Top Aquarists' Tank Parameters

[Mmiller2001]

I follow Greggz and try to emulate what he does; as his tank is insanely beautiful. So hopefully this will give some insight to those who want to dig a bit deeper. Burr740 is Joe Harvey fyi.

Pulled from here.

https://www.plantedtank.net/threads/share-your-dosing-thread.1288329/

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Brandy]

Hey that is a cool thing. But I don't understand the pH- column? what do those numbers refer to? Also are all these tanks with CO2 injection?

[Mmiller2001]

1 minute ago, Brandy said:

Hey that is a cool thing. But I don't understand the pH- column? what do those numbers refer to? Also are all these tanks with CO2 injection?

Yes to CO2 and the pH-is the drop from degassed CO2 to maxed CO2.

[Brandy]

Ahhh, Ok, that makes total sense. 

[Mmiller2001]

59 minutes ago, Brandy said:

Ahhh, Ok, that makes total sense. 

I read another article from Tom Barr; where he said you can use the estimated index dosing for low-tech tanks at 1/3 to 1/4 a normal dosing. FYI

What's great about this table is the ratios.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[gardenman]

I was confused by the pH too. I thought, "Okay, so their tanks are filled with hydrochloric acid. Interesting. Not the way I'd do it, but whatever."

[Streetwise]

I recognize the username from another forum. @TheDukeAnumber1, is this a dosing schedule?

[Eric R]

Also, the Sub column is substrate, here is the key: I - Inert............... E-Eco Complete............ A - Active...................D - Dirt................F - Flourite

[Mmiller2001]

30 minutes ago, Streetwise said:

I recognize the username from another forum. @TheDukeAnumber1, is this a dosing schedule?

Yes, and the Parameters they keep...GH, KH and the relative ratios.

[TheDukeAnumber1]

I really like to see how precise some of those tanks are tuned too. I use the "PPS-Pro" dosing mix Edward developed.

https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/pps-pro

[Mmiller2001]

2 hours ago, Streetwise said:

@Mmiller2001, I enjoy seeing these other techniques in action. I have my style, but I love watching all the hobby journeys.

Me too. To me, its just so interesting. I love it.

[Mmiller2001]

1 hour ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

I really like to see how precise some of those tanks are tuned too. I use the "PPS-Pro" dosing mix Edward developed.

https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/pps-pro

I tried PPS Pro, but I failed at it at that time. But interestingly, my EI is getting leaner!

[gardenman]

I wonder if anyone has ever taken a PAR reading in a tank outside under the noon sun to see what the absolute maximum PAR should be. The guy with the PAR of 163 might just be brighter than the sun.

[Isaac M]

Hi @gardenman, there is a video that I could not find unfortunately of when Cory did exactly that in one of his old outdoor ponds. If I remember correctly, the par reading was way high though. It was not even comparable to our aquariums with artificial lighting haha hopefully someone knows which video I am talking about and they can link it here. 

[Eric R]

I think that most commonly when we use PAR for planted tanks, that the units we are measuring in are micro-mols per meter squared per second, which is equivalent to the slightly more accurate and technical term PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density). If that's the case, then yes, sunlight has a much higher ppfd than even the strongest planted tank lights (at least according to this one source I quickly found): https://www.ledtonic.com/blogs/guides/sunlight-ppfd-measured-over-an-afternoon

Video about units for PAR vs PPF vs PPFD:

 

I feel like we should start saying PPFD instead of PAR, but I've never actually used a PAR meter and don't know what units they give for results. I know that on plantedtank.net, I've started to see PPFD used more, though PAR is still commonly in use.