Nitrate level advice

[Ruadh]

I need to raise the N’ate level in my planted tank and need advice on how, please.

Tank specs:

PH = 7.8 right now I have the CO2 turned off. When it’s on the PH = 6.8 maintained by controller. I’ll be getting a new bottle of gas tomorrow.

GH = 20 Raw tap water = 15

KH = 7

Amm = 0

N’ate = 0 – 5 ppm

N’ite = 0

Phos = .5

I use the EI method and do a 50% change on Sudays.

I use KNO3 for the potassium (about 20 – 22 ppm)

This also gives me about 5 ppm of N’ate.

What can I use to get my N’ates up to about 20 ppm?

My Java fern is quite black due to low levels of N’ate according to “The Planted Tank”.

I haven’t registered on there, I prefer to use this Alberta board.

What say you all??

Thankx

Rick

[werner]

Just increase the amount of KNO₃ that you're adding. K is one of those things that you can't accurately test for anyways, so I wouldn't worry about it increasing too.

If your tank is sucking up the NO₃, perhaps you should double check your PO₄ too. You may need to increase all your dosing. There should be enough nutrients so that there's an excess to be removed at the end of the week via the water change.

[jvision]

I agree with Werner. What size of tank do you have? The whole reason why I use EI method is so that I don't have to test. The last article on this page gives the dosage for tank sizes.

[Ruadh]

Hi Jason, Werner.

The tank is an Oceanic 175 gl. It holds about 150 actual gls.

If I double or even tripple the KNO3, will that put the potasium up too high?

This is what I'm afraid of doing. If it goes up too high, even 50% changes won't bring it down.

[werner]

Since there aren't really any reliable potassium test kits out there, it's hard to say what the common levels really are. There's very little information out there regarding K excess; most sources recommend dosing it freely.

Play around a bit with the Fertilator to see the concentrations you would get from increasing your dosing.

For example: if you're adding 4 tsp of KNO₃ to 150 gallons of water, that will give you about 22ppm of nitrates and only 14ppm of potassium. You will also get some additional potassium from KH₂PO₄, but it's fairly minimal. Some people will add K₂SO₄ for even more potassium.

[Ruadh]

Since there aren't really any reliable potassium test kits out there, it's hard to say what the common levels really are. There's very little information out there regarding K excess; most sources recommend dosing it freely.

Play around a bit with the Fertilator to see the concentrations you would get from increasing your dosing.

For example: if you're adding 4 tsp of KNO₃ to 150 gallons of water, that will give you about 22ppm of nitrates and only 14ppm of potassium. You will also get some additional potassium from KH₂PO₄, but it's fairly minimal. Some people will add K₂SO₄ for even more potassium.

Thankx Werner

I'll give messing around a try.

I just wasn't sure about the negative results would net.

[jvision]

I read a study by Tom Barr, and he dosed up to 100ppm of K with no ill effects to fish or plants. Don't think you have to worry about excess K. A 50% WC each week will "reset" the tank, keeping everything from getting out of hand.

[Ruadh]

I read a study by Tom Barr, and he dosed up to 100ppm of K with no ill effects to fish or plants. Don't think you have to worry about excess K. A 50% WC each week will "reset" the tank, keeping everything from getting out of hand.

Right on

Thankx Jason

That sets my mind at ease.

[jewels]

We like Alberta.

I had a fern turn black. I blamed it on excess light --- but i guess that would be nearly impossible in a tub as large as yours. Low Nitrates sounds like a more plausible explanation. All kidding aside ,,, buy more fish

[Drydock]

We like Alberta.

I had a fern turn black. I blamed it on excess light --- but i guess that would be nearly impossible in a tub as large as yours. Low Nitrates sounds like a more plausible explanation. All kidding aside ,,, buy more fish

I had the same thing happening to my Java...

I am running 4 x 96W Power Compacts at 12000K. I switched the side where the Java is to 96W Atinics to see if that helps as well. Less intense, but better penetration, so I am not sure if that will really help.

I'm nursing it back to health right now in a shaded part of my tank. It was a forest on a large piece of driftwood and now it looks like a forest fire went through... I have been using EI, adding 3 tsp of KN03 - 3x per week, which should have been plenty. Still went black... must be the lights.