Mmiller2001

I pulled the trigger. A formal competition tank has been purchased. Pure Dutch plants to fish.

The hard scape should be counted as a plant species per Dutch rules and should be kept to a minimum and in many cases contains a moss. Here is a true Dutch with hard scape.

You will never overdose copper while using any aquarium specific fertilizers.

Exactly this, no need for much pressure, fill the reactor and surface area determines the amount of CO2.

Your tap water is fine imo. When you get home, read this https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/ph-kh-gh-tds/gh-explained I believe this is a Micro issue and @Seattle_Aquarist will be a wealth of knowledge here shortly.

I think you’re a little discombobulated here. An addition of calcium would not cause a magnesium deficiency. As @Seattle_Aquarist request, what’s the GH of of t your source water?

Ratios don’t matter. If you are saying your Mg is low, yet have a GH of 13 degrees, then you have a ton of Ca. You would only need to add Mg. Of which you only need about 5ppm of Mg. Twisting can be cause by several things, but I’d rule out Ca based on the information you are posting. EDTA and DTPA are common chelated forms of Fe. They require a certain level of pH for the plants to be able to utilize the Fe. EDTA works at pH below 6.7/8 and DTPA can go higher. If the KH is as you say, your pH is definitely higher than ideal. Switching to the appropriate chelate will let your plants get more Fe. If you exceed the pH for each chelate, you will lock out Fe all together.

You only really need 5ppm of Mg for plants. Looks more like Micro nutrient issue versus Mg. I’d switch to a DTPA micro option. If your pH is above 6.8, you are not getting much Fe to the plants. Equilibrium adds Ca, Mg, Fe and K. I’d go buy a bag of epson salt from the pharmacy and add that for Mg.

That’s awesome with the push to connect!

A Yugang reactor is prime for DIY CO2. The reactor, when crafted correctly, has built in safety so it’s impossible to gas the fish. They are also cheap to make and only require some pvc and barbs. The flow passing through the reactor should be low so you don’t need an expensive pump or a canister can run it with a bypass. If you have any questions, let me know.

Good luck in your setup.

Verify?

😆, me too! Honestly, I’ve found magic eraser to be the safest way to not scratch the glass. I’ll drain the tank half way and get to work on it.

Elbow grease is the most effective.

75 gallons is the max size for a diffuser. You will need to run multiple diffusers.

On a tank this size, you’re going to want a reactor.

Water changes should not cause any deaths. If this a frequent issue, I would be concerned. Steps I would take, use a tub or similar to fill, add a pump or air stone, declorinate as soon as the storage is filled and add heaters to keep the water near tank temperatures and to off gas excess CO2. Water changes are incredibly important in a planted tank. Organics, soluble and insoluble, will build up and cause problems. You can’t test for these with hobbyist level test kits, but need to be removed. I prefer 50% weekly and often do near 90% when I really want my tank to look the best possible. 50% makes calculating nutrients easier and is why I mostly stick to this amount. This tank received 60% weekly and 90% twice a week 1 month before the AGA. I’ll add that water changes also replace Macro and micro nutrients. For example, Calcium and Magnesium (GH). In many ways, water changes keep the tank water stable. You don’t see all in one fertilizers with Calcium and contain insignificant amounts of magnesium.

It’s looking very solid!

Alan Le regulators are top tier and I would highly recommend going to a higher quality rig. CO2art and fzone are not as good as you will read. GLA too, had I spent the money and a better rig, I would have saved 100's.

Sure, pm me.

Tulu

KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, CaSO4. MgSO4 and a carbonate (optional K2CO3). Micro mixes come in several variates. They are all dirt cheap, last a long time and just need a set of small Teaspoons or gram scale. You can dump them in dry or make your own solution. I’ve done both and recently make my own solution. It’s just too easy to squeeze a bottle and dump it in.

Blue ones Kamaka, orange tale Basmani.

It’s in the holding tank. Should I swap it with the Furcata?

If the source water is high PO4, I’d find a fertilizer option that only adds N,K and traces. This can be challenging with liquid fertilizer, but using dry fertilizer is the way to go here. What’s the NO3 out of your tap?