# Basics of water column fertilization



## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

Can any of you fine folks direct me to some info or share some of your own regarding water column dosing in a non co2 system? Two tanks nave eco complete one will have sand as a substrate. I am currently adding equilibrium alone.
Thanks in advance, Rick


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

Would you mind sharing the tank specs a bit more.

Such as tank size, how much lighting, how heavily planted each tank is, are you dosing either N, P, or K or flourish excel? 

Thanks.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

5 gallon and 10 gallon have the eco complete and 6700 k compact flourescent 25 watt I think. These two small tanks are heavily planted. The 5 is growing very nicely and has 9 neons to fertilize. A couple zebra snails and a teeny tiny pleco. The plants in this tank are a few crypto one anubias and some crazy stem plant with roots a plenty. The 10 gallon has three sword, three valisneria and a few unidentified red coloured stem plants and a small red water lily like plant (sorry about my lax taxonomy). This tank is growing some as well but not with the vigour of the 5. I have three cory's, one apistogramma, a pleco, a couple zebra snails, and until yesterday 9 red eye tetras, they now reside in the 120 while it cycles and they will remain there.
120 gallon with sand substrate two coralife 36" fixtures. One 6700 k bulb and one colour max bulb in each. I haven't put the substrate and there are no plants yet. A new tank that I plan to amazonize.
Thanks for the questions.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

sometimes these new threads dissapear in 5 minutes. Barely enough time for people to catch them. Anyhoo, I thought I would help the process in order to et som more input


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

Really depend on the fishload in a non CO2 tank. In my cryptpcoryne corydoras tank, supplementing with equilibrium equivalent was enough. In a tank with echinodorus, substrate (root tab) fertilizer is good to go with potassium nitrate and phosphate.

Without high fishload, I have found that the potassium in equilibrium can throw off the dosing quite a bit. There is too much potassium from potassium nitrate, mono potassium phosphate and equilibrium.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

EDGE said:


> Without high fishload, I have found that the potassium in equilibrium can throw off the dosing quite a bit. There is too much potassium from potassium nitrate, mono potassium phosphate and equilibrium.


does this mean that there is a relation to fish load and the processing of potassium?


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

All things being equal and there is Carbon source and good amount of light in the tank, potassium basically helps with the metabolism of the plants. The more you have, the more N and P you will need.

From the experiment I have been doing recently, If you have excess K and not enough N in the water, you will get nitrate deficiency symptoms even if you dump 15 ppm of N from KNO3 in the water daily (more K being added at the same time) This could be caused by ion exchange being out of balance. Too much cation from K and not enough anion from N causing a lock out of N.

ION EXCHANGE CHEMISTRY AND OPERATION

Indirectly, fishload is related because fish let out a lot of N from their byproduct.

I am no chemist. Someone could filled this in with more information or explained a bit better. I just play with fertilizer composition to find a ratio where I don't have to change the tank weekly.

add: when I said potassium in equilibrium, I am basing this off of a similar ratio I made using other dry fertilizer.

found an old link I saved. confirmed the results I have been seeing.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/fertilizer/nutri_def.html


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

i agree eith EDGE "I just play with fertilizer composition to find a ratio where I don't have to change the tank weekly." 
i'm doing the same thing without going too much into the chemical and ion exchanges, i just fiddle and diddle with the right balance of N, P, K, light source, and CO2 source. my plants are growing steadily the way i want. slow but healthy.

find the regiment that works for your tank.


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