# questions for experts regarding GH booster



## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

i have been using GH booster in my 50g tank for while now, but never knew what exactly is being added into the tank, i know it adds Ca,Mg and K, but at how many ppm??

i use to dose 1tsp in my 50g and i reduced it to 1/2tsp now, but does anyone have any idea how many ppm are being added.

how much Mg and Ca plant really use in high light tank?? 10ppm, 20ppm or 30ppm???? did anyone ever test for this? i also hear overdose of Mg can cause problem for K+ uptake, what are those levels of Mg which can cause this. i also hear same for the too much Ca causing similar problems.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Do you use tap water? What is your gH of that? You might not need any extra at all.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

GeToChKn said:


> Do you use tap water? What is your gH of that? You might not need any extra at all.



100% RO water, GH 0 KH 0, KH increased by 1dgh using baking soda.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

http://calc.petalphile.com/
there seachem equilibrium is listed under DIY section. its a pretty close mixture to most GH booster mixes... just to get an idea


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Kent's RO right a swell.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

most people i have seen here add 1 tsp per their 50g, according to the calc, it does not look like we are adding enough, Ca and Mg seems very low here and k seems high. i thought we suppose to have at least 30ppm of Ca and 6-10ppm of Mg. i doubt that seachem adds same amount as GH booster. 

Your addition of 1.0 tsp Seachem Equilibrium to your 50.0 gal aquarium adds Element ppm/degree Ca 2.27 Fe 0.03 K 5.49 Mg 0.68 Mn 0.02 dGH 0.47


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

happi said:


> most people i have seen here add 1 tsp per their 50g, according to the calc, it does not look like we are adding enough, Ca and Mg seems very low here and k seems high. i thought we suppose to have at least 30ppm of Ca and 6-10ppm of Mg. i doubt that seachem adds same amount as GH booster.
> 
> Your addition of 1.0 tsp Seachem Equilibrium to your 50.0 gal aquarium adds Element ppm/degree Ca 2.27 Fe 0.03 K 5.49 Mg 0.68 Mn 0.02 dGH 0.47


What is not enough and where/why is the ppm's listed above the best range?
GH booster, at least what I've suggested is about the same as SeaChem's Eq.

Also, what is high K+?

All 3 of these are taken up via the water column in general...and really have wide ranges in natural systems as well as planted tanks. As long as they are not limiting or strongly limiting, there's no issue.

If you want, you can modify GH booster and make your own blend, add say 50% CaSO4, 35% MgSO4 and say 15% K2SO4. add 1 Table spoon per 50Gal once a week if you do 40-60% weekly water changes.

Or something close to get to those ranges you think are good. Then see if the regular stuff is fine etc..........

Use each for say 4-6 weeks and compare.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

happi said:


> most people i have seen here add 1 tsp per their 50g, according to the calc, it does not look like we are adding enough, Ca and Mg seems very low here and k seems high. i thought we suppose to have at least 30ppm of Ca and 6-10ppm of Mg. i doubt that seachem adds same amount as GH booster.
> 
> Your addition of 1.0 tsp Seachem Equilibrium to your 50.0 gal aquarium adds Element ppm/degree Ca 2.27 Fe 0.03 K 5.49 Mg 0.68 Mn 0.02 dGH 0.47


i add he recommended amount because my tap water has said elements present


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

thanks guys

am not sure what exactly is going on in my tank sometime, i always get the ludwigia panatal to melt its leaves from bottom to upward and they would eventually fall off. and am pretty sure that co2, NPK and traces are not limited, i wonder if this has anything to do with the Mg and Ca, since i was only dosing 1tsp of gh booster per week with water changes. 

take a look at the picture and tell me what you think, look at how panatal drops its leaves from bottom to top, some leaves shows K deficiencies but again am adding lot of K, and the problem is still there.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

if i had to guess.

i'd say c02.. just because its the root of all my problems. plants still grow good but deficiency here
plant growth issue there.. usually when thye get closer to the light.. sometimes when further from the light

move the plant so its in more direct flow of c02.. and magically it grows beter

and with RO water. i'd up that to the recommended dosage on the package to put it at 3dgh


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> if i had to guess.
> 
> i'd say c02.. just because its the root of all my problems. plants still grow good but deficiency here
> plant growth issue there.. usually when thye get closer to the light.. sometimes when further from the light
> ...


i heard the same answer many times and upping the co2 did not solve this issue, neither increasing the flow etc. i am using co2 reactor, 2x Rena xp2 should be enough on my tank, so i don't think flow is the problem here. 

am not a first time plant keeper, so i know what am doing, but my main concern is if Mg and Ca has anything to do with it. 

my dosing is something like this:

Day 1- 100% RO water, 70% water change, 1tsp GH booster added, 1/4 tsp P added

Everyday - N 2-3 ppm, K 1ppm, CSM+B .30ppm fe

1/4 tsp P in middle of the week


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## dundadundun (Apr 8, 2010)

ever test your gh/ca/mg to see where you're at with that dosing? seems awful low.

barr's gh booster comes out to 1/2 tbsp to 5 gallons to make 6dgh. worked great for me when i was reconstituting rain water. plants never looked better.

i believe the mixture is based off of analysis of seachem equilibrium as well. (obviously tom could elaborate more on that, lol)

ever consider adding a stage after your r/o to mineralize? just another cartridge filled with dolomitic limestone? it's what we do for drinking water here, and it certainly makes a huge difference for that. that would cover your ca + mg. then you just add your k as you wish/need.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

if ur using that much RO i'd up the dosage for sure.. 80 ppm of ca is 4.46 dGH which is about where i'd want to be... i've heard 30 is the minimum limit however 100 isn't high and plants do well at that lvl. plant tissue has a lot of Calcium in it as well

up the dosage its not like ur ecosystem will fail because if it..


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> if ur using that much RO i'd up the dosage for sure.. 80 ppm of ca is 4.46 dGH which is about where i'd want to be... i've heard 30 is the minimum limit however 100 isn't high and plants do well at that lvl. plant tissue has a lot of Calcium in it as well
> 
> up the dosage its not like ur ecosystem will fail because if it..


i think for right now i will stick with 1 table spoon of GH booster per week with water change. if there is any problem then i will up the GH booster, but i doubt that plant really need 80ppm of Ca.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You have a lot of plants in there. They're competing with each other for nutrients, light (especially the bottom of tank), CO2. Time for some chopping. The new growth will perk up.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

mistergreen said:


> You have a lot of plants in there. They're competing with each other for nutrients, light (especially the bottom of tank), CO2. Time for some chopping. The new growth will perk up.


normally i see the difference on the same day of dosing, i will see the difference when i get home today from work. panantal is the first one to show if i dosed correctly.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

after dosing 1 tablespoon of GH booster and dosing EI this week it did not even grow a thing. plants actually suffered more this week, co2 is high as fish can handle, i still see some fish gasp for air.

by the way green spot algae appeared the next day on the glass when dosed the EI.


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## JoraaÑ (Jun 29, 2009)

mistergreen said:


> You have a lot of plants in there. They're competing with each other for nutrients, light (especially the bottom of tank), CO2. Time for some chopping. The new growth will perk up.


What Mr. said and lack of circulation...


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

Joraan said:


> What Mr. said and lack of circulation...


agreed. fertilizers don't cause algae.. my own playing with my tank agree's with this statement
if i so much as touch the c02. algae appears


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Mistergreen nailed it I think.

I trim aggressively in my 120 and have lots of stems, it's not the ferts, I add roughly 1 Tablespoon 2x a week to my 120 for GH booster.

Tap is pretty soft, but there's some Ca and and little bit of Mg.


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