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[AGA Member] nutrition Test kits....



Amit Brucker asks: "Is there a way to measure nutrition deficiency?"

I use Hach digital Pocket Colorimeter kits: #46700-02 Nitrate; #46700-16 Iron and #46700-06 Phosphate. Maintaining this range seems to work: 10 - 20 mg/L Nitrate, 0.15 - 0.25 mg/L Iron and 0.5 - 1 mg/L Phosphate. I use Kent Freshwater Plant (Fe, K20, Cu, Mn, Mo, Zn) and ProPlant (N, B, Mg, S). I figure if my Iron and Nitrate readings are OK, the other components are OK.

Story: Once a week I added 60 ml of both Iron and Nitrate to a very brightly lighted heavily planted 125 gallon aquaria. Yet, plants showed signs of nutrient deficiency every week and algae problems existed. Did testing and discovered nutrients were used up half way through the week. So, for a half a week they were starving! After reducing light level by I/3 and thus reducing plant's metabolic rate, once a week dosing of 15 - 20 ml of both Iron and Nitrate maintained acceptable nutrients levels. Plants looked better and algae problems vanished.

John

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