# kno3



## collins (May 24, 2006)

It looks like I will only be able to obtain kno3 in granular form, and I can't find instructions for how to add it to the tank. Seems like the instructions I found were for liquid. Anyone have experience with this?


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Search for "dry dosing" if you want to understand how folks are using this means.
You can also mix it with water. I make a combo PMDD solution that is added to my morning water top off. I usually loose 2 liter of water in the summer time a day, so this works fo me.


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## stcyrwm (Sep 1, 2005)

3/8 of a teaspoon of KNO3 gives you about 5ppm NO3 in a 55 gallon tank. Hard to give much direction beyond that without your tank specs but making a few assumptions a sample dosing schedule for a 55g with 2 wpg would look like this:

3/8 tsp KNO3 1 to 2x week
3/16 tsp KH2Po4 1 to 2x week
Liquid trace 4ml per week (dose separately from above ferts)
Excel 3 to 5 ml/day (I think you said you were using Excel in another post)
Water change 50% weekly

Adjust up or down based on more or less light and more or less Excel. If you do less water changes you would need to test and adjust dosing based on results. I do this with a monthly NO3 test (from Hach) and dose everything else proportional to these results.

Good luck, Bill







collins said:


> It looks like I will only be able to obtain kno3 in granular form, and I can't find instructions for how to add it to the tank. Seems like the instructions I found were for liquid. Anyone have experience with this?


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Thanks guys. I wasn't going to fertilize the water column originally. I was hoping that the fish and water changes would take care of that, but I don't think I'll add fish for a month or so, and my water is very soft. Therefore I decided that I should. I also decided that I should because the leaves of the vals and the hygrophila corymbosa stricta showed transparent spots within 2 or 3 days of planting. 

My uneducated guess as to why the leaves are turning is that I don't have nitrogen in the water column, or that I don't have enough iron, or co2 maybe. Therefore, I started dosing excel, iron, and traces. Now I think that I am going to add kno3. My light is 120 watt NO fluorescent, tank is 55 gallon, magnum 250 filter, no bio wheel, open top. Water is soft, ph is 6.8 to 7.2 according to dip strip.

I started with 20 vals, 15 dwarf sags, 1 huge bolbitus, 1 water sprite, 1 dwarf lily, 4-6 various crypts, 4-6 various swords, 1 java fern, 1 annubia nana, 5-6 rotala runtundafloria small stems. Since, and upon reccomendation of plantbrain, I added 2 banana plants, 3 more large swords, and 5 hygrophila corymbosa stricta stems. Everything that was planted in the substrate is putting out new growth, and the few that I have relocated recently had grown more roots. Everything, that is, except the vals. The hygros seem to be growing roots from the stem as I can see them coming out of the stem above the substrate, but some have transparent spots in the leaves just like the vals. Maybe the hygro is recovering because when I bought the stems from the lfs, they were not rooted at all. I don't know. There are so many variables. 

I am apprehensive about adding nitrogen to the water column because I don't want to facilitate an algae bloom. However, I would rather deal with algae than lose plants I think. I guess I thought that the plants would get all of the macros needed through the substrate. I added a 19-6-12 fertilizer to the clay before covering with sand, adding water, and planting. The idea was to keep the macros out of the water column, and thereby make them unavailable to algae. Maybe they are getting enough nitrogen. Maybe it's traces or iron that the vals and hygro are lacking, and maybe they will grow like the rest now that I've begun supplementing these. I just don't know. I think I am going to add a little kno3 and see what happens.


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## jgc (Jul 6, 2005)

My suggestion is that you probably should start researching - a lot. There are hundreds of pages on this forum discussing lighting, co2, and fert. Personally I am high light, high co2, ei fert (a high method), and high maintence (large weekly waterchanged and removed lbs of plants bi-weekly).

Suggest reading about EI - it will tell you a lot about high fert levels. That said there are other forums that talk about El Natural - which is about the extream oposite. I pretty much have 1 tank of each method. Both are nice in their own way (but I don't post pictures of the El Natural one  ). I also have a nano that I am still trying to develop, not sure what method it will fall into once it is stable.
----
What are you using for light, and have you had your water tested? Likewise what is your plant load?


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

jgc, did you respond without reading my post? You must have, because I clearly stated my lighting, water chemistry, and plant load, among other things. Research? That's a good one. I doubt there is much that I haven't read at this point, and that might be the problem. I suspect that a lot of what I have read is useless as it pertains to my situation. That's alright, I will figure it out. Just looking for some help from those who have been there before me.

I once wrote an article for ponders on how to create and maintain a VIRTUALLY algae-free pond. Anyone who has ever followed my advice has been successful. I had to learn for myself though, because most of the stuff written on algae control and ponds is nothing but over-complicated, and a lot of it is useless.


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## Mulberry (Jun 21, 2006)

Vals will look unhappy for a while after you put them into a new tank. Mine did this too, then they went into a runner frenzy and I had to remove most of them before I had a tank Vallis species tank I just keep some twisty ones now – these look better than the straight ones IMO, and don’t spread so quickly.

They really need alkaline water to thrive. Below ph 7 and they’ll pine away.

Vals get a lot of their carbon from bicarbonate so your soft water would need to be hardened. You can get slower release forms of bicarbonate than baking soda - e.g. crushed shell.

Or you can forget about the Vals and grow plants that will do well with your water type  Vals do ok for me as I’ve got hard London tapwater.

…And I’d keep away from adding more ferts into this newly set-up tank for the time being – you’ve plenty in the substrate already, as you already suspected. Spend your money on a more accurate testing kit instead :thumbsup:


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Thank you very much, Mulberry. And you are right. I was going to post this morning that the vals that were melting, have since ceased and begun to put out runners. I am now almost 2 weeks in, everything is growing and no algae problems, so I think I will hold off on the nitrate in the water column. Again, thanks.


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## jgc (Jul 6, 2005)

Sorry I offended you, it was not my intent - but rereading my post I can see how it could be interpreted as rather harsh. EI threads discuss dry dosing in length - that is why I mentioned the term. They also discuss dosing the column. 

I am sorry I missed your light and water hardness discription. Since you want fert via the substrait, I guess you normal water parameter reading would not be compariable.

Anyway, good luck with your plants.


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

No offense taken jgc. Thanks for the advice.


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## ShortFin (Dec 27, 2005)

collins said:


> I once wrote an article for ponders on how to create and maintain a VIRTUALLY algae-free pond. Anyone who has ever followed my advice has been successful. I had to learn for myself though, because most of the stuff written on algae control and ponds is nothing but over-complicated, and a lot of it is useless.


Do you still have the article, I might need it in the future. Thanks.


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

I do. Feel free to ask for any advice you need on ponds. As far as algae goes, I can tell you that probably more people than not have problems with it, and it all comes back to one of three things. 1) too many fish, 2) overfeeding fish, 3) not enough plants.


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## ShortFin (Dec 27, 2005)

Sorry for the off topic, but could I have a copy it or where to find it?


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Absolutely. Are you thinking about starting a pond or do you already have one, fin?


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## ShortFin (Dec 27, 2005)

I see no plans in settinng one up anytime in the near future.


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Give me your e-mail address.


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## ShortFin (Dec 27, 2005)

PM sent. :thumbsup:


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Sorry for the delay. Been on a mini vacation. Wife's B-day. Came to work today and have several PM requests for pond article. Will send tomorrow (maybe tonight - no promises). Don't have article saved on work computer.


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## collins (May 24, 2006)

Ok, I just sent everyone who requested, so if anyone did not receive then let me know.


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