New tank lighting/fertilizer

[svachon9]

I will be starting a new 90 gallon community, heavy fish load, moderate plant load, low tech (no CO2).

Girl Talks Fish video recommends:

First week - no fertilizer, 50% light intensity for 6 hrs, 2nd week -25% recommended Easy Green fertilizer, 50% light/7 hrs, 3rd week 50% fertilizer and 75% light/8 hrs.

Has anyone tried this or something similar?  Keep in mind with light intensity I have a taller (24" ) 90 gallon.  It makes sense to me to start low and build up light and fertilizer while the plants go through transplant/new water shock.

 

[Macready]

Lots of variables there. Very interesting.

I might be tempted to try and hold one of the variables (ferts/light intensity/light time) stable while I tinkered with the others. Given the depth of the tank I'm thinking I'd probably hold the light intensity stable first at your best guess as to what would be needed given the depth. 

Plants are likely going to melt back at first so maybe consider going a little slower than what you've mentioned. 

Bump the light duration by half hour every week, let the plants tell you when to fertilize.  

Just my .02, interested what others have to say.

[svachon9]

On 11/8/2023 at 7:58 PM, EL2 said:

Lots of variables there. Very interesting.

I might be tempted to try and hold one of the variables (ferts/light intensity/light time) stable while I tinkered with the others. Given the depth of the tank I'm thinking I'd probably hold the light intensity stable first at your best guess as to what would be needed given the depth. 

Plants are likely going to melt back at first so maybe consider going a little slower than what you've mentioned. 

Bump the light duration by half hour every week, let the plants tell you when to fertilize.  

Just my .02, interested what others have to say.

My light is Coop's brand - 4500 lumens.  So it's a real good light.  Do you think start at 75 or 100%

[Macready]

I went back through my notes.  

I've got a 20G high and I use ACOOPs light appropriate for that size. 

I set the tank up in February and started at lighting intensity 2 (1 up from the lowest setting).  I had lots of plants in the tank and in March (1 month in) I increased to intensity 3, the next increase in intensity I made was in May and I went to intensity 4, I also installed a riser I found on Etsy to pull the light away from the lid a bit.  

I've been at intensity 4 since.  I started out at 6 hours of light a day in February and I'm up to 10 running hours split throughout the day 5 hr on, 4 hr off, 5 hr on. 

I dose Easy Green once a week and Easy Iron approximately once a month. The plants really didn't take off and start growing big time until I went to intensity 4 and had the lights on for more than 9 hours. 

I've got lots of stem plants and a huge mass of floating water sprite.  

TLDR, I brought my lighting up really slow IMO over months.  Hope this helps!

I should mention, I went so slow so I could monitor algae. I really don't want to battle that if I can help it. I get some brown diatom (?) stuff on the walls and a little bit of algae here and there but so far it's been manageable. 

Edited November 12, 2023 by EL2