Dosing:

[Tug]

✒ Determining Chemical Concentrations - The Krib

✒ Wet's Nutrient Calculator

✒ James' Dosing Calculator

When plants find sufficient nutrients,
energy is available for photosynthesis,
Carotenoids, Xanthophylls and Chlorophyll - all good.

Light (1.2wpg T5HO) - High Tech (DIY CO2)
50% Weekly Water change.

The Stuff of EI
Macro and Micro - nutrients.

T20 gal:
24" x 12" x 16"

NPK - Dose, on days I through VII.
4mL/65L ≈ NO3, 2.6 ppm & 0.5 ppm PO4.

Trace - Dose, on days I through VII.
Fe is a proxy for all trace nutrient levels.
4mL/65L ≈ 0.2ppm Fe, from CSM+B & 0.02 dGH

NPK MIX
62 g. KNO3 ~ 12 tsp

12 g. KH2PO4 ~ 2 tsp
12 g. K2SO4 + ~ 2 tsp
900 mL container/distilled water

DC tap water contains 2ppm of NO3 & PO4, respectively.

Typical uptake rates with non-limiting CO2, per day (24 hours):

• NO3 1-4ppm
• NH4 0.1-0.6ppm (do not dose NH4!It will cause algae)
• PO4 0.2-0.6ppm

These rates do not assume that you will show deficiencies if you dose less than this, but adding more than these rates will not help further plant health.
This is a point that the aquarist needs to understand. Basically, it is extremely unlikely your plants will ever need more than these rates even at high light intensities. Adding enough nutrients to prevent anything from becoming deficient is the goal, not precise uptake and growth requirements.

CSM+B Trace
Fe 7% Mg 1.50% Cu 0.1% B 1.18%
Mn 2% Zn 0.4% Mo 0.06%

✒ CSM+B DIY Formula ~ Biollante
✒ Comparison Of Trace Products ~ James' Planted Tank

Trace MIX *19ml = 1/4 teaspoon of dry Plantex, 2(Fe).
52 g. Plantex CSM+Boron ~12 tsp

12 g. DTPA ~3 tsp
7 g. Fe gluconate ~3 tsp
15 g. MgSO4 + ~ 3 tsp
900 mL container/distilled water

Plantex CSM+B is often mixed into solution for liquid dosing. 1 tablespoon to 250ml water is equivalent to: 20 ml = 1/4 teaspoon of dry Plantex.

Chelated Fe types.

For moderately hard water consider using DTPA Fe in addition to Plantex.

CMS+B, Fe Gluconate and DTPA Fe at 4:1:1 ratio by volume.

To prevent mold/bacteria:

1. Take distilled water and add the antifungal.
   ✒ 20-25mls of Excel -Or- Flourish Excel Alternatives.
   ✒ Or, 1g Ascorbic Acid & 0.4g Potassium Sorbate.
   ✒ Or, 5mls pool acid.
2. Wait five - ten minutes.
3. Add fertilizer & Top off to 1 liter.
   
   
   
   ✒ Tom's EI light: for those less techy folks
   ✒ PMDD style EI dosing
   ✒ AquariumFertilizer.com

DC Water and Sewer Authority - Water Quality Test Results

[shoggoth43]

You can keep the DIY yeast clean in a couple of ways. One is to install a DIY bubble counter. Essentially you get a second bottle. Fill it with some water maybe half way or so. In the cap drill two holes. One will go to the tank and the other to the yeast bottle. The yeast bottle tube will run into the bubble counter through the cap and needs to have the hose ( or a connected tube ) down near the bottom of the bottle or under the water level. The tube to the tank needs to be well above the water line. CO2 will bubble up through the water. Any yeast which escapes will be trapped by the water and only the CO2 will bubble up out the top and on into the tank. When replacing the yeast solution you can just replace the water in your bubble counter at the same time if it's dirty.

The other way would be to lower the water level in the yeast bottle. I've done reasonably well with your standard 2 Liter Coke bottle. Throw a couple cups of sugar and yeast into the bottle and make sure it is filled no higher than the top of the label. As long as the tube doesn't hang too far into the bottle you should have sufficient clearance that the yeast bubbling away doesn't make it high enough to enter the tube. This is probably the simplest of the two methods but won't do anything to stop yeast if it gets high enough. The other method will filter it out.

-
S

[Tug]

Nutrient reactions
in accordance with Liebig's law of minimum.

"When two or more factors limit growth, addition of just one will have little effect. The provision of both will have a much greater influence"
- WIKI

Marginally low in a number of nutrients, one unavailable nutrient limits overall growth, over time.
Increase supply of that limiting nutrient, even slightly, increasing the demand for nutrients and another nutrient, the next unavailable, becomes limiting.

Macro Nutrients

C, H, O, N, P, K, S, Ca and Mg

Mobile or non mobile elements.
Mobile nutrients can be reclaimed from old leaves and used to produce new growth.
Nonmobile nutrients can not and nutrient deficiencies show up in new growth.

Carbon (Nonmobile)
✒ CO2 and Light
✒ 35-40 mg/L
✒ DIY CO2
✒ Non CO2 methods
✒ Dissolved organic carbon (DOC).

After ten days of CO2 supplementation there should be a noticeable increase in growth.

Environments with elevated CO2 will require non-limiting macro-nutrient and trace due to the vigorous nutrient uptake from the plants. Moderately lit aquatic environments with ample CO2 have 4 ~ 5 times greater growth then low or inconstant CO2 levels. Under higher lighting, CO2 is essential or plants quickly becomes CO2 limited, leading to growth deficiencies and unwanted algae.


Hydrogen
Hydrogen is necessary for building sugars and building the plant. It is obtained almost entirely from water. Hydrogen ions are imperative for a proton gradient to help drive the electron transport chain in photosynthesis and for respiration.

Oxygen
✒ Barr Report Newsletter (BRN) - Oxygen
✒ Dissolved Oxygen 6ppm
The efficiency of nitrifying bacteria is at it's best when the water is near oxygen saturation and most oxygen concentrations below 3 ppm are not considered healthy. The approximate saturation level for oxygen at 50° F. is 11.5 mg/l; at 70° F., 9 mg/l; and at 90° F., 7.5 mg/l. Impurities added to the water (i.e. salt) or an increase in altitude (above sea level) further decrease these saturation levels.

Energy from respiration drives metabolic processes. In plants these processes include the absorption of plant nutrients (salts) into roots, transport of potassium (K) into and out of guard cells. Other functions: synthesis of proteins, lipids and structural components of plants such as cellulose and other fibers all require O2. Synthesis of storage compounds in stems, roots and seeds also require O2.

Nitrogen (very mobile)
✒ BRN - Nitrogen
✒ Nitrogen cycle.
NO3 ≮ 5ppm
DC Tap water 2ppm
Fish waist, (ammonia / nitric acid).
KNO3

Calcium (Nonmobile)
Ca++ ≮ 10ppm
DC Tap water 44ppm
✒ BRN - Calcium
Thought to enhance uptake of N-NO3. Calcium deficiency can cause stunting of the terminal buds; developing roots, distorted new growth (twisted, bent, maybe cupped leaves) black spots/white leaf margins and impaired root function. Some sources of calcium are; Gypsum plaster/Plaster of Paris (CaSO4.1/2H2O), calcium sulphate (CaSO4) and Calcium Chloride Dihydrate (CaCl2.2H2O).

Magnesium (mobile)
Mg++ ≮ 3
DC Tap water ~9ppm
✒ BRN - Magnesium
Magnesium is the only mineral constituent of the chlorophyll molecule accounting for near 20% of total Mg in plants. Magnesium serves as a structural component necessary for protein synthesis. Most reactions involving phosphate transfer specific to ATP require this element, as well as, the activities of several other enzymes. As an example, insufficient magnesium can restrict RuDP carboxylase and CO2 assimilation. Deficiency symptoms often result in leaf distortion for this reason. Other symptoms include interveinal chlorosis of the lower leaf, in which the veins remain green; advancing to uniform pale yellowing of the leaf, to brown and necrotic.

✒ GH & KH
My tap water's total hardness (GPG), 5.3 - 11
Alkalinity is 37 - 111ppm

Phosphate (mobile)
PO4 ≮ 0.4ppm
DC Tap water ~2ppm
Fish waist/Fish food
KH2PO4

• A useful animal cell buffering agent, a component of DNA, RNA, ATP, phospholipids, bulbs and flowers.
• GSA, indicates high levels of light, low phosphate and/or low CO2.

✒ BRN - Phosphorus
✒ False positive for CO2
✒ Limiting plant growth

Potassium (very mobile)
K+ ≮ 5ppm
DC Tap water ~3ppm
K2SO4
Plants can not use phosphate or nitrate when they don't have potassium available.
✒ BRN - Potassium

Sulfate (Moderately mobile)
SO4
DC Tap water ~54ppm
✒ BRN - Sulfur
Although sulfur is most often regarded as secondary nutrient,
plant requirements for sulfur are equal to and sometimes exceed those for phosphorus.

[Philosophos]

Get your self some KH2PO4, much easier to work with than figuring out seachem's product. You can reduce your constant measuring with everything if you just make a bottle of macros in DI and dose by ml. I find it offers more accuracy and less work; a tsp measure has a far larger margin of error than a middling scale.

-Philosophos

[Tug]

Micro Nutrients

Ratios of and in themselves have much less impact and significance....

Iron (Nonmobile)
DC Tap water ~0.02ppm
✒ Fe uptake and active Fe in plants
✒ BAR - Iron and Manganese.

Manganese (Nonmobile)
✒ Do you want more? Wet's "Good Shit".
DC Tap water ~0.0012ppm

Zink (mobile)
DC Tap water ~0.0021ppm

Copper (Nonmobile)
✒ BAR - Copper and Zinc
DC Tap water ~0.008-0.1ppm
CSM+B ~0.005ppm
The LC50 for CuSO4 is around 0.46ppm for cherry shrimp.

Molybdenum (mobile)
Mo ≯ 0.01ppm
DC Tap water 0.001ppm
✒ BAR - Boron and Molybdenum
Most molybdenum in plants is concentrated in the enzyme nitrate reductase, essential to inorganic nitrogen assimilation (Reduces NO3 to NO2 and then quickly to NH4 for assimilation into amino acid production) occurring in the envelope of chloroplasts in leaves. As such, deficiency symptoms are very similar to those for nitrogen and potassium deficiency. Molybdenum may also play a part in iron absorption and translocation in plants and increase antioxidant function. Molybdenum deficiencies are rare, in most cases. However, excessive dietary intake of molybdenum results in copper deficiency in some animals.

DC à la carte:

pH 7.6 with an Alkalinity of 62ppm as CaCO3

Cl ~32ppm ❦ Na ~16ppm ❦ Ni ~0.002ppm ❦ Al ~0.049ppm ❦ Iodide ~0.027ppm ❦ B (ND) ❦ Co (ND)

✒ Nutrient deficiencies - James' Planted Tank
✒ Mineral Deficiency - Lincoln Taiz and Eduardo Zeiger
✒ List of Recommended Levels and Parameters - Tom Barr
✒ Parameters,1996-1997 - Tom Barr
✒ EI Dosing, or No Need for Test Kits
✒ Calibrating Test Kits - for Non-Chemists - Hoppy

[Tom Barr]

I'd not worry much about anything related to K+ and traces.
Spend your time with light, CO2 etc.


Regards,
Tom Barr

[Tug]

CO2 is all that is left, but a critical dosing parameter, more so than any other.
Sicne it is central to plant growth, any limitation of a fert will influence it's uptake and phenotypic growth expression radically. - Tom Barr

CARBON

✒ Carbon pathway, why CO2 stability is so important?

Many dosing methods suggest that they have some way of solving all your algae issues. Curiously, such methods also fail to address algae growth and causes at the root.

Plants have a rough time adapting to different CO2 levels, algae do not(they are virtually never limited by CO2). Plants need to make a lot more Rubsico to adjust to lower levels, often several times more(10-20X with CO2 enriched vs no CO2) and it takes time for the plant to make these enzymes.

Changing CO2 around day to day, hour to hour, week to week the plant struggles and spends more energy adapting to CO2, than with growth, acquiring nutrients, catching light etc. In non CO2 systems, changing water frequently causes a spike in high CO2 week to week etc, done only once every few months is better.

For CO2 enriched tanks(non limiting CO2 systems), changing water has no such impact. The plants do not need to adapt to CO2 since they have ample CO2 and supply for all conditions.

Add non-limiting CO2 and the plant's demand for nutrients becomes more vigorous.

Put another way; when the plants needs are met and grow well, algae does not.

"At low light and low CO2 there is not much energy to play around with for up or down-regulation of the pools of Chlorophyll or enzymes. If we then add a little more CO2 to the system the plant can afford to invest less energy and resources in CO2 uptake and that leaves more energy for optimizing the light - more Chlorophyll can be produced without fatal consequences from the energy budget. Hence, we have not raised the light and the plants can now utilize any available light - more efficiently." - Tropica

Tropica's study on Riccia and the affect of resource availability on growth.

Diagram courtesy of John LeVasseur

30-50micromol along the sediment is ample light for ANY species.

Diagram courtesy of VaughnH/Hoppy

Diagram courtesy of VaughnH/Hoppy

☯

The Drop Checker
http://www.njagc.net/articles/co2dropchecker.htm
One drop checker is good...
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread...-bunch-of-fish
Measuring CO2 Levels
http://web.archive.org/web/200806101...t_co2chart.htm
The high light requirement myth
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread...quirement-myth
CO2 and Light Stimulate Growth, - Tropica
http://www.tropica.com/en/tropica-ab...and-light.aspx
All You Ever Wanted To Know About CO2 But Were Afraid To Ask
http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/Co2/co2_faq.htm

[Philosophos]

I like what you've done with the OP