Purrmaid's 36g high tech journal

[purrmaid]

Hi everyone! I thought I'd start my own journal after @JoeQ was so kind to show me his since we have similar setups. I've actually been doing live plants and co2 for a couple years but I've never had much luck with the red ones (except a red tiger lotus) and I've had near constant levels of algae on my driftwood and glass. So I thought "time to reset! Sorta!" and so I got it in my head to redo my inert fine gravel with some 'Contosoil' that amazon recommended. It had good reviews and most importantly, was on ✨️sale✨️

Thus started the long drawn out process of setting up a 10g holding tank for the few fish and plants I had and rinsing out the old gravel and cleaning the glass. It took about a week to finally get the energy to do it all (chemo bites, but this is also a good distraction project) and I finally made a layered substrate of the old gravel and the controsoil, pushed in some nilocg root tabs and started adding back my old plants and driftwood...and some new plants and driftwood bc retail therapy is fun. Also some new rocks from my brother in Missoula that passed my acid test.

So far the plants were doing fine, possibly a bit in shock. The new driftwood was growing fuzzy white biofilm, the ammonia spiked to a whopping .25 ppm but dropped back down. I put in my SAE to try and help cycle the tank after the ammonia dropped but removed him after a few days when the 6.0 pH seemed to be bothering him. I did a 15g water change since that's the max my bucket can hold but it didn't seem to phase the pH. Since then the algae has started to creep in, my old enemy, and I just can't seem to get my pH to 6.8. I've added a tablespoon or so of aragonite sand in a bag in the filter from to try and raise it last night and by this morning the pH was only 6.6 and dropped off back to 6 after a few hours of co2. The drop meter thingy only got to a teal blue/green so I'm not sure I can reduce the co2 flow much more. I'm looking at a nano air bubbler to maybe match the co2 one and raise the pH that way? I think the small one that's supposed to be for tanks up to 15g would be sufficient to supplement the aeration from the filter though. I haven't ordered it yet 🤷‍♀️ I want to get this pH issue sorted asap so I can start slowly migrating my fish back and get them out of the 10g holding tank in my kitchen but also not spike the ammonia. Some of them would probably go ham on this algae!

So here's some stats:

Plant list:

1. Cabomba 2. Dwarf mini hair grass 3. Monte carlo 4. Anubias nana 5. Mermaid weed 6. Pennywort 7. Hydrocotyle Tripartita (Clover stuff) 8. Red tiger lotus 9. Java moss 10. Amazon frogbit 11. Alternanthera reineckii  12. Ludwigia palustris super red  13. Corkscrew vallisneria 14. African water fern

Current Fish list: 6 neon tetras, nerite snail, hillstream loach, siamese algae eater (sae)

Want list (advice plz?): more neons, more nerites (maybe? Snail eggs are annoying on the driftwood), shrimp (cherry or amano? Both??), otolocinclus..-es..-li? #of?, maybe a dwarf gourami or 3 if I can find females, maybe something midsized between the gourami and neons?

Equipment:

36g bowfront tank, approx 30"L x 12-18"D x 16" H

Gravel then UN Controsoil substrate

Montana river rocks and azalea wood

Fluval 3.0 light, currently on Joe's settings (but is it bright enough for cabomba?)

Seachem Tidal 55 hob filter with sponge and ceramic rings from before the reset (and temporarily a tablespoon of Caribsea aragonite sand)

CO2 from my local welding supplier

Nilocg root tabs and PPS mix-your-own-fertilizer on a leanish dose when I remember

150w Fluval M series adjustable heater,  set at 78°F bc it was already set there and an Inkbird Bluetooth thermometer

I have some water test strips of dubious accuracy for Cl, KH, GH, pH, Nitrate+Nitrite, and the API master kit that only mastered pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrite, but failed their water hardness exams

Resources: not much. There's a well cared for Petco near me, a decent Petsmart, a couple Pet Supermarkets that are hit and miss, and 1 tiny mom n' pop LFS that has the best plants but sell a "jumbo" neon tetra for $8.

Water parameters:

Ph 6, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, kh/gh 0?? The strips really are difficult for me

 

Anyhow, here's my tank with its algae infestation lights off at night to avoid glare:

The cabomba was less twisty earlier today and the light's been off so I think I caught it in Nightmode™. I'm thinking of getting some plastic cord hider stuff at Home Depot to move the heater and thermometer cables to the corner but originally I wanted that cabomba to fill in and hide all the equipment. Everything needs to fill in/carpet but so far only the algae is 🥺

Thank you all for reading and any advice for me

 

 

[JoeQ]

There is a lot to unpack here but one of the first things I would do is turn your temperature down!!! Cooler waters are easier to grow plants in. If you want more insight on this research water temp & planted aquariums. It is a complicated topic and far too intricate for me to sum up in a few sentences. Anyhow, for a quick answer, and for various reasons I would shoot for 74~75.

As for your ph, do you know your water parameters from the tap and after 24h of aeration? This is important because it will help us figure out whats going on inside your tank. IMO i think your ph is being buffered down by the contrasoil, the driftwood (more so if its old and decomposing) and your co2 throughout the day. How many bubbles per second are you running? 

As for wondering if you have enough light at the substrate level, a good indicator is to plant easy to grow stems at various heights and watch for them to react to the light. They should open and close (im thinking this is what you mean by "night mode") in tune with the cycle of the light turning on and off. If they don't open you most likely need more light. If they close with hours of day light left you have too much! Imo 34% (of the daysim settings) should be more than enough at this point. Altho I will admit to not having much experience with advanced foreground plants light requirements. 

Edit : Also research water temp effects on oxygen levels, water temp & algae. Highly oxygenated water is a massive benefit! What im trying to say is get a bubbler because it makes more better waters! 🤣

 

 

 

Edited February 3 by JoeQ

[purrmaid]

Good Morning!

Well my strips that are only a week old may be useless

This is fresh tap water, 5 minutes after the '1 minute' development time the instructions called for. That Cl should be pink or Gwinnett County isn't clorinating their water 🤔

Regardless, I'll leave the teacup out for the day to aerate and test it with my proper kit tomorrow. What's the best way to test for gh/kh? The color change drops API sells were too subtle for me to tell and the strips have failed...maybe another brand of drops???

The cabomba woke up this morning. I wonder if the roots popping out mid stem are an indication it needs more nutrients? My nitrates have hovered around 5 and I feel like I read/watched somewhere that you want to be between 20-40.

As for my CO2 bubbles, I just watched a 10 sec video in slowmo and counted 26 bubbles. I was always under the impression that bps didn't matter though, compared to the saturation in your tank, thus the need for a drop checker. The co2 started about 20 minutes ago (I haven't updated the timer to match Joe's daysim yet) but here's our starting point

And here's our pH:

6.6 by my eyes. Or 6.5? That's the aragonite and lack of overnight co2 I bet. The bigger piece of azalea wood in there is at least 4 years old but I did try to kinda sand/scrape off the snail eggs during the reset so I would think I got off a lot of the decay as well, idk. It's growing some green hair algae right now

Well anyway time for breakfast. I'll let the co2 do its work and check back later, pull up the heater and turn it down. I don't dip my arm in water before coffee lol

[JoeQ]

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

Well my strips that are only a week old may be useless

Strips are wildly inaccurate, the "best" in my opinion are the coops strips which are better than most. But still only good for a quick test once you have a good liquid test baseline

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

What's the best way to test for gh/kh?

Look up the sera gh & kh test kits, easiest ones I found

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

I wonder if the roots popping out mid stem are an indication it needs more nutrients?

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

6.6 by my eyes. Or 6.5? That's the aragonite and lack of overnight co2 I bet.

 

6.7 to my eyes! Im not sure on the cause but for the sake of curiosity I'd test again much later in the day.

The roots popping out is the nature of the beast. I have it's cousin green myro which does the same, I am concerned about the yellowing tho, you might have been under fertilizing for the amount of light you were pushing. 

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

I was always under the impression that bps didn't matter though, compared to the saturation in your tank, thus the need for a drop checker.

This is correct but it gives me an idea how much you are pushing 

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

I don't dip my arm in water before coffee lol

That would be a crime against coffee! And for full disclosure I don't dip my arm in the tank till after I've had my bubble bath!! 🤣

On 2/3/2024 at 10:59 AM, purrmaid said:

Regardless, I'll leave the teacup out for the day to aerate and test it with my proper kit tomorrow.

Aeration means with a airstone running. Im not sure if the surface/air exchange is enough to make a difference 

[purrmaid]

Welp, I ordered an airstone that visually matches my co2 one, just bigger. Should be here Wed/ThursI'm hoping "nano bubbles" will be quieter than your standard blue stones, if not dissolve better in the water. I'm looking at the Sera tests and can't seem to find a box with both gh+kh but Fluval has a set. How do they stack up? Their lights and heaters seem pretty nice lol

Edit: I actually just made a fresh batch of pps fertilizer last night and dosed it maybe a half dose then? The plants have only had the root tabs and controsoil for the last 2 weeks bc I was afraid of *over* fertilizing! Nilocg says to make 2 bottles one for macros, one for micros, but I just put it all in one and use 500ml steaming distilled water in a spagetti sauce jar. It looks like some nasty kombucha lol

Edited February 3 by purrmaid

[JoeQ]

As for sera they sell the gh and kh separately. For the test you count the number of drops taken to reach a drastic color change (example red to green) 

As for Fluval, I have not tried any of their testing products but I am a big fan of their lights, heaters and customer support!

As for your bubbler, I have bubbler envy!!! But not so much as to tear me away from my box filter(s) that double as a airstone, additional filtration and  has adjustable flow position! So HA!!!! 

Edited February 3 by JoeQ

[purrmaid]

On 2/3/2024 at 1:36 PM, JoeQ said:

As for Fluval, I have not tried any of their testing products but I am a big fan of their lights, heaters and customer support!

One review said it was easier to read than API's. Idk how many reagents are out there that companies could choose from so it might be the same chems Sera sells, just at a better combo price.

I do wish I could hide the equipment more but the aquarium is in breakfast/dining room and the stand is open underneath. I'm able to hide the co2 behind a large decorative basket-box full of fish supplies but there's not really space for a canister filter that I could push the air, co2, and heat directly. I try to make up for it by getting slick, glass equipment that will disappear, or at the very least, look posh lol

[JoeQ]

On 2/3/2024 at 2:09 PM, purrmaid said:

One review said it was easier to read than API's. Idk how many reagents are out there that companies could choose from so it might be the same chems Sera sells, just at a better combo price.

I do wish I could hide the equipment more but the aquarium is in breakfast/dining room and the stand is open underneath. I'm able to hide the co2 behind a large decorative basket-box full of fish supplies but there's not really space for a canister filter that I could push the air, co2, and heat directly. I try to make up for it by getting slick, glass equipment that will disappear, or at the very least, look posh lol

 I think you are confusing the two, box filters are modified sponge filters. So far I have 2 tanks run completely by the box filters, my 36 has a canister and box filter running. Im actually thinking of removing my canister and seeing if the box and plants are enough to filter the tank. 

Heres the double bix filter on my 36g

They also make a smaller single unit. Heres the one in my 10g

[purrmaid]

Lol my bad. I thought 'a box is a kind of canister, maybe it's a regional term'

[JoeQ]

Lmao no troubles, a year ago I never knew what one was!! We are talking 1950s~60s technology {I think} 

[purrmaid]

And here I thought they only had under gravel filters then

Well the Sera tests are ordered. I got my bro to use his Prime so they should be here soon. All the local chain pet stores failed me 😔

The co2 shut off about an hour ago and the drop checker looked like this:

I think that's a good neutral, fish-safe green but color is so subjective

pH looks like a very yellow 6.0And nitrate still looks like 5ppm even though I did a heavier pps dose today 😕

The cabomba is still fluffed out even though the light is going dimmer. I think it's supposed to have a red tinge at the top when it gets sufficient lighting but that probably takes a few days to develop I reckon

[JoeQ]

Yup, a lot of your ph drop is from the co2. As for your dosing I believe pps pro ranges are 1ppm no3, 0.1 ppm po4, and 1.41 K2so4. I'd almost be willing to bet you can step it up to EI levels! I think your cabom will thank you for it. 

[purrmaid]

I just don't want to do that weekly 50% water change lol. I'm hoping to get to a steady point where the plants keep everything in balance and I only need to do monthly or less. I figure if I do EI it'll be too much too fast

[purrmaid]

Everything seems to look the same this morning as last. My new toys should be here tomorrow 🙌

I think I'll measure the pH first, setup the bubbler and run it for 6 hrs while the co2 runs, then retest, and do my hardness ones again with the improved Sera kits. Still debating where to put the bubbler though 🤔

Next to the co2 bubbler? The corner by the hob? The corner furthest from the hob?? Also how long to run it? If I run it all night while the co2 is off, would that not raise the pH too much, giving me the opposite problem? I also have plenty of aragonite I can add to the filter and according to the blog posts, that can raise my kh and act as a pH buffer

I'd say I should have paid more attention in chemistry class but we were working on valance shells or something mathy 🥲

Heard about something called a panda garra last night. Those may fit my tank better than otolocinclus bc they're supposedly hardier. I just wonder if their algae niche would overlap with my hillstream's too much. Otos could feasibly get into places the bigger fish couldn't but would they compare to a shrimp's ability? Idk. I suppose I could get some of each but I don't like dealing with dead nano fish. The neons are hard enough to get through quarantine.

I'm rethinking adding any new snails too, since I hate the cement-like egg capsules. I need some supplier that guarantees male ones lol. I just don't want to mess with the quarantine for females process. My only small tank for doing them would be an old 2.5g betta tank and I'd never be able to get those capsules off the acrylic 😬 I should probably sell that thing if I can ever do a garage sale. Include live plants from my hopefuly flourishing tank at that point if they seem cool lol

I have a 5g acrylic tank if I ever want to actually house a betta again, also a large glass bowl of unknown size. 3 gallons maybe?? I saw some Walsted vids on youtube and it might be an interesting project down the line to do a no filter, no tech, just a desk lamp with a plant bulb as far as equipment goes Walstad bowl for a betta whose fins would hate any flow. Maybe get my bro to 3d print a filigree cover to set in the top so my cat doesn't drink out of it. I have 3 cats, but only one drinks for any uncovered water source lol

🚽 yes even that

Cute tho

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 12:36 PM, purrmaid said:

Everything seems to look the same this morning as last.

You won't see massive changes over night, I actually need to know your fertilization routine. Getting healthy growth will have the biggest Impact on your algae growth and the snails will start making headway on the cleanup process. I thought when you mentioned DYI and Nilocg you were mixing your own. 

On 2/4/2024 at 12:36 PM, purrmaid said:

Still debating where to put the bubbler though

I usually put it in dead spots to help with flow. 

On 2/4/2024 at 12:36 PM, purrmaid said:

Also how long to run it

I keep mine on 24h a day, which has more upside than drawbacks 

On 2/4/2024 at 12:36 PM, purrmaid said:

I also have plenty of aragonite I can add to the filter and according to the blog posts, that can raise my kh and act as a pH buffer

Im not sure how long aragonite takes to break down but if you need something fast acting (such as a PH emergency) you can also sprinkle baking soda SLOWLY! and by slowly I mean a pinch wait 15 minutes, test your kh and than maybe add an additional pinch and repeat the process. I used this to save my angel fish when I first got back into the hobby. My PH became so low on account of old wood (I think) the tank felt like I was dipping my hands into orange juice! 😳

On 2/4/2024 at 12:36 PM, purrmaid said:

I have 3 cats

Im more of a dog person! 

 

As for your fish selection im not much help there. I consider my fish /snails more of accent pieces or support system for my plants. I will say this tho, watch that that ph/kh don't get too low! Im not sure how much lower (than 6.0) your fish will tolerate. 

[purrmaid]

On 2/4/2024 at 2:40 PM, JoeQ said:

You won't see massive changes over night,

Oh sorry for the confusion--I'm loosely trying to adhere to a journal format, chatting in between. I thought the minimum to qualify would be morning and nightly parameter updates until things stabilize then sorta slow it down to 'I did a trim today, come look at the before+after,' or 'I bought a new plant/creature, here it is in the qtank,' stuff like that.

 

On 2/4/2024 at 2:40 PM, JoeQ said:

I thought when you mentioned DYI and Nilocg you were mixing your own. 

I am! I like to bake so I thought it would give me a bit more control, shouldIsee any specific deficiencies. This is my set and the 'kombucha' as I call it lol. It's the pps recipe except I put both the macros and micros into the jar with 500ml distilled. The original says do them in separate bottles, 500ml water in each. It says dose 1ml to 10 gallons on both the macro and micro bottles, but since mine is both, I've been trying 5ml to a 36g tank to boost that nitrate gently

 

On 2/4/2024 at 2:40 PM, JoeQ said:

I consider my fish /snails more of accent pieces or support system for my plants.

I do to a degree as well. I've added better soil, better lights, co2, the works for the plants, not the animals lol. I like them but I don't name them. I figure giving them a beautiful, natural garden is showing far more care to them than putting them with a sunken pirate ship and pink gravel and cooing at them lovingly and naming each one.

Luckily all my fish and 1 snail are in the 10g qtank that has gravel, algaed rocks, water, plants, and biofilter media from prior to the reset. The siamese algae eater got put in the 36g for a few days to help cycle but when I noticed he looked a bit lethargic, I moved him back, did a water change, but started my water parameter crusade when the tests showed my pH was still super low lol.  The animals don't seem to mind but all I currently have are 6 older neon tetras, an older siamese algae eater, an old snail that likes to disappear for days and then show back up, and a little hillstream loach who is my youngest (and coolest) fish. I'd like to increase my critters slowly after all this settles out with more diverse cleaners, like shrimp, more neons, and maybe a few 3 inch showy fish. I like dwarf gouramis but I'm afraid of them fighting but it'd be nice to have a specimen from the 3 major color patterns. Anything bigger may decide the neons and shrimp are food.

Anyway, don't worry about the pH messing with the animals, they're in their hotel lol. I've heard of the baking soda trick but that seemed like it was for emergencies, if a water change doesn't help and you don't have a cycled quarantine tank handy. I think aragonite or crushed coral is supposed to last like 6 months but that seems reliant on a ton of variables like how much is added, temperature, pH, flow, etc. I'm thinking it may be something where I add a tablespoon to the bag, wait a few days and see what the kh stabilizes to, then repeat if still low.

Your dog is exceedingly cute. I approve lol. Alas, I'm allergic to the saliva and dogs adorably can't resist so I can usually only be around the older ones that have learned their manners. Learned that playing with a lab puppy and my arms looked like I had a sunburn where he licked and chewed on me. I haven't been in a house with a dog longterm but it would probably start affecting me there too 😅

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 3:55 PM, purrmaid said:

I am! I like to bake so I thought it would give me a bit more control, shouldIsee any specific deficiencies. This is my set and the 'kombucha' as I call it lol. It's the pps recipe except I put both the macros and micros into the jar with 500ml distilled. The original says do them in separate bottles, 500ml water in each. It says dose 1ml to 10 gallons on both the macro and micro bottles, but since mine is both, I've been trying 5ml to a 36g tank to boost that nitrate gently

Noooo! You need to mix macros & micros in separate bottles!!!! The chemicals interact and ruin its effectiveness!!!

For pps its ok to dose both marcos & micros (after your lights turn off) but mixing them together in a solution is a cardinal sin! FOR SHAME!!! 😂

Also, are you using a digital scale to messure your compounds(s) 

I've been mixing my own for awhile now. Give me a bit (i need a laptop for this) and ill share my recipe book (as well as answer the rest of your post) but for now I need to eat. 😁

Actually, I think i have some recipes in my journal 

[purrmaid]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:26 PM, JoeQ said:

Noooo! You need to mix macros & micros in separate bottles!!!! The chemicals interact and ruin its effectiveness!!!

...seriously? I can't tell sarcasm via text. I figured it was all going in the same aquarium soooo...save myself a jar? Is there really some weird interaction at that concentration??? 😬

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:48 PM, purrmaid said:

...seriously? I can't tell sarcasm via text. I figured it was all going in the same aquarium soooo...save myself a jar? Is there really some weird interaction at that concentration??? 😬

Yes im serious, welcome to my laboratory! (said with my best Dexter's lab accent) 

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:53 PM, JoeQ said:

Yes im serious, welcome to my laboratory! (said with my best Dexter's lab accent) 

And no you cant mix them all in the same jar. It took chemist's to formulate easy green for this very reason. Some chemical need special experience to combine. 

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 3:55 PM, purrmaid said:

Oh sorry for the confusion--I'm loosely trying to adhere to a journal format, chatting in between. I thought the minimum to qualify would be morning and nightly parameter updates until things stabilize then sorta slow it down to 'I did a trim today, come look at the before+after,' or 'I bought a new plant/creature, here it is in the qtank,' stuff like that.

There's no real "format" Imo, its more of a space to use as you wish (as long as it doesn't violate the Terms Of Service)

On 2/4/2024 at 3:55 PM, purrmaid said:

but started my water parameter crusade when the tests showed my pH was still super low lol.

get that Kh up and it will raise your ph, you might even see it raise some by removing wood! Its fascinating how simple objects in the tank can buffer your PH, which i never realized till I researched how to manipulate PH

 

On 2/4/2024 at 3:55 PM, purrmaid said:

I am! I like to bake so I thought it would give me a bit more control, shouldIsee any specific deficiencies. This is my set and the 'kombucha' as I call it lol. It's the pps recipe except I put both the macros and micros into the jar with 500ml distilled. The original says do them in separate bottles, 500ml water in each. It says dose 1ml to 10 gallons on both the macro and micro bottles, but since mine is both, I've been trying 5ml to a 36g tank to boost that nitrate gently

Here are some recipes that I promised, along with dosing instructions. They were shrunken to make smaller batches, (but contain the same amount of nutrients) so you don't waste compounds if you dont like the results of the batch

This is my favorite Estimated Index Mix:

A clone to Nilocgs premixed EI Macro /Micro 

Bottle #1 EI Macro

Dose Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Kno3 – 34.3g, KH2PO4 – 5.2g, 296ml Distilled H20

A dose of 2ml per 5g every other day will add

NO3 - 7.5ppm, PO4 -1.3ppm, K-5.2ppm.

Do a 50% water change on Sundays,

Repeat the process starting on Monday

 

Bottle #2 EI Micro

Dose Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

CSM+B – 13.68g, 295ml Distilled H2O.

2ml Per 5g every other day will add:

Fe – 0.32, Mn – 0.09, Cu – 0, Mg – 0.07, Zn – 0.02, Mo – 0. B – 0.04, dGH – 0.0

Do a 50% water change on Sundays,

Repeat the process starting on Monday

 

Here is the shrunken Nilocg, pps-Pro macro & micro mix:

 

 

Bottle #1 Shrunk PPS-Pro Macro

Kno3 – 3.84g, KH2P04 – 0.36g, K2S04 – 3.5g, Mgso4 – 2.4g

236.58ml Warmed distilled H2O

Dose 2ml per 5g daily when lights are off

at the same time as the Micro mix.

NO3 – 1.05ppm, PO4 - 0.11ppm, K- 1.41ppm

Mg – 0.11ppm, S-0.43ppm, dGH – 0.02

Kno3  1.05, P04 - 0.11, K2so4  - 0.7,

Mgso4 – 0.11, S - 0.43, dGH – 0.02

 

Bottle #2 Shrunk PPS-Pro Micro

 CSM+B – 4.43g, 236.58ml Warm Distilled H2O

Dose  2ml Per 5g daily when lights are off

at the same time as the Macro mix.

Fe – 0.138ppm, Mn - 0.04ppm, Cu – 0.002ppm

Mg – 0.03ppm, Zn – 0.008ppm, Mo 0.001ppm

B – 0.017ppm, dGH – 0.007ppm

 

Edited February 4 by JoeQ

[JoeQ]

here is a EI Macro but with extra potassium

Bottle #1 EI Macro

Kno3 – 34.14g, KH2PO4 – 5.20g, K2SO4 - 13.87g

295ml Distilled H20. 2ml per 5g every other day will add

NO3 - 7.5ppm, PO4 -1.3ppm, K-7.5ppm, S – 0.91ppm.

this is a EI macro mix, alternate with the EI Micro mix every other day

and do a 50% water change on Sunday. Restarting the process on Monday

[purrmaid]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:59 PM, JoeQ said:

And no you cant mix them all in the same jar. It took chemist's to formulate easy green for this very reason. Some chemical need special experience to combine. 

Well dang. I thought it was a matter of personalization, not chemistry. Like depending on what you're growing or your substrate, you'd need more macros:micros. Guess I need to make more spaghetti and get another jar.

[JoeQ]

On 2/4/2024 at 6:57 PM, purrmaid said:

Well dang. I thought it was a matter of personalization, not chemistry. Like depending on what you're growing or your substrate, you'd need more macros:micros. Guess I need to make more spaghetti and get another jar.

No, not really. I'm just (self diagnosed) OCD and like to tinker. Basically what I sent was standard recipes, the EI method and the pps method. Each has their positives and negatives. I favor the EI dosing cause its idiot proof! The only thing you really have to ensure is that you do a 50% water change weekly

As for mixing them to together it's less chemistry and more of something in the directions!😁

Edited February 5 by JoeQ

[purrmaid]

I'm hoping to kinda half Walstad the tank where it only needs infrequent water changes since those are physically exhausting to me right now. That's why I thought the pps may fit better as well as being less a weekly shock to the system