Peter1000000
Seedling
- Joined
- 15 Apr 2009
- Messages
- 15
Tank specifications - Rio 180.
Lighting - 3 X 30w T8s - 2 with new tubes, one of unknown age. On for 11 1/2 hrs /day. Without reflectors
CO2 - Pressurised - 1 bubble per 2 seconds with a solenoid.
Filtration - Internal Juwel filter plus an Eheim 2213 with a suspected problem (see other post) and outputting into the Juwel box filter.
Fertilisation routine - 30mls of JBL Ferropol / week & about 30litres of water changed each week
Hi, I fairly recently added a pressurised CO2 system running through a ceramic diffuser. I don't have a PH checker and am not sure what the ppm is. However, I do have a home built bubble counter (an old small lucozade bottle!) and have about 1 bubble per 2 seconds. The C02 comes on 2 hours before lights on and goes off 2 hours before lights out. The fish seem happy as Larry and the production of a baby bronze catfish I think shows this...
Plants are also doing great. All of them growing like crazy and I can see tiny bubles (oxygen?) coming off some of the plants. I have didiplis diandra and Nesaea crassicaulis which I think are supposed to be tough to grow and both are doing great (although only the very tops of the Nesaea are very red).
I did have what I thought were 3 ottocinclus in the tank, but turned out to be aggressive little sucking loaches. I fished them out (with the assistance of a handy home-built fish trap - thank you again Mr Lucozade) and returned them the LFS. They left about the time the pressurized CO2 arrived (to replace a home-brew set up). Since then - and I have no idea if it's related - I have started getting Green spot algae and hair thread and a tiny bit of black brush algae.
Frankly, this whole planted tank thing has surprised me with a) how fascinating it is and b) how money-draining it is... I'd like to avoid spending much more if I can. I have a spare Fluval 3+ filter that I was thinking about adding to the tank to increase flow (or at least cutting down the powerhead and using that). I could probably stretch to one of those Hong Kong £10 powerheads on Ebay - but they are all rated at 3000 l/hr. EI is out for the moment because I have a water softener and have to preheat the water I use to add to the tank. I really want to avoid buying test kits etc. because the fish have been happy for 3 months without.
Where should I go next? Any advice much appreciated...
Lighting - 3 X 30w T8s - 2 with new tubes, one of unknown age. On for 11 1/2 hrs /day. Without reflectors
CO2 - Pressurised - 1 bubble per 2 seconds with a solenoid.
Filtration - Internal Juwel filter plus an Eheim 2213 with a suspected problem (see other post) and outputting into the Juwel box filter.
Fertilisation routine - 30mls of JBL Ferropol / week & about 30litres of water changed each week
Hi, I fairly recently added a pressurised CO2 system running through a ceramic diffuser. I don't have a PH checker and am not sure what the ppm is. However, I do have a home built bubble counter (an old small lucozade bottle!) and have about 1 bubble per 2 seconds. The C02 comes on 2 hours before lights on and goes off 2 hours before lights out. The fish seem happy as Larry and the production of a baby bronze catfish I think shows this...
Plants are also doing great. All of them growing like crazy and I can see tiny bubles (oxygen?) coming off some of the plants. I have didiplis diandra and Nesaea crassicaulis which I think are supposed to be tough to grow and both are doing great (although only the very tops of the Nesaea are very red).
I did have what I thought were 3 ottocinclus in the tank, but turned out to be aggressive little sucking loaches. I fished them out (with the assistance of a handy home-built fish trap - thank you again Mr Lucozade) and returned them the LFS. They left about the time the pressurized CO2 arrived (to replace a home-brew set up). Since then - and I have no idea if it's related - I have started getting Green spot algae and hair thread and a tiny bit of black brush algae.
Frankly, this whole planted tank thing has surprised me with a) how fascinating it is and b) how money-draining it is... I'd like to avoid spending much more if I can. I have a spare Fluval 3+ filter that I was thinking about adding to the tank to increase flow (or at least cutting down the powerhead and using that). I could probably stretch to one of those Hong Kong £10 powerheads on Ebay - but they are all rated at 3000 l/hr. EI is out for the moment because I have a water softener and have to preheat the water I use to add to the tank. I really want to avoid buying test kits etc. because the fish have been happy for 3 months without.
Where should I go next? Any advice much appreciated...