Started PMDD

[dan2x38]

After ages of reading artilces over and over again I've finally made the jump to dry ferts. I made up my own PMDD and added my first dose. If any of you have any tips or suggestions would be glad to hear your successes & failures. I would love to repeat your successes but avoid my own failures.

After many questions & research upgraded my substrate on an established tank with fluorite. Been using liquid SeaChem ferts. until now. Re-aquascaped my tank too. Now I have slowly added more colourful plants.

1. Do I need to add Potassium Phosphate (K3PO4) to my PMDD? My PO4 is 0.5 ppm.

2. I got my trace elements at B&B Hydroponics. Does anyone know if there mixture has boron or will I need to add boric acid (H3BO3)? I called and asked them but the guy did not know?

[BigDaddy]

K3PO4 is Potassium Phosphate tribasic, and is not a compound you will find as easily as what plant growers normally use as a potassium suppliment:  Potassium sulphate (K2SO4).  As far as a phosphate suppliment, monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) is the suppliment of choice.

If your phosphate levels are .5ppm and you don't have high light, then you don't need to suppliment P.  However, if you find your tank getting green spot algae, it can be remedied in most cases by increasing P

You'd have to get an MSDS from B&B to find out the ingredients in your trace mix.  The mix I purchased, does in fact, contain Boron.  Again, unless you are running a high light tank, the likelihood of running into a boron deffeciency in a medium or low light tank is pretty slim.

[dan2x38]

K3PO4 is Potassium Phosphate tribasic, and is not a compound you will find as easily as what plant growers normally use as a potassium suppliment:  Potassium sulphate (K2SO4).  As far as a phosphate suppliment, monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) is the suppliment of choice.

If your phosphate levels are .5ppm and you don't have high light, then you don't need to suppliment P.  However, if you find your tank getting green spot algae, it can be remedied in most cases by increasing P

You'd have to get an MSDS from B&B to find out the ingredients in your trace mix.  The mix I purchased, does in fact, contain Boron.  Again, unless you are running a high light tank, the likelihood of running into a boron deffeciency in a medium or low light tank is pretty slim.

I have triple T-8 6700K tubes always changed within 9 months approx. it works out to +3w/gal. The reflectors are polished alumminum kept clean along with glass. I keep my water level high plus have a deep substrate. How would you judge that lighting?

Could we use Excel on Latios' 10g tank? He has Hygro ploysperma, Wisteria, Java fern, Peral weed, & of course Aponogeton undulatus. He wants to beat me... I got to teach him wouldn't be fair fight if I didn't... 

[BigDaddy]

If you start seeing new tips black or dead, or notice brittle stems, then you likely have a boron deffeciency.  Unless you start seeing those symptoms, I wouldn't worry about it.

Again, get a Material Safety Data Sheet from B&B.  By law, they have to own one for it.  It should have a break down of the percentages of traces in the mix.

[Aquaviewer]

[/quote]Could we use Excel on Latios' 10g tank? He has Hygro ploysperma, Wisteria, Java fern, Peral weed, & of course Aponogeton undulatus. He wants to beat me... I got to teach him wouldn't be fair fight if I didn't... 
[/quote]

How much light is over the 10gal?

[irene]

I dose dry ferts according to the EI method for high light tanks.  I dose 2x the recommended amount of potassium phosphate, if I cut it down, the GSA just goes nuts.  But with dosing extra phosphate it's not even noticable, you really have to look to see any.

Irene

[dan2x38]

How much light is over the 10gal?

He has 1 x 15w T-8 6700 tube.

[charlie]

After ages of reading artilces over and over again I've finally made the jump to dry ferts. I made up my own PMDD and added my first dose. If any of you have any tips or suggestions would be glad to hear your successes & failures. I would love to repeat your successes but avoid my own failures.

After many questions & research upgraded my substrate on an established tank with fluorite. Been using liquid SeaChem ferts. until now. Re-aquascaped my tank too. Now I have slowly added more colourful plants.

1. Do I need to add Potassium Phosphate (K3PO4) to my PMDD? My PO4 is 0.5 ppm.

2. I got my trace elements at B&B Hydroponics. Does anyone know if there mixture has boron or will I need to add boric acid (H3BO3)? I called and asked them but the guy did not know?

Dan if you are doing the PMDD style of dosing ferts, then the question of needing to dose phosphate should not be a issue.
The PMDD strategy was introduced by Conlin & Sears on the theory that low phosphates keeps algae to a minimum, that is why in their formulas the phosphate is deliberately kept to a minimum.
Regards

[charlie]

To further add to my previous post, The PMDD is based on dosing everyday & testing your parameters , making adjustments as need be. It works great for low tech tanks ( low light no carbon supplement) where the fish food etc  provides all the phosphates needed, but it falls short for the high light , carbon fed tanks ( high tech) where the growth rate is much faster & creates a bigger demand for nutrients.
Regards

[dan2x38]

OK trying to follow I am almost there, I think... trying to determine the major advantages/disdavantages of PMDD vr. EI dosing besides testing... still concerned about the KH2PO4 dosing/amounts... maybe just a little thick but with PMDD do I test for PO4 to determine if I dose with KH2PO4? With EI dosing you always use KH2PO4, right?

Also does anyone add, 'Seachem's Equillibrium' or any buffering for GH/KH?

[charlie]

OK trying to follow I am almost there, I think... trying to determine the major advantages/disdavantages of PMDD vr. EI dosing besides testing... still concerned about the KH2PO4 dosing/amounts... maybe just a little thick but with PMDD do I test for PO4 to determine if I dose with KH2PO4? With EI dosing you always use KH2PO4, right?

Also does anyone add, 'Seachem's Equillibrium' or any buffering for GH/KH?

Dan , i would strongly recommend you getting this  E book, it is invaluable for people who keep planted tanks , it lays out everything in ABC for the price of a happy meal, you will be surprised how easy it is.
Regards
http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=17241.0

[Aquaviewer]

Dan , i would strongly recommend you getting this  E book, it is invaluable for people who keep planted tanks , it lays out everything in ABC for the price of a happy meal, you will be surprised how easy it is.
Regards
http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=17241.0

I agree with Charlie - I got this when it first came out and it clarified the various strategies very nicely.  EI is great b/c you don't have to spend all you time testing.  If you have a high light tank and CO2, dosing phosphate won't be a probelm and you will be pleasantly surprised by the growth response.

I HAD and algae problem before I figured out my ratios and upped my phosphate and lowered my potassium. Once you get going, give it a month to get a sense of how things are setting out and then play with adjustment.

[dan2x38]

Dan , i would strongly recommend you getting this  E book, it is invaluable for people who keep planted tanks , it lays out everything in ABC for the price of a happy meal, you will be surprised how easy it is.
Regards
http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=17241.0

I downloaded it now got to read and wrap my head around it.

[Glouglou]

I'm using the idea of PMDD for over a year now. I'm starting a new tank with soil and turface.
My new method will consist of: Dosing everything solo, no mix of micro and macro together. I find the problem with mixing nutrients together they will always bring unbalance sometimes and you will have to readjust with the deficient element.

Aqueous solution of Micro (Fe, Cu, Mn.... etc) anyway micro are sale in a predetermined mix that mostly resemble or are the same at the PMDD.
Fe target around .3 ppm

Some even dose the micro separate, I find this hazardous as we cannot test for their concentration without expensive materials.

I will dose separate:
KNO3 ( I find that in my case NO3 is rarely necessary because it always stay around my target of 2 to 6 ppm)

Phosphate (dose as needed) target .1 to .5

Potassium (dose as needed) to keep around 15ppm

Mg (dose as needed) around 4 to 8 ppm