Mmiller2001

Look at this product. You can basically target feed mineral and not disrupt water parameters. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089K8KG8S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_0Y1P8S9MTE97DT3H0MGV

No, so if you had a 10dKH tank, and say a 9pH degassed, you would want a 7.5 to 8pH while injecting. Once you observe a 1pH drop, keep an eye on your fish. You can keep pushing a bite more but if they congregate at the surface, then back down just a smidge and you're there.

Small rearrangement, and the struggle is real. By weeks end, the GDA has built up. I will chalk that up to a still balancing substrate. I bumped N and K up each 5ppm per week. Removed the Ammonia and will be focusing on how to grow this Pantanal well. I'm seeing why people say it's so temperamental! Just a phone shot of the tank this morning.

Increase your turnover rate in the tank or add a power head to increase flow through the tank.

Bubble rate is irrelevant. You want to calculate pH drop from degassed to peak gassed. So you would take a pH about 30 minutes before lights on, then take a pH about mid way through your photoperiod. You want a 1 to 1.5 pH drop. That will be pretty close to 30ppm CO². You can also calculate CO² by testing KH and pH and use a CO² chart, however, pH drop is more accurate.

Have you guys looked into osmocote+? I understand it's very cheap and very effective.

The beauty of this is that it's all been worked out already. There's some hardcore aquarium gardeners that share all the numbers they use. You simply use what they use and adjust slightly for each individual tank!

”Individual tank", and I will add individual substrate. I'm having to question everything I know with this Eco Complete. The struggle is real!

My thinking is this, and by no means am I saying don't use them, that's not my goal. But I will inform people, who believe they are necessary, that they are not necessary. But my thinking is this, what nutrient is low? What portion of my NPK or Micros am I low on? Does a tab make swords grow better, or did they just supply the missing portion I needed for them to grow better. And would I have too add tabs, for swords, if I could simply dose a bit higher with what was lacking? My observation was this, my sword grew fine when I used tabs, and they grew the same when I dosed the water column appropriately. I was using pool filter sand, and also believed you had to use root tabs with an inert substrates. Turned out, this was never true.

You've miss read my statement. Root tabs are not necessary with or without CO2.

Certainly, I just try to inform people that inert substrates don't require root tabs.

I would definitely dose, keep it lean for a bit and gradually increase if need be. Plants still need the P, K and Micros.

I do 50-60% every 7 days.

Looks great. Following.

Remove it yes, long term cheapest is probably a RO/DI system.

I would dose easy green, just use at 1/4 dose. What is your substrate?

Buy wild caught and use those to breed.

Do you feed those live feeder fish?

Drop light duration to 8 hours. What is your ammonia testing?

What do your nitrates test?

Root tabs are not necessary for inert substrates. Think of root tabs as a fall back for the less diligent. Here is a tank grown in black diamond blasting sand, no root tabs. Greggz's old tank. And here is the beginnings of mine in Eco Complete, also no root tabs. The best way to think of things is as this. Some plants do better in organic substrates, if they are placed in inert substrates, tabs do little to improve their overall performance. The single biggest factor is CO2, proper column fertilization and husbandry. Roots tabs can't replace these things.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489657/

Nitrification continues even in low pH, that's a misunderstanding that's been kind of passed down through the internet. Just be patient with it, it's going to take several months for it to stop absorbing your carbonates. Maybe less maybe more, but it takes time. I keep my tanks at 4GH and 0KH and many others do too. Just FYI. I think minnows like a neutral pH, so it makes sense to have some KH.

What kin of fish are you going to keep?

What are your GH and KH? What are you dosing? In my opinion, a 2nd Finnex ALC is better than a 3.0. What is your substrate and what is your pH drop from degassed to peak CO2?