aquarium plants nutrients

arun · Post by **arun** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 10:38 am

Hi

I'd like to ask about the COllins & SEars method. I have 2 planted tanks, i of which has a CO2 injection system. My plants are doing well but the rate of growth is not too good. What do I do?

Lighting in the CO2 tank(36X15X18 inches)

1 pll 36 watts and 2 20 watt true lights.
Total light around 150 watts. The CO2 diffusion is almost 100%. I would like to know about the rate of CO2 injection.

bye all

Arun.

Rick Dotson · Post by **Rick Dotson** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 5:19 am

The Collins & Sears paper was written for a lower light/lower growth tank in mind. They are advocating to limit phosphate, which in a high growth tank will become very low which can limit plant growth. PMDD is an inexpensive way to fertilize your tank, but you need to match the nutrients to your tank growth and local water supply. Check out other post on this site for more information.

Ghazanfar Ghori · Post by **Ghazanfar Ghori** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:25 pm

I used the PMDD recipe in my tanks when I started up.
It's a good starting point and plants do well with
it.

Can you provide more details on your setup?
You mentioned you have a total of 150Watts but
you only mentioned a 36Watt + 2x20Watt bulbs.

Also, what substrate are you using?
Is your CO2 pressurised CO2 or DIY?
Are you using any fertilizers?

arun · Post by **arun** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 10:13 am

What is PMDD? The 36 w PLL has a light intensity of 180 hence 220 w of light in the 36x18x18 tank. CO2is pressurized. Bubble rate of around 3 to 4 per minute

Substrate -1-laterite
2-acid washed graded sand
3-iron pellets interspersed
Thanks
Arun

Rick Dotson · Post by **Rick Dotson** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:14 pm

PMDD is a home made plant fertilzer. It is referenced in the Sears & Collins paper. Many people have had good luck using it in their aquariums. Check the plant nutrient section on the forum for other posts on this topic.

Ghazanfar Ghori · Post by **Ghazanfar Ghori** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:46 pm

If you're not using any buffering, check how
much CO2 you have using the ph/KH relationship.
You should be shooting for 25-30 ppm of CO2.
3-4 bubbles per min sounds like you're not getting
enough CO2 into the tank.

Look <a href="http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm" target="_blank">here..</a>

aquarium plants nutrients

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