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Reefer 350 Planted

Thanks Ian, you have obviously got your set up as near perfect as it can get :)
However I think it is fair to say, that the mass majority of C02 users 'world wide' cant achieve what you have and in fact probably use double or more C02 than you do.
I am a member of numerous forums & from what I can read & also gather from many years of experience, I would guesse you fall in the smallest minority of lucky folk who have managed to get everything just right.
 
Thanks Ian, you have obviously got your set up as near perfect as it can get
Not at the moment, as in last couple of weeks....

I cleaned the spray bar a couple of weeks ago and have obviously put it back pointing at a slightly different angle and drop checker is now probably on the blue side of green. I do find spray bar positioning (pointing up/down), number of holes currently blocked, cleanliness of filter, plants blocking flow etc all affect the final CO2 level. By getting no surface ripple (pointing spray bar down), my drop checker is "really yellow" and fish are clearly having issues. Bit of a fine balancing act that takes weeks to get right and is easily messed up by one tiny change.

Well I would check drop checker every day, but drop checker has come unstuck and is now just sitting at bottom of tank awaiting water change & tank maintenance this weekend...
 
Hi.

Coming back from the weekend I found the tank in troubble.... The level sensors for the ATO pump was not set up correctly, and the water level in the sump had dropped too low. There was almost Zero flow, fertilization and not to say the least ZERO CO2 injection...

Totally my own fault! I'm now on top of things again, and will post new pictures as soon as it looks better. A few smaller plants started melting, larger plants have pale new growth.

There might have been issues before this (the plants reacted too quickly imo), and have upped the CO2 to 3-4 bps.

I have also decided to add a stream pump to enhance flow and distribution.

I will receive it on friday hopefully :)

First mistake made, its like the first scratch on a brand new car.... Hurts at first, but now I can lower my shoulders :)
 
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Hi Kajpai,

Fantastic techy looking tank here with lots of fancy looking gadgets and seems to be working great so far. :clap: It reminds me of some of the set ups I used to see in Germany, they were always a few steps ahead with companies such as Dupla etc..

Re your comment: Now her only demand was this: If you go big, go really big!
Dare we ask what the total cost / outlay was for everything or is that not something for the wife to find out:)

Please keep the pictures coming!

Cheers,

Steve
 
Fantastic techy looking tank here with lots of fancy looking gadgets and seems to be working great so far. :clap: It reminds me of some of the set ups I used to see in Germany, they were always a few steps ahead with companies such as Dupla etc..

Re your comment: Now her only demand was this: If you go big, go really big!
Dare we ask what the total cost / outlay was for everything or is that not something for the wife to find out:)

Wow, love the hard scape on your big...ish tank. :p


Thanks :)

When she said really big, (Big being cleary relative) what she probably meant is: I know you will be upgrading further if you don't just go for tha maximum size right away. Since we have a fairly small flat with tilting wall/roof, 120 cm was the biggest I could go.
If I had the space (and stronger floor bearing) I definately would have gone for the reefer 450 which has even better proportions.

Cost has accumulated since I started getting the parts for this build in June. I have actually been completely honest with her, and she has been fine with it. :)

Norway is a high cost/tax country, and a lot of equipment gets way more expensive as it crosses the border. (Our currency has been taking a hit lately as well)
But here goes with todays prices:
Tank with sump : 2000 euro
Sump rebuild and media: 250 euro
GHL Lights : 1800 euro
Light stands: 270 euro (Ordered these: http://www.reeflightmounts.com/mitras-mount.htm)
Computer (GHL Profilux mega-pack): 1000 euro
Tunze Pumps (Including new stream pump): 430 euro
CO2 Rig: 500 euro
In addition you have soil, rock, roots, dry ferts, plants etc probably amounting to 900 euro.

For the nice total of: 7200 euro .....:dead: Never added it up before...

I'm happy with it though, hobbys tend to be expensive (Some friends have cars and racing as a hobby) This rig will give me something to scape and enjoy for years :)
 
Thanks :)

When she said really big, (Big being cleary relative) what she probably meant is: I know you will be upgrading further if you don't just go for tha maximum size right away. Since we have a fairly small flat with tilting wall/roof, 120 cm was the biggest I could go.
If I had the space (and stronger floor bearing) I definately would have gone for the reefer 450 which has even better proportions.

She is smart. That is exactly the sort of thing that I have experienced. I must have upgraded several tanks. I suppose the only other thing is multiple tank syndrome. But I suppose the wife puts a check on that.
 
If it was a reef set up, you really really wouldn't want to count the expense, that is why I stopped my reef interest, to concentrate on Rainbowfish. Too much money...

So I have been told :) For that reason a friend of mine just sold his reef tank for 1/5 of what he had invested. The loss of value alone surpassed my spendings.

I am also looking to go with rainbows. Any reccomendations?

I was thinking of Furcata and Praecox initially as they would occupy different levels of the tank.
 
Yes, size was also a consideration for choosing those two. I like giving fish ample space :)

I live in Oslo (Norway in case you missed it). And the standard selection of rainbows is pretty poor.

However, One guy working at the LFS has been a long time member of a rainbow club, and he has some contacts. He showed me pictures of some fantastic rainbows. Those were very rarely for sale in Europe though.

If you have some suggestions/names of nice obtainable rainbows within my size range, I could check if he can get hold of them :)

Thanks in any case!
 
Money well spent if it gives you years of pleasure and enjoyment. Well done!

Thanks! And by the way, I love your Full Monty Journal. I laughed hard with your illustrations regarding the wife and living room expectations. I love your tank,and your new discus are awsome! (Sorry about the recent issues though)

Go for a shoal of Dwarf Neon Rainbows, they look gorgeous and don't grow too big!

Yeah, those are definatly on my shopping list. Getting impatient, just waiting for my nitrites to drop.... thats always a drag

Amazing set up! What intensity are you running the Mitras at

To be honest, I havent been able to stick with one setting for more than 1 day yet. To much tweekability.... One moment I think I don't have it high enough (most likely not the case), just to lower it the next day.
Most plants haven't really settled yet, and it stresses me out, making me do more changes than I should.

It's hard to come by much good advice about Mitras for planted tanks, but if you are running them as well, I'd love some input as to what settings (color mix/intensity) you would use on a newly setup tank.

Thanks!
 
To be honest, I havent been able to stick with one setting for more than 1 day yet. To much tweekability.... One moment I think I don't have it high enough (most likely not the case), just to lower it the next day.
Most plants haven't really settled yet, and it stresses me out, making me do more changes than I should.

naughty naughty, you need to leave the lights on one setting for a bit longer then a day as it will be tricky to work out the best setting, i do understand though, new toys and the rest ;)
Jim
 
Thanks! And by the way, I love your Full Monty Journal. I laughed hard with your illustrations regarding the wife and living room expectations. I love your tank,and your new discus are awsome! (Sorry about the recent issues though)

Thank you Kajpai,

I am so pleased that the illustrations made you laugh! Sometimes I just don't know what comes over me!

Will be following this with interest, anyone who commits this amount of money and attention to detail really deserves the best results possible.

Cheers,

Steve
 
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