Tom Barr method...does this schedule sound right?

[Dave@AquaFlora]

Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg, 35-42ppm CO2,
fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3 clowns, 2 corys):

Sunday - 50% Water change - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/16
tsp KH2P04
Monday
Tuesday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/16 tsp KH2P04
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/16 tsp KH2P04
Saturday - 1/8 tsp KH2PO4 evening or morning?? (Load up the plants just
before next day's water change)

What does anyone think? Especially Tom Barr's ideas would be good. I read up
on loading the plants up with PO4 right before the water change to give them
that extra boost advantage...

Thanks alot!!

Dave Picklyk.

[Marco Schwarz]

Hi..

> Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg, 35-42ppm CO2,
> fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3 clowns, 2 corys):

35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.

15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.

> What does anyone think?

I think fish is the decisive factor.

--
cu
Marco

[Bill Stock]

"Marco Schwarz" > wrote in message
...
> Hi..
>
>> Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg, 35-42ppm
>> CO2, fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3 clowns, 2 corys):
>
> 35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>
> 15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>
>> What does anyone think?
>
> I think fish is the decisive factor.

30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher without
any ill effects. I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK. I get too much
growth for my liking actually.

I thought his PO4 and K were rather high though. Not to mention too many
large fish for a 15 gallon.






> --
> cu
> Marco

[Dave@AquaFlora]

Response below.

"Bill Stock" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Marco Schwarz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi..
>>
>>> Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg, 35-42ppm
>>> CO2, fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3 clowns, 2
>>> corys):
>>
>> 35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>>
>> 15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>>
>>> What does anyone think?
>>
>> I think fish is the decisive factor.
>
> 30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher
> without any ill effects. I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK. I get
> too much growth for my liking actually.
>
> I thought his PO4 and K were rather high though. Not to mention too many
> large fish for a 15 gallon.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> --
>> cu
>> Marco
>
>

Yeah, I haven't found any problems like some people warn about fish gasping
at the surface etc....the amount of CO2 doens't limit the amount of oxygen.

Regarding the fish load, yes, I might be pushing it a bit there. The clowns
and corys are all not much bigger than an inch, SAEs close to two...and
really they say never to count bottom feeders in fish load calculations.
Ottos stay tiny and hidden...and the school of eight Harlequin Rasboras are
a nice complement to the planted aquaria. So really, since the SAEs act as a
more of a middle territory fish---I only count the 8 Rasboras and 3 SAEs as
my fish load.

From my understanding of Tom Barr's discoveries, it's the lack of PO4 in
planted tanks that can cause problems with algae. Also, I've heard the
saying that one can never dose too much K. However, I did do some
corrections to my dosing schedule:

Sunday - 50% Water change - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32
tsp KH2P04
Monday
Tuesday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
Saturday - 1/8 tsp KH2PO4 evening or morning?? (Load up the plants just
before next day's water change)

Dave Picklyk.

[Justin]

Hi all,

Just had a look at your ferts... I may be wrong, but isn't your KNO3 a bit
too much...? According to chuck's calculator that would give you 15.06ppm
of Nitrate, 2.2ppm of P and your K is only 20ppm .. Isn't the correct ratio
K-20ppm N-5ppm and P-0.5 to 1.0ppm?

If you want to put in 15ppm of N then shouldn't your K be 60ppm and your P
1.5-3.0ppm


"Dave@AquaFlora" > wrote in message
news:P1nwf.46699$km.24858@edtnps89...
> Response below.
>
> "Bill Stock" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Marco Schwarz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Hi..
>>>
>>>> Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg, 35-42ppm
>>>> CO2, fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3 clowns, 2
>>>> corys):
>>>
>>> 35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>>>
>>> 15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>>>
>>>> What does anyone think?
>>>
>>> I think fish is the decisive factor.
>>
>> 30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher
>> without any ill effects. I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK. I get
>> too much growth for my liking actually.
>>
>> I thought his PO4 and K were rather high though. Not to mention too many
>> large fish for a 15 gallon.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> --
>>> cu
>>> Marco
>>
>>
>
> Yeah, I haven't found any problems like some people warn about fish
> gasping at the surface etc....the amount of CO2 doens't limit the amount
> of oxygen.
>
> Regarding the fish load, yes, I might be pushing it a bit there. The
> clowns and corys are all not much bigger than an inch, SAEs close to
> two...and really they say never to count bottom feeders in fish load
> calculations. Ottos stay tiny and hidden...and the school of eight
> Harlequin Rasboras are a nice complement to the planted aquaria. So
> really, since the SAEs act as a more of a middle territory fish---I only
> count the 8 Rasboras and 3 SAEs as my fish load.
>
> From my understanding of Tom Barr's discoveries, it's the lack of PO4 in
> planted tanks that can cause problems with algae. Also, I've heard the
> saying that one can never dose too much K. However, I did do some
> corrections to my dosing schedule:
>
> Sunday - 50% Water change - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32
> tsp KH2P04
> Monday
> Tuesday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
> Wednesday
> Thursday
> Friday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
> Saturday - 1/8 tsp KH2PO4 evening or morning?? (Load up the plants just
> before next day's water change)
>
> Dave Picklyk.
>

[Marco Schwarz]

Hi..

>>35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>>15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>>>What does anyone think?
>>I think fish is the decisive factor.
> 30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher without
> any ill effects.
^^
That sentence makes me feel becoming old..! ;-)

> I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/2000/Papers/gillpdf/mckenzie.PDF

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.mbl.ku.dk/JFSteffensen/JexpBiol03-DM.pdf

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/2002/Tropical/Brauner1.pdf

> I get too much growth for my liking actually.

Really? :-)

> Not to mention too many large fish for a 15 gallon.

I agree with you.
--
cu
Marco

[Bill Stock]

"Marco Schwarz" > wrote in message
...
> Hi..
>
>>>35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>>>15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>>>>What does anyone think?
>>>I think fish is the decisive factor.
>> 30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher
>> without any ill effects.
> ^^
> That sentence makes me feel becoming old..! ;-)
>
>> I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK.
>
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/2000/Papers/gillpdf/mckenzie.PDF
>
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.mbl.ku.dk/JFSteffensen/JexpBiol03-DM.pdf
>
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/2002/Tropical/Brauner1.pdf
>

I guess it all comes down to who you believe:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/co2-level.html

>> I get too much growth for my liking actually.
>
> Really? :-)
>
>> Not to mention too many large fish for a 15 gallon.
>
> I agree with you.
> --
> cu
> Marco

[Dave@AquaFlora]

Hi. I don't understand what you mean about ratios. Chuck's calculator says
20ppm of K is needed...well I get that on the first dosage on Sunday with
the 1/4 tsp K2SO4 and 1/4 tsp KNO3. However, I don't dose K2SO4 till the
week is over again...do you think I should be dosing it every time I do the
KNO3? They say that a person can never overdose K.

However, I'm just following up on a dosing recomendation made to someone
else who had a 20 gallon aquarium made by Tom Barr. He recommended this:

"Add K2SO4, 1/4 teaspoon once a week,
Add i/4 teaspoon KNO3, 2 days after the water and then once more on the 5 th
day.
Add the KH2PO4 on the same day as the KNO3 and the water change(3x week)"

My tank being a 15 gallon wide...I thought it couldn't be that far off.
Anyways, I've been dosing only 1/8 tsp KNO3 every other day and almost half
the traces and only a grain or two of KH2PO4 and I was getting green spot
and staghorn algae issues for the last while. So I think my plants have not
been getting enough nutrients...and they haven't been growing as good as
they should thus giving room to algae. I think adding a LOT more KH2PO4
might be the key. Now adding twice the KNO3 and traces...maybe this will
give the plants a much stronger upper hand.

what do you think?

Dave Picklyk

"Justin" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Just had a look at your ferts... I may be wrong, but isn't your KNO3 a
> bit too much...? According to chuck's calculator that would give you
> 15.06ppm of Nitrate, 2.2ppm of P and your K is only 20ppm .. Isn't the
> correct ratio K-20ppm N-5ppm and P-0.5 to 1.0ppm?
>
> If you want to put in 15ppm of N then shouldn't your K be 60ppm and your P
> 1.5-3.0ppm
>
>
> "Dave@AquaFlora" > wrote in message
> news:P1nwf.46699$km.24858@edtnps89...
>> Response below.
>>
>> "Bill Stock" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "Marco Schwarz" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Hi..
>>>>
>>>>> Here is my new dosing plan for my 15 gallon wide tank (2.7wpg,
>>>>> 35-42ppm CO2, fish load: 8 harlequin rasboras, 3 saes, 3 otos, 3
>>>>> clowns, 2 corys):
>>>>
>>>> 35-42 ppm CO2 = 35-42 mg/l is to much.
>>>>
>>>> 15-20 ppm CO2 were o.K.
>>>>
>>>>> What does anyone think?
>>>>
>>>> I think fish is the decisive factor.
>>>
>>> 30 ppm seems to be the norm these days, many people run much higher
>>> without any ill effects. I keep mine around 35 ppm, which seems OK. I
>>> get too much growth for my liking actually.
>>>
>>> I thought his PO4 and K were rather high though. Not to mention too many
>>> large fish for a 15 gallon.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> --
>>>> cu
>>>> Marco
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Yeah, I haven't found any problems like some people warn about fish
>> gasping at the surface etc....the amount of CO2 doens't limit the amount
>> of oxygen.
>>
>> Regarding the fish load, yes, I might be pushing it a bit there. The
>> clowns and corys are all not much bigger than an inch, SAEs close to
>> two...and really they say never to count bottom feeders in fish load
>> calculations. Ottos stay tiny and hidden...and the school of eight
>> Harlequin Rasboras are a nice complement to the planted aquaria. So
>> really, since the SAEs act as a more of a middle territory fish---I only
>> count the 8 Rasboras and 3 SAEs as my fish load.
>>
>> From my understanding of Tom Barr's discoveries, it's the lack of PO4 in
>> planted tanks that can cause problems with algae. Also, I've heard the
>> saying that one can never dose too much K. However, I did do some
>> corrections to my dosing schedule:
>>
>> Sunday - 50% Water change - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp K2SO4, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32
>> tsp KH2P04
>> Monday
>> Tuesday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
>> Wednesday
>> Thursday
>> Friday - Traces 5ml, 1/4 tsp KNO3, 1/32 tsp KH2P04
>> Saturday - 1/8 tsp KH2PO4 evening or morning?? (Load up the plants just
>> before next day's water change)
>>
>> Dave Picklyk.
>>
>