Vision 260

[Alastair]

Id run the 39 watts if not going full hi tech route

 

[NC10]

@Big clown - Thanks for link, that's even cheaper. Decision made, liquid carbon for the foreseeable future. See how I get on with it, or more importantly the plants. I didn't see a problem with the API stuff being £6 per month so the TNC carbon will save me a few dollars. I'll go and work it out in a minute.

@Ian - Thanks for all your replies and links. Looks like a dosing pump may be on the list of things to get. I'm shopping this weekend for the extra light, so I'm going to opt for a single 54w instead of the double, but I do think I need 1 more at least. The 2 39's currently on the tank are at the back above the wood, between the 2 overflows (aquaflora) and the front (midday 6000) The 54w would obviously go straight through the middle and reach end to end, but unsure now if to go for aquaflora or midday?

The tank will be running exactly the same wether I'm there or not. Daily dosing of carbon, ferts and a 10% weekly water change. The only difference really, is that I'll only get to prune and tidy the tank up every 3 weeks. The 10% water change is the maxium I can get away with while still leaving the return pump running and taking from the sump and not having to mess around in the tank itself. Obviously I can up this to 2x10% changes per week, Wednesday & Sunday for example, to give a 20% weekly change, if required. The dosing pumps will obviously make things easier, but is it just another thing that go wrong when I'm away?

@stuworrall - Thanks for the reply. Your point about losing Co2 on an open sumped system made the decision to go liquid. High tech, low tech, is there a medium tech? Think I want to fit into that bracket I've worked the price of liquid carbon out and don't think it's too bad TBH. No you haven't burst my bubble, better to know about possible problems before they occur. Thanks for admiring my wood

 

[NC10]

Id run the 39 watts if not going full hi tech route

Cheers for the reply Alastair. I've just mentioned in my post to ian, I think I'm just going to go for one more 54w. The two 39's don't reach across the entire tank, one fits near enough in between the overflows and the other covers the bow of the tank. That leaves a big gaping hole in the middle, plus the lack of light towards each end of the tank, which is also were the majority of the plants will be. Even when I just look at the tank, I can see the shadows and how dark it really is each side. Just need to figure out if to go for the aquaflora or midday 6000?

 

[ian_m]

Ian - Thanks for all your replies and links. Looks like a dosing pump may be on the list of things to get. I'm shopping this weekend for the extra light, so I'm going to opt for a single 54w instead of the double, but I do think I need 1 more at least. The 2 39's currently on the tank are at the back above the wood, between the 2 overflows (aquaflora) and the front (midday 6000) The 54w would obviously go straight through the middle and reach end to end, but unsure now if to go for aquaflora or midday?

Or leave lights as is and block some of the light:
- Don't use all the lights on at same time.
- Bend reflectors round to point upwards, I did this when I started my tank planted.
- Put darkened plastic sheets under the lights.
- Wrap tights around the lights.
- Put rings of aluminium foil around the lights.

And probably numerous other cheap/free ways.

 

[NC10]

I still haven't got the bulbs yet for the twin 54 so nothing lost really. For the sake of buying 2 54w bulbs and it being way too much, then having to mess around, I can just buy 1 bulb and another single ballast for around the same price.

If the extra 54 does turn out to be too strong, I can use some of those ideas to wind it back a bit, probably in the centre so I keep the light at each end. The tight trick would work for this.

I don't have individual reflectors for each bulb, the hood (read as sheet of plastic) is covered with a Mylar type material.

Thanks Ian.

 

[NC10]

Time for Operation HC

I had some HC in my sons tank which wasn't doing too bad considering, but the gourami likes picking it out and running around the tank with it like a dog.

I picked the remaining bits out and had them suspended in the tank nearer the light, in a little container filled with the tetra substrate topped off with fine gravel. I've had it like this probably around 2 weeks and to be honest it looks exactly the same. I've now taken it out of the water after seeing someone else on here doing a similar thing and his looks amazing! (sorry I can't remember your name)

I don't have a heat mat so the windowsill is out of the question because it's still pretty cold. I do have a couple of LED grow lights/bulbs though, so I've just suspended one above the container. Hopefully it should do the trick.

Couple of pics of as it is now and the light:

 

[NC10]

Not really worth a bump, but after more reading, I've decided to go along with all the advice and just stick with the 2 39's. For the time being at least.

I just need to rearrange the bulbs now and experiment with different positions to see what looks best.

DIY spraybar is now in, fed by a D-D H2ocean 2000 pump. After doing the hole calculations I decided on 16x3mm holes. I could have gone for 9x4mm I think it was and wish I had. The same amount of water is obviously coming out regardless, but the flow from 16 isn't as aggressive as I'd have liked. It's staying though

I've also been playing around with the return from the sump. Instead of it firing just under the surface, I'm thinking of mounting it behind the wood firing up to match the spraybar. I'll just need to put an anti siphon above the water level if I go with this.

 

[NC10]

Little update. Phone pics though

After quite a few back breaking, eye melting hours, I'm about halfway through planting my HC. I bought 3 pots but should easy do it with just 2, so I'll either save some to grow on separately or just use bigger clumps. Not sure yet.

Cactus/tetra substrate in. Around 1" depth, tapering out towards the edges. I used one small tub of the tetra and 1 bag of cactus compost.

Around 20KG of black basalt gravel in and 1 pot worth of HC:

I'll get some FTS up (hopefully of a better standard) when I've finished with the HC.

Thanks for looking

 

[NC10]

HC finished, 2 pots used. I split the last pot into 3 for the time being. I'll no doubt chop this up into trays. I'm hoping to get it flooded in 1 month so it best get a move on

I haven't put too much in the corners as it will be shaded out anyway when the other plants go in.

Few pictures:

 

[NC10]

Here's one I made earlier

A very basic idea of what's in my head

 

[1stgolf]

Coming along nicely mate.

 

[NC10]

Cheers golf, slowly but surely

 

[NC10]

Operation HC update.

This is one months worth of growth. Seemed forever before it started to do anything but clearly on its way now. I don't think you can tell from the photo, but compared to the HC I picked up from the LFS, it's so green!

The bulb cost me around £2 on eBay, so can't grumble at all with the results. I bought 2 so I'm going to get that hooked up as well. If anyone has a spare cupboard and 2 quid spare, I'd really recommend giving it a go!

 

[NC10]

Few plants just ordered from aqua essentials.

1 xEchinodorus rose
1 xEchinodorus bleheri
1 xEchinodorus radicans
1 xEchinodorus tricolour
1 xEchinodorus xinguensi

I'll wait until these are planted now before I order anymore, just so I can visualise it all, see exactly what I need and where.

 

[NC10]

I got fed up of waiting, lost patience and flooded it last night.

The size of the plants looks absolutely pathetic now and no doubt I'll lose more patience waiting for them to grow lol

Back left and back right I have Bleheri, the back left one is out of another tank which is why its a lot bigger than the new one I bought. In front of the back left one I have Rose and Tricolour, In front of the back right one I just have Tricolour.

The centre one is Xinguensi. This sends runners out so i decided to cut a ring from a plant pot and insert it into the substrate to try and contain it. Save me having to chase it around the tank.

Peeking out from just behind the wood is the Radicans. I'm going to be getting another one of these to go just to the left of it. Other than that, its just a case of waiting for them to fill out.

The HC survived the flood quite well, with just a couple of patches going AWOL. My job today is to re plant the bits floating around back to where they belong.

This is a picture I took last night just after I'd filled it. The water is pretty hazy and to be honest looks exactly the same this morning. I'll knock a few water changes out throughout the next couple of days and try and get on top of it. Once it's cleared properly I'll try and get a decent picture up.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with it and can see how it's going to look once it's filled out a bit. The Rose and Tricolour in the back left look really pathetic though, probably the only part I'm slightly disappointed with at the moment. Grow !!

 

[James D]

I decided I just haven't got the patience for a dry start, at least you might have given your HC a chance to put down a few roots though. It should look really nice when those bigger plants start to grow a bit.

 

[NC10]

I think it's been near enough 2 weeks growing emersed. It obviously hasn't all knitted together to form a complete carpet, but it's definitely anchored itself pretty well. The main bits that went walk about were the areas I was digging to insert the plants and the front bit were I pushed the ring/plant pot in.

Hopefully should look ok, just a case of waiting now Cheers James.

 

[NC10]

Water looks pretty much the same, if not a bit worse, so obviously a bacterial bloom. Originally thought it was just because I'd stirred the sub up. Obviously nothing to worry about, but if nothing else it's showing me exactly how my flow is around the tank. As close to perfect as I'm going to get it anyway

Slight change of plan as well. Instead of another radicans, I'm now moving the one I have over to the left and replacing that with another bleheri. The rose and tricolour at the back left will be moved slightly inwards tomorrow and all the HC has been replanted.

I suppose that's it for the journal until I've had a decent amount of growth, unless something crops up. I shall use the time I have wisely and learn how to take a decent photo It does honestly look a lot better in RL

 

[NC10]

Quick phone pic update. HC seems to be doing well. 2 weeks emersed and just over a week submerged.

The woods still kicking some serious tannins out though, this is after a 50% change

 

[Andy Thurston]

Purigen in the filter will help