2 tank.

After 3 months of observaions I have noticed:
Water in the CO2 tank is crystal clear, while the "Diana" tank is slightly darker.
After a few days water was green in the Diana tank, but cleared up after a coule days. This didn't happen in the CO2 tank.

Plant growth has been close to progressing at the same speed.
Algae growth in both tanks has been minimal, but there is a development of a type of branchy algae growing on the slower growing plants in the Diana tank.

From experience, I know that the "Diana" tank will not hold in for the long term. I expect it to start slowing down in the next 3 months.


Cost of the Dianna Walstead tank. $125.00 including the lighting.
Cost of the CO2 tank (complete with pH controller) $1200.00.

[Tom Barr]

They(non CO2) start well out of the gate, you can add nutrients to keep them going though, start dosing SeaChem Eq, KNO3, KH2PO4 etc.

It's amazing they do grow as fast as they do when you add the right nutrients once they begin to hit the lull.

The same thing use to ocurr with CO2 methods till folks started adding PO4...

Regards,
Tom Barr

[aquabillpers]

In the Walstad approach, the eventual depletion of the soil nutrients is offset by the fertilizer that well-fed fish produce.

I have one soil-based tank that has been set up for eight months and needs no dosing, and another 10 month old tank that has required dosing from the third month, although the amount needed is decreasing as the fish population grows and the plant growth slows down.

All natural aquarium environments are different and perhaps more interesting than those with more controlled environments. Or perhaps not, depending on one's objectives.

Bill

[Tom Barr]

The fish waste alone is not a balanced source of plant nutrients.
Some plants will grow, but many will not.
The question I asked some years ago was why.

The plants will do better if you add just a small amount once a week(this is not outting you or anyone out too much?) of SeaChem Eq and KNO3/KH2PO4.

Nothing complex, nothing high tech, add 3 things once a week.
This allows you to grow most any plant.

It also removes the need and mess for soil should you go that route.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[aquabillpers]

The fish waste alone is not a balanced source of plant nutrients. Some plants will grow, but many will not. The question I asked some years ago was why.

Ms. Walstad and her followers claim that they grow aquatic gardens in soil tanks with only fish food for nutrients. As I said, I have one tank that has worked well for 8 months without dosing, and another that needs dosing. In the former, NO3 and PO4 levels have been constant for about 5 months. I think that might have more to do with the high fish population than with the soil in the substrate.

I have another tank that was set up as a fry tank, with an inert gravel substrate and a few plants. It had bad BGA and other algae problems, I'm sure because of poor nutrient levels. After a few months I got sick of looking at it as it was. I treated the algae problems and dosed it to bring the NO3 and PO4 levels up to a reasonable level. Since then the 30 well-fed, adult guppies in that 10 gallon tank (I know, too many) seem to be producing what the plants need, because they are growing well without any additional dosing, and there is no algae problem.

I intend to set up a tank using the method that Tom outlined, as soon as I can find a local source that sells Equilibrium in less than 5 year quantities.
In fact, maybe two tanks: one with fish and one without.

All natural tanks are different.

Bill

[Tom Barr]

Ms. Walstad and her followers claim that they grow aquatic gardens in soil tanks with only fish food for nutrients. As I said, I have one tank that has worked well for 8 months without dosing, and another that needs dosing. In the former, NO3 and PO4 levels have been constant for about 5 months. I think that might have more to do with the high fish population than with the soil in the substrate.

So you can have Gloss, A reineckii or hairgrass growing in there?
\Lwet me see a nice field of that, then we can talk which method is able to supply the nutrients for all, not just some plants.

I agree fish waste alone can supply some plants well.
She and others concede that some plants wane for unknown reasons, I know the reasons..............
She speculates, incorrectly, that allelopathy is a possible cause for this.
If allelopathy is the cause, why don't I have trouble?

Like PO4 excess = algae, if I aded PO4 I should see algae, but I don't.
If I try and grow these same plants that do poorly in non CO2 tanks, why am I not having trouble?

Thus it cannot be allelopathy if that is what is preventing the plant from growing in my tanks...


I have another tank that was set up as a fry tank, with an inert gravel substrate and a few plants. It had bad BGA and other algae problems, I'm sure because of poor nutrient levels. After a few months I got sick of looking at it as it was. I treated the algae problems and dosed it to bring the NO3 and PO4 levels up to a reasonable level. Since then the 30 well-fed, adult guppies in that 10 gallon tank (I know, too many) seem to be producing what the plants need, because they are growing well without any additional dosing, and there is no algae problem.

Yep, I'd expect this.



I intend to set up a tank using the method that Tom outlined, as soon as I can find a local source that sells Equilibrium in less than 5 year quantities.
In fact, maybe two tanks: one with fish and one without.


Ahhh, now you are thinking!
This will greatly help you see the difference between what the fish loading will add vs the inorganic nutrients.

I have done this for a few years now.
That's how come I know what needs to be added.

You can order EQ from most mail order places, 500grams runs 5-8$.


All natural tanks are different.

Bill

Yes, so removing the main input variable, the fish load/food/waste, takes care of that.

This gives you more control of the inuts and outputs.
The water chanegs are still not done, weekly dosing is adequate also(not too hard of a routine!)

Diana has done a fair amount of work and research, but without testing a control with out the fish etc, knowing what plants need at higher CO2/light values, you really are guessing.

That's fine when the growth rate is slowed down, but the main factor in the success is the lack of water changes.

That slows down the uptake rates so that if something does not make it, it will take a long time, liklewise any nutrient deficency takes a long time to appear and it can be remedied by adding more fish/fish food etc in general, or you can add SeaChem EQ and a little KNO3/trace/KH2PO4 etc as well.

Fish food alone is very easy and what many seem to desire to achieve the balance, but a better balance can be achieved without that fish centric attitude and philosophy.

Balance the needs of the plants first(plantcentric thinking), then feed the fish whatever.

The fish waste is secondary, icing on the cake and when you dose once a week at small amounts of inorganic ferts, this uoptake of fishj waste is further maximized and the tank does better and grows better.

This allows you to keep a non CO2 planted tank with more plant species in better health, higher growth rates(but not insanely fast!), better aquascaping designs and layouts, with only a small dosing weekly routine and less variation in the soil type since I suggest using Onyx sand/leonardite/mulm/peat.

Less mess, easier to move plants around, more plant species etc, these are not small gains...............

That's worth a lot for only a few simple modifications.

Similarly, I did the same thing to Paul and Kevin's PMDD's theory.Overall, the idea was great, just needed a few small changes and some clarity abiout why things were occuring.

Both the PMDD and the Non CO2 method's reason's as to why algae grow and what plants need etc are incorrect.

The same will occur with non CO2 methods as it did in CO2 enriched systems and is happening in Marine planted tanks also.

Which is cool, since now we can grow at many different rates, have far more control over what we can keep, different routines to suit lazy and more amibitious folks.

Ultimately this means more success with planted tanks.
I will say Paul and Diana did extremely well, I'm just tweaking things to make them consistent and stable and going back and testing the notions as to why.

From that, I know what are the main players in the system/method and then know how to go about tweaking it.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[defdac]

Doing water changes adds CO2 back to a CO2 limited tank.
Plants and algae both can and do adapt to low CO2 environments and induce genes to make enzymes that concentrate CO2 around Rubisco, the CO2 fixing enzyme. When we add the CO2 at higher levels back, this causes the plants and algae to destroy the low CO2 enzymes and start growing without of them since they no longer need them to fix CO2 form the KH ( the -HCO3).
Why keep all this machinery around if you no longer need it? Doing weekly water changes "fools" the plants and helps encourage algae more. Algae are faster to respond to low CO2 than plants.
Once the plants do adapt, they can do well.

What about nightly buildup of CO2? In the morning the CO2-level could potentially be substantial with very low surface agitation, and if that is so it would be good with above normal circulation-levels in low-techs?

[Ian H]

What about nightly buildup of CO2? In the morning the CO2-level could potentially be substantial with very low surface agitation, and if that is so it would be good with above normal circulation-levels in low-techs?
But low tech = no CO2...................so it shouldn't be an issue surely.

Ian

[defdac]

I mean the CO2 from the substrate/filter and fishes. But perhaps it doesn't add to much of CO2 anyway.

[Ian H]

I mean the CO2 from the substrate/filter and fishes. But perhaps it doesn't add to much of CO2 anyway.
OIC! No problems from the fishes as long as the're not vastly overstocked. Should be no issues from the substrate either.

Generally I've found it good to have a gentle water current in my tanks. I think the nutrients are distributed better.

Ian

[Rider]

I have a non-CO2 45 gallon biotope tank. The substrate is soil from the river in question, covered with gravel from the river bed. Even the decorative wood came out of the mud. I stocked it with plants and fish from the catchment.

The tank is unheated, so mostly sits at 18 to 22 deg C. The lighting is two 36 Watt fluorescent tubes with a very efficient reflector.

I have been having some problems with algae. It consists of very fine green threads or very thin, almost transparent, films mainly trailing from the plants. I can get a lot of it out by twirling a satay stick through the water and entangling the algae, but that is obviously not going to get rid of it.

OK, Tom, can I suppress the algae with the right concentration of nitrate / phosphate / iron / whatever else? What do I test for, and what are the target values?

[Tom Barr]

OK, Tom, can I suppress the algae with the right concentration of nitrate / phosphate / iron / whatever else? What do I test for, and what are the target values?

I think you have enough nutrients, but need more plants, eg, floating plants, at least 10-25% of the surface.

With non soil based substrates, I know what types of nutrients the tank needs and the rate.

NH4 is an issue with non CO2 soil based substrates.
Uprooting, leaking etc can cause issues. Stale soil after a few months also causes issues.

How old is the substrate and what types of plants/% planted is the tank?

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Tom Barr]

What about nightly buildup of CO2? In the morning the CO2-level could potentially be substantial with very low surface agitation, and if that is so it would be good with above normal circulation-levels in low-techs?

The CO2 build up from night is used up in about 20-60 minutes when you turn of the lights.

Then the plants go into CO2 limited mode and stay there.
If you add this and a large water change( and/or expose the plants to air), often this will greatly increase a lot more than night time equilbration alone.
The amount from fish/bacteria is relatively small compared to a water change and the fish/bacteria and diffusion take place during the day as well, not just at night.

It's not an algae issue, it's a plant issue. Messing with the plant's adaptation will cause them to shut down and slow their growth until the environment stabilizes.

Plants do best in stable locations.
Hundreds of years even and this has been documented in FL springs. Clear constant temp water, ample light, same CO2(some are high CO2, some are low CO2, some medium, but all are fairly constant and have lots of plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Rider]

I think you have enough nutrients, but need more plants, eg, floating plants, at least 10-25% of the surface.

With non soil based substrates, I know what types of nutrients the tank needs and the rate.

NH4 is an issue with non CO2 soil based substrates.
Uprooting, leaking etc can cause issues. Stale soil after a few months also causes issues.

How old is the substrate and what types of plants/% planted is the tank?

Regards,
Tom Barr

The substrate is only about 2 months old. Most of the plants seem to be doing quite well, considering the transplant shock. In fact, some are pearling.

I suspect that I might not have enough plants. A lot of the foreground is still bare, as I wait for the many cuttings to grow and spread. It won't be long before the front half the soil area is covered. The back half is dominated by Myriophyllum crispatum and two different species of water ribbon with floating leaves. In terms of bio-mass, they are the biggest plants in there. I do not have any floating plants. I could put some azolla in there, but it's hard to get rid of later!

Last time I tested for ammonia, the test kit showed barely detectable levels. I'll check again.

What do you mean by uprooting and leaking? I'm not at all surprised that some of the newly planted fauna died or lost leaves, but could dead plant matter in the water upset the chemistry?

I'm not a low-tech, natural tank zealot. If you have any recommendations for water chemistry, I'll dose accordingly and taper off once the plants have grown enough to take care of it.

Thanks :)

[stcyrwm@adelphia.net]

Tom,

You say that adding Flourish Excel is an option if you want more growth. This would be a middle ground between Diana Walstead's system and the hight light, high co2 option. Would you have the same middle ground option dosing co2 at a lower level - say 10 to 20ppm? Or is there something about the Excel that makes this an option and not low co2?

Thanks, Bill

[bobby269]

Thank you for this article.

I'm going to try your method. I have some tmg, will this be sufficient( plus
equilibrium) Or should I add something else with it?

If I start excel ( 60 gallons of water) tank what amount do you suggest.
( what would 7-1 mean for this tank.

[Tom Barr]

Excel is not a Non CO2 method, I consider it part of a middle ground to CO2 enriched method, carbon enrichment if you will(rather than CO2 enriched).

You can and should do water changes if you use Excel.
If you have low light, then you can get away with longer water change intervals, say one every 4 weeks or so.

NH4 test kits will not show an algae bloom during or after the fact, only before, so you need to be looking for it before it happens, not after.

The substrate is only 2 months old and is getting close to stabilizing.
So the issues are not going to persist if you keep going and correct the algae, add more weds etc.

Do not worry what type, just add something that's easy to grow and phase them out later.

For dosing a non CO2/non Excel tank, I've given a rough guide, once a week dosing etc, a smidge of the ferts basically and a fish load.

Fish load alone can do it and adding a little KNO3 etc can really help over time.

Excel can use EI directly at about 1/4 dosing amounts 2x a week and likely be extended up to 2-4 weeks water changes. But if you have issues or want to keep things looking good and on top of it, do weekly water changes and see how well you can get the tank looking, then try backing off the water changes later if you wish.

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.


Etc

[bobby269]

I started a 65 gallon tank 8/7/2005.Lighting is 116 watts.Substrate is 1/2 gravel and 1/2 flourite.It is loaded with plants growing at the rate for a non-co2 tank,
except for wisteria which grows a lot faster.
KH=8.9 GH=10.5. I add nitrate and phosphate and equilibrium weekly. Seldom is phosphate need.Everything is green no visible algae even on the glass. So it seems to be performing like Tom suggests.
I have many Anubia plants one of which has yellow around the edges of the leaf.
I added 1/4 tsp of TMG which seems to have helped a lot.( once a week for two weeks) I am considering using TMG more often. If so what is a safe amount? If I do include TMG in the dosing would it be okay to continue adding nitrate, phosphate and equil.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Tom Barr]

Yes, you defintiely should add TMG once a week. It does not need to be much. 10mls, or 2 x 5 mls. You can test the GH once a month or two to see if it's going up.down and then back off if it's going up or add more if it's going down.

Anubias seem to be trace sensitive which is odd for such a slow growing plant.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Patrice]

Hi Tom, the EI method gave me everything i need to not have algae anymore. Now, this non CO2 method seem even beter due to the fact that it need less to get as great result.
I have my 50g tank ready for the try. What do you think about 96w? is it to mutch?

[Laith]

Tom, I think I'm going to give this method a try. I have an old 48l (12.5g) tank with a 15w light on it. Several questions:

- Is this lighting (1.2wpg) too low even for a non-CO2 tank? It's the lighting that came with the tank.

- My tapwater has a KH of 15 and a GH of 18-19. I can grow most plants in this water in hi-light CO2 setups. But for a tank without water changes, should one top off with tap water, or with RO water to limit the increase in GH? Another option of course would be to start off with 100% RO water, add Seachem Eq. and baking soda to get KH and GH to around 5 or 6 and then top off with RO water, adding the Eq. once in a while?

[xofish]

Hi All,

First posting here. I have always been daunted by the hi-tech aspect of aquaria but came across this thread and am intrigued.

I live in NYC and do not have a decent local fish store nearby or at least something other than pet central. I want to start a 20gal tank that is easy maintenance like the ones described but where to start.

Would some kind soul be willing to give me a parts needs list or direct me to one?

Are my plant choices limited when using this kind of set up or are there specific types I should avoid and lean towards?

I was thinking of having a schooling group of fish and like that 'look'. I was leaning towards neon tetras but if someone suggests something else I would consider.

I think I read about an algae eater but I could not find the specific name?

I know, lots of questions, but beginners always are. Aren't they?

Thanks so much and hope this thread is not too old to get a response.

David:)

[Tom Barr]

Hi Tom, the EI method gave me everything i need to not have algae anymore. Now, this non CO2 method seem even beter due to the fact that it need less to get as great result.
I have my 50g tank ready for the try. What do you think about 96w? is it to mutch?

I'd use T5's at 1.5w/gal or less even.
Or about 80-100w T8's etc.
I think the watts are fine, but it's so bright right near the bulbs of the 96 watt lights, you'd better off raising it up at least 6-10". 10" would be okay ansd then you'd get a nice light spread. Not sure if you can do that with your hood or might be willing to DIY a hood that's that tall etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Tom Barr]

L- a 24 w T5 or a 20w T12 would be best.
A 24w T5 should be raised as suggested (6") in prior posting.

GH and KH will drop over time if you do not do water changes and prune and export plant biomass. So just use tap.
Top off with tap also.




Regards,
Tom Barr

[Tom Barr]

Hi All,
Are my plant choices limited when using this kind of set up or are there specific types I should avoid and lean towards?

I was thinking of having a schooling group of fish and like that 'look'. I was leaning towards neon tetras but if someone suggests something else I would consider.

I think I read about an algae eater but I could not find the specific name?

I know, lots of questions, but beginners always are. Aren't they?

Thanks so much and hope this thread is not too old to get a response.

David:)

I think I mentioned several types previously in the article.
Generally easier bread and butter type plants are best, money wort, Java fern, water sprite, Egeria, Hygro's and the like.
Then you phase in harder to grow plants slowly.

Amano shrimp are suitable for smaller schooling fish.
Very good cleaners, SAE's also.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[richr]

I've been running an EI-method 72g for some time. I've had a lot of success with a wide variety of plants,

http://www.bcdef.com/pix/fish/tanks/tank1.jpg

but now that I have a decent size fish load, dealing with algae issues has been a bit of a challenge.

On the other hand, I have a few smaller tanks with no EI or CO2 (and no ferts beyond fish food and wastes, and with easier, low light plants (egeria, anubias, ...) I've had a lot of luck as well.

http://www.bcdef.com/pix/fish/tanks/tank2.jpg

I do weekly 50% water changes on all tanks, but other than that the non-CO2 have been low light, low work as Tom has suggested, but perhaps a little less interesting in some ways.

[Henry Hatch]

Tom,

I am interested in setting up a non co2 tank. I have a pressurized co2 tank and am getting ready to set up an excel tank and eventually a non co2 tank. It's winter in New England so what else am I going to do ? I would like to compare different methods. I have some questions on your article.

1. Can I use Eco complete for a substrate ? If it can be used do I still need mulm and a carbon source such as leonardite ? If I need it ,where can I get leonardite ?

2. Are any water changes ever needed ? If so, how much, when, what is the best way to do it ?

3. I was thinking about using a powerhead and sponge or power filter and floss for circulation. What do you suggest ? Is outgassing an issue ? I realize this is a non co2 tank but there will be small amounts of co2 present . Does this need to be preserved ?

Thanks.

Henry Hatch

[Tom Barr]

HH,
Yes, EC will work great.
Leonardite may be added, mulm should be no matter what type of tank. Hydroponics stores sell it, Diamond Black or something or another.

WC are not needed unless you doa major rework/uprooting etc, once every 6months perhaps.

I'd personally use a canister filter or a HOB filter.
Never been a fan of internal filters, that's tank space better suited for other items(fish, plants etc).

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Henry Hatch]

Thanks Tom,

How's this for a substrate. 1" leonardite, a thin layer of gravel from an established tank on top of the leonadite. 2-3" of eco complete for top layer.

Henry

[Tom Barr]

Try 1/2" or less of leonardite
It's a bit like peat.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Henry Hatch]

I'm getting ready to set up my 20 gallon non co2 tank. I think any system of growing plants that rewards laziness is worth a try.

The light is a cheapo 2 bulb fixture with 30 watts of light with white gloss reflective material. I could not find any reflectors that fit this size fixture. Does anyone know where I might find reflectors to fit a 24" fixture ? Is there a simple DIY method for someone who isn't too handy that might work ? Since these lights are not very efficient could I add one more bulb for 45 watts which would normally be considered high for a non co2 tank this size ?

Also, I am planning to put in a small piece of wood which I anticipate will cause some discoloration. Since water changes will be infrequent, how can I remove the discoloration ? I am concerned activated carbon will remove trace elements. Is Purigen an option ?

Henry Hatch

[Tom Barr]

These ideas are fine.
Mylar is what I used a few times and it was fine, I changed it after it got old and limey.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[milesm]

hi tom,

i would like to start up a 2.5 nano, non-co2 tank, with primarily dwarf hairgrass, anubias and java fern on driftwood. lighting will be a 13w cf, with a parabolic reflector. no circulation. no filtration. no water changes. very little ferts, weekly or every other week. tap water is moderately soft, kh and gh 3 - 4. bioload will be fairly light, a trio of endlers, couple of ghost shrimp, maybe an otto.

i plan on using turface pro league, capped with lapis lustre sand to make planting easier and to help keep the slope from flattening. how much peat should i use? and how deep should the entire substrate be?

any other suggestions? thanks.

milesm

[Tom Barr]

I think you'll have a rough time with this one.

Try adding a filter.

Trade the ghost for Amano shrimp.
A small bag of Onyx sand or ADA AS would be better.
Soil and sand will do better than the option you wanted.

The rest is fine.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[milesm]

thanks for the quick reply, tom.

as for it being a challenge, im up for it. :)

we are unable to get amano or cherry red shrimp, in Hawaii; in fact, i think there is a ban on the importation of all invertebrates, which i wholeheartedly agree with.

we've got a real problem with introduced species taking over and displacing native species. we've got established colonies of big plecos, convict and johanni cichlids, to name a few. we had an salvinia infestation in one of our lakes that required a multi-million dollar clean up effort. ok. off my soapbox.

onyx (and florite) are too expensive locally ($45+) and i've yet to see any ada products in lfs here.

i'll just use my turface and hope for the best. i'll also eschew a filter cuz i don't have one small enough, and i want to assemble this tank with stuff i already have.

[VaughnH]

Here is the filter I use for my 2 gallon nano tank, Azoo Palm Filter (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9821&N=2004+22768), it is inexpensive, works great and isn't bad looking.

[milesm]

vaughn,

i don't give my money to a company that charges double the shipping rates to Hawaii (and Alaska) customers.

i'll check other online vendors. btw, how far into the tank does that filter jut? thanks.

[Tom Barr]

I have an extra Azoo sitting here, 5$ and actual shipping is fine with me.
Darn near new.

You are going to have issues, more than need be and a 5-8$ filter can easily solve 90% of them, up for a challange and being hard headed are two different things:p

Believe me, I've done that route myself and speak from a vast array of experiences.

I have had 6-8 nanos in this range for about 3 years now.


Regards,
Tom Barr

[milesm]

tom,

ok. i'll defer to your knowledge and experience. i pm'ed you for info about buying the filter.

i'm curious: would the problems relate to the production/accumulation of nh4? would mulm reduce cycling time? would turface (uncapped) from an established tank suffice? i have enough to use in the 2.5 from another tank that's been running for about 6 months.

btw, how far into the tank does that filter jut? thanks.

milesm

[VaughnH]

The Palm filter doesn't really jut into the tank. It has a half inch diameter inlet pipe, transparent, that goes down into the tank. The top of the filter sits out of the water, with most of it behind the tank, and only the flow channel hanging over the edge of the tank. Here is what it looks like. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-2/1142688/nanotank.jpg

[milesm]

thanks hoppy.

it looks it has a nice slim profile.

[turbomkt]

I'd have to say the Azoo Palm (as well as all of the other almost identical "palm" filters) are nice. I ran one with nothing but ceramic on my betta tank for quite a while. It was just nice to have a little extra space for bacteria.

I also have 5 of the lights in Hoppy's picture ;)

[VaughnH]

That light is only $20 at Home Depot, and is a 20 watt, 4 parallel tube CF bulb, with a nice color temperature. It seems perfect for a desk nano tank, although it does take up more room on the desk.

[Sleepy_lancs]

Hi Tom,

Just to do a quick check to ensure what I understand is correct:

For all Low Maintenance Tank (Non-CO2)

We add weekly 1/4 tsp of SeaChem EQ, 1/8 tsp of KNO3 & 1/32 tsp of KH2PO4 per 20 US Gal tank?

That would mean that for 100 Gal tank consisting of 1/5 of Java ferns and 4/5 of crypt with peat moss and JBL Aquabasis Plus as base fertiliser will be 1.25 tsp of EQ, 0.625 tsp of KNO3 and 0.156 tsp of KH2PO4 weekly? Lighting is 4 x 55watts PL Lights for 8 hours

Would that be the same dosing bases for a 43 Gal tank consisting of all nanas with only JBL Aquabasis Plus as based fertiliser? EQ = 1/2 tsp, KN03 = 1/4 tsp, KH2PO4=1/16 weekly? Lighting is 2 x 30 watts FL Lights for 10 hours.

And I do not add addition Fe or trace?

Any other things that I should take note?

Thanks in advance