In article , dws@mbbookstore-
nospam.com says...
Ive been following this newgroup, reading, learning and sometimes throwing
my 2 cents in since december.

I have a 125 gal - flourite - co2 pressurized, 4 X 96w cf's, 2 X Magnum 350
Filters.

I went through the normal brown algae the first week, hair algae a few weeks
later and now the algae is gone but I have green water.

I have PMDD somewhere in the mail, and bought some Tropical Master Grow.
Ive read the Kribs sections on PMDD and TMG - However I guess I still dont
get it.

Would someone be kind enough to kind of mentor me via email, and point me in
the right direction as to what test kit I should purchase that will cover
all the variables, and then help me balance this thing? I have moderate
plant growth but the imbalances are no good.

I even have a excel spreadsheet that calculates all the dosages needed, I
just dont know how to use it *if anyone is interested in a copy of this
please email me, i'll be glad to email it to you.*

Id be glad to reimburse whoever would like to help me in plants or
whatever....


Dustin,

I have a setup very similar to yours:

110g, Flourite, 4-96w CF, Wet-Dry filter, CO2 added, and UG heating. I
use RO water reconstituted with EQUILIBRIUM.

I also have a shelf full of UNUSED test kits. Actually, I test a couple
times a year. Of all the tests, I found nitrate to be somewhat useful.
IMO, if it gets too high, you either have too many fish or are feeding
too much or you need to do more water changes, too little and maybe you
need to add some nitrate along with the trace fertilizer.

When I started 9+ years ago, I tested very often, made graphs, kept
tables, etc. Over time, I learned that observing the plants and the
aquarium was a much better indicator than any test kit I ever used.

You'll learn that some plants are indicators of proper dosage of PMDD or
TMG or whatever you chose to use, watch them and they will guide you. I
use PMDD. For example, if I added too little PMDD, the leaves on my
Bacopa shrank in size. If I added too much, clumps of green algae balls
would form.

As an engineer, it was natural for me to do lots of tests and keep
records. But as I watched and observed, I learned that keeping a
planted tank is as much an art as it is a science. Try some of both and
see how you do, I think you will surprise yourself at how well you do.

DougS



Please email me if you are interested.

Thank You,

Dustin