Aquaone 980t attempt at high tech (kind of)

[alex.mooring]

Hello everyone new to the forum so thought I would take the plunge and start a journal for my tank I've had for just over 3 years now. In that time I've basically chopped, hacked and butchered this tank into what it will soon become.

This is how it started, standard filtration/lights etc

I then started injecting co2 using a pub bottle and dennerle regulator and glass diffuser which I saw pretty good results.

I don't have many more pictures of the tank to be honest many have been left on an old photo bucket account but I then removed the old t8 lights in favour of a t5 wavemaker setup which did the job, I then started dosing ferts and increased the co2 and all was good.

Between then and now I carried on maintaining the tank but always wanted to go further, I purchased a cheap APS filter and ditched the standard over-tank arrangement but I ran into a few other issues and stopped dosing ferts, turned the lights down and left it to its own devices.

Well I'm sick of looking at the tank in the state that it's in. The tank itself is brilliant and everything is happy but I want a planted tank again so a little research and spending later:

2 hydor prime 30 canister filters
External 300w hydor heater
Co2 art pressurised co2 setup with diffuser and twin stage regulator.
Jbl aquabasis and manado substrate
DsunY 90cm led fixture

This should hopefully bring the tank back upto standard and I can then start heavily planting the tank and give a (kind of) high tech restart to the tank.

More pictures as and when items arrive and then I'll be tearing down the tank and replanning wiring, painted the back of tank etc etc

Thanks

 

[Vazkez]

Hello,

Firstly good luck with your new set up

Also as you goes for canister filters you might want to to thing about inline atomizer instead. Specially if you would like to run spray bars on your set up. If you want to be 100% you could use spliter and run two atomizers (one on each filter) but that might be not need it.

 

[alex.mooring]

Hello,

Firstly good luck with your new set up

Also as you goes for canister filters you might want to to thing about inline atomizer instead. Specially if you would like to run spray bars on your set up. If you want to be 100% you could use spliter and run two atomizers (one on each filter) but that might be not need it.

Thanks for the kind words.

After some research into reactor vs diffuser and reading what Tom Barr had to say a reactor even though it dissolves the co2 fully he found the plants liked the co2 mist flowing around the aquarium and said that the best setup would be to have both but since I want as much flow as possible I have gone for a diffuser but we will wait and see.

I'm always dubious about using the DsunY led fixture but I have custom made my layout with has less royal blue and more red and green LEDs then they had advertised so will see how it goes.

They are bridgelux LEDs so I'm hoping they are ok as I would of preferred Cree but at that price it's worth a try

 

[Vazkez]

ter some research into reactor vs diffuser and reading what Tom Barr had to say a reactor even though it dissolves the co2 fully he found the plants liked the co2 mist flowing around the aquarium and said that the best setup would be to have both but since I want as much flow as possible I have gone for a diffuser but we will wait and see.

Hello there,

I think you misunderstand me. I did not meen reactor. i was talking about inline atomizer. Like this for example:

http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...ine-co2-atomizer-diffuser-system-16-22mm-hose

Basically it is a diffuser but with much bigger ceramic ring as well as it is hiden as it is instaled on hose of your filter. So yes you will have fine miss of CO2 around your tank.

With the light I will be cerfull as there is good words flying around this forum >>> 'Do not grow light, grow plants'

 

[alex.mooring]

Hello there,

I think you misunderstand me. I did not meen reactor. i was talking about inline atomizer. Like this for example:

http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...ine-co2-atomizer-diffuser-system-16-22mm-hose

Basically it is a diffuser but with much bigger ceramic ring as well as it is hiden as it is instaled on hose of your filter. So yes you will have fine miss of CO2 around your tank.

With the light I will be cerfull as there is good words flying around this forum >>> 'Do not grow light, grow plants'

Sorry i do apologise. Yes I have seen the atomisers and will no doubt try one in the near future but I will see how the diffuser does first. I just didn't want to decrease my canister flow too much.

 

[Vazkez]

Nah atomizers will not kill your flow It is not like a reactor....

Honestly spray bars + 2 atomizer and you do not have to worrie about CO2

 

[alex.mooring]

Nah atomizers will not kill your flow It is not like a reactor....

Honestly spray bars + 2 atomizer and you do not have to worrie about CO2

Thanks for the information! I thought that a reactor or atomiser would of slowed flow as its a restriction.

Is it also true you don't need a bubble counter etc and just set it up to a pressure?

Thanks

 

[alex.mooring]

Didn't get many pictures during the process as I started too late tearing down the tank and didn't get finished till midnight with having work in the morning I was in a rush.

Here are some pictures of the led light from DsunY and after having issues with a rainbow effect in the tank I removed the 90 degree optics and its stunning now couldn't be happier.

Fitted the two hydor prime 30's which are delivering brilliant flow, one is louder than the other but it's liveable and have a bit of a diy to do to quiet them down.

Waiting on the rest of the lily pipes and co2 but got one filter inlet and outlet sorted.

Used aquabasis as a base and then topped it with manado so just waiting on some plants as all I had left from the old setup is some crypts.

Will update with more pictures soon after I finish work

 

[alex.mooring]

Still waiting on the delivery of plants but managed to find some nice rocks for the tank.

I have also set up my co2 and made a fan setup that pushes and pulls air into the hood to cool the led light even though it's only on 50% for the time whilst I wait for the plants to arrive.

 

[Mark Livermore]

Good luck with the new setup, will be good to see it planted and settled.

One point, i might relocate the extension lead a bit higher (and maybe on the right inside of the cabinet) to avoid any problems should there be a leak, but that might just be me.

 

[alex.mooring]

Good luck with the new setup, will be good to see it planted and settled.

One point, i might relocate the extension lead a bit higher (and maybe on the right inside of the cabinet) to avoid any problems should there be a leak, but that might just be me.

Thanks I'm looking forward to it!

Plants arrived today so 2 hours later everything is planted and I can't wait for it to start growing! My other lily pipe set came aswell so swapped the original plastic ones and turned on the co2 and have started dosing ferts. I have also turned the light upto 80% instead of 50% now there are plants in the tank.

 

[alex.mooring]

Small update as it's been nearly a week since planting:

16/01/2015

Today 19/01/2015

Been loosing the HC in the foreground and left with half of what I started with after trying to replant etc but my cory cats loving uprooting it haha

Loving the progress the tank is making I feel my dosing and co2 is spot on.

the different types of hygrophila in the background are growing new shoots and length.

Just waiting for the glosso and hair grass to properly take off but I think a trim is needed to promote growth

 

[Christos Ioannou]

Is this in just 3 days?

 

[Jose]

Sorry but your CO2 is not spot on, hence your cuba melting. You should ideally see CO2 bubbles going almost everywhere around the tank and specially over the HC. You should have flow pushing your bubbles back down towards the diffuser and then they should travel most of the length of the tank.

 

[alex.mooring]

Is this in just 3 days?

Haha yes this is the first three days since planting. The hygro in the background is pearling aswell as some others now and again.

Sorry but your CO2 is not spot on, hence your cuba melting. You should ideally see CO2 bubbles going almost everywhere around the tank and specially over the HC. You should have flow pushing your bubbles back down towards the diffuser and then they should travel most of the length of the tank.

But I thought it's the dissolved co2 in the tank that the plants use not the bubbles. The bubbles are the wasted co2 that hasn't dissolved so aslong as you have enough flow the co2 levels in the tank will be fine??

I'm waiting on my drop checker but got both filter outlets pointing into the middle of the tank so the circulation is pretty uniform as can be seen at feeding time with the flake etc.

Going to place a drop checker on the opposite side to the diffuser and see what colour it reaches, if this is unsatisfactory I'll be buying a atomizer.

The HC hasn't melted at all just keeps getting uprooted what is left is growing but it's trying to let it have chance until my corys uproot it haha

 

[NC10]

If you're struggling with the HC give MC a go.

I struggled with the HC being uprooted too. The MC puts roots down far deeper than the HC so obviously less chance of it being uprooted. Withstands my digging discus anyway.

I grew them both emersed and off the top of my head would say the MC roots were at least 3 times deeper than the HC. The HC roots barely made it a few MM down. It's not an ideal plant for a "fish tank" anyway

Pay for a 1st class stamp and I'll send you some if you like?

 

[alex.mooring]

If you're struggling with the HC give MC a go.

I struggled with the HC being uprooted too. The MC puts roots down far deeper than the HC so obviously less chance of it being uprooted. Withstands my digging discus anyway.

I grew them both emersed and off the top of my head would say the MC roots were at least 3 times deeper than the HC. The HC roots barely made it a few MM down. It's not an ideal plant for a "fish tank" anyway

Pay for a 1st class stamp and I'll send you some if you like?

I'm guessing MC is "monte Carlo"?? Sounds like a better idea then HC I've never had any luck keeping it in the substrate long enough before the fish uproot it but then like you say if the roots never grow deep enough I doubt I'll have any success haha

 

[foxfish]

A nice detailed journal, good luck with the tank but be very quick to turn the lights down at the first sgn of any algea.

 

[alex.mooring]

A nice detailed journal, good luck with the tank but be very quick to turn the lights down at the first sgn of any algea.

Thanks for the kind words but yes that is what is worrying me as everything seems to be going too smoothly for my liking. As you say as soon as I see algae I'll be turning the lights down but hopefully I might of caught it right with the co2 and ferts and it's somewhere near.

 

[Jose]

The HC hasn't melted at all just keeps getting uprooted what is left is growing but it's trying to let it have chance until my corys uproot it haha

Oh sorry for that then. Jumped into conclusions too fast.

I recommend you have a read on CO2 mist method over at thebarrreport.com.
Think of it this way: Where there a co2 bubble there is co2 rich water around it.