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oldpunk · 09-20-2009, 08:24 PM

i have a question regarding dosing a low tech tank. the tank in question is a 50 gallon mineralized topsoil tank. i know folks say you don't need to be dosing a new MS tank but i don't know... at least for mine. after doing some reading i've figured out that i really didn't mineralize my soil enough(only let dry twice). i figured this wouldn't really be an issue since the tank is low tech in nature and the nutrient draw probably wouldn't be that great.

so even if "i" don't need to be dosing i still have a question:

fallowing tom barr's advice, he recommends 1/4 tsp. micros, 1/8 tsp. KNO3, and 1/32 tsp. KH2P04 per 20 gallons once a week. this is based on the fish load giving the plants something like 70-80% of the nutrients they need.

what if you don't have/want a full fish load? i only plan on having 2-3 angels and a couple of otos. does this boil down to identifying deficiencies and responding with the proper dosing? and if so, how can i learn to get good at spotting/treating deficiencies?

09-20-2009, 08:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
oldpunk Planted Tank Guru Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California Posts: 211	low light dosing question i have a question regarding dosing a low tech tank. the tank in question is a 50 gallon mineralized topsoil tank. i know folks say you don't need to be dosing a new MS tank but i don't know... at least for mine. after doing some reading i've figured out that i really didn't mineralize my soil enough(only let dry twice). i figured this wouldn't really be an issue since the tank is low tech in nature and the nutrient draw probably wouldn't be that great. so even if "i" don't need to be dosing i still have a question: fallowing tom barr's advice, he recommends 1/4 tsp. micros, 1/8 tsp. KNO3, and 1/32 tsp. KH2P04 per 20 gallons once a week. this is based on the fish load giving the plants something like 70-80% of the nutrients they need. what if you don't have/want a full fish load? i only plan on having 2-3 angels and a couple of otos. does this boil down to identifying deficiencies and responding with the proper dosing? and if so, how can i learn to get good at spotting/treating deficiencies? Last edited by oldpunk; 09-21-2009 at 06:59 PM.