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L'aqaurium 720 (1500)

Looks great!
Couple of thoughts...
Depending on your planting plans, the rocks in the background will likely be invisible very quickly and leave annoying gaps you can't plant into.

I also run a sump and I wouldnt do 24/7 co2. It all depends on your lighting intensity etc, but I think the fish appreciate the non co2 period. I dont find off gassing is a problem in reality (I get through a 2kg bottle in 6 weeks on a 200ltr tank with 9hrs a day co2).

I put the co2 pipe directly into the return pump and find it works well and creates very fine bubbles, but I think you have higher end goals than me!

Look forward to seeing it planted.

K
 
Looks great!
Couple of thoughts...
Depending on your planting plans, the rocks in the background will likely be invisible very quickly and leave annoying gaps you can't plant into.

I also run a sump and I wouldnt do 24/7 co2. It all depends on your lighting intensity etc, but I think the fish appreciate the non co2 period. I dont find off gassing is a problem in reality (I get through a 2kg bottle in 6 weeks on a 200ltr tank with 9hrs a day co2).

I put the co2 pipe directly into the return pump and find it works well and creates very fine bubbles, but I think you have higher end goals than me!

Look forward to seeing it planted.

K
Hiya Kezzab,
Yes I see your point, but the majority of the rocks are or were mainly to weigh down wood until I'd ran the dark start method, I have removed most now, and the ones left will have moss covering when it takes off.

I haven't gone the 24/7 option yet with co2, I decided to try this week, and even with the full sump covered, water disturbance to minimal in the sump, I find trying to get the drop checkers remotely green a struggle. I can't even count the bubbles now, and yet the drop checkers barely change colour. I have a diffuser going straight into the return pump currently until I've built my reactor but no luck at all.
Flow is everywhere in the tank too
 
I think if you are on a 700l system you are way past counting bubbles. Get a PH probe, they are quite cheap, and do a PH profile to.help you get the co2 level nailed on. Made a big difference for me. Initially it seemed alarming how much i was injecting, but it's fine.

If you were injecting at the same rate as me youd be going through roughly 5kg of co2 a month. Don't know if that's a useful reference point. You can check how much you are using by weighing your gas bottle. Apologies if you know all this.
 
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well, just a small update today. I decided to give a reactor build a go, using various pieces of metric pvc and pvc cement. A quick test this evening should help me see if I've nailed the correct length for the flow of the sump pump.
I didn't fancy a 7 up kind of look. I've had co2 running for a few days by placing the diffuser into the return pump.
IMG_20220108_120942.jpg


Fairly straight forward and only cost me £57 pounds in parts.

As the pipe work is 1 inch, I decided to build the reactor at 3 inch.

Fingers crossed I'll test shortly.

Thanks for looking so far.
 
A wee update today, what a difference this reactor makes, the drop checker is way greener sooner, and I have zero bubbles blowing into the tank.
I decided to run a second sump pump in my return section, so the reactor is on a loop taking water from the return area and feeding straight back into it. It's a 5000lph aquarium systems pump, but have it dialled down to 8 percent flow. Great to see the water without a 7 up kind of look.

I've just had some plants delivered from aquarium systems, mainly epiphytes, super condition and very generous sizes.

So far, plants that are in are:

Cryptocoryne wendtii tropica
Crypt becketti petchi
Cryptocoryne balansae
Cryptocoryne Parva
Cryptocoryne albida brown
Bucephalandra kedang
Bucephelandra Lamandau.
Anubias nana Kirin (lovely wavy version but leaves are bigger than I thought so may sell these)
Echinodurus ozelot green (very nice red speckles)
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
And weeping moss.

I've had the wee buces in for a fair few weeks now, they really seemed to adapt well and were sending out new leaves, however, after each water change I noticed they started to begin to melt. One has totally gone.
My fresh water was pre treated and heated to the same temp as the tank water and pumped in very slowly so can't understand what has happened. Any ideas please would be very grateful.

There is flow everywhere in the tank, all drop checkers are green at lights on and a very lime green by time it goes off. Quite sad really as they are a beautiful plant.
 
Hi,
I'm very interested in this, where did you source the parts (maybe even a shopping list if you have time) and do you have a photo of the CO2 hose connector please?
Many thanks!
Hi Bazz,
I'd be happy to help. What filter do you plan on running it on, I'll work out what piping size and attachments and pop the links on here for you.
With ref to the co2 tube, as I've seen many people struggle fitting threaded lock hose attachments, I drilled a hole quarter of the way down, and forced the co2 tube in, then pvc cemented both the inside and the outside with generous amounts. I then left about 30cm of co2 tube before attaching a non return valve that way I can remove if need be.

Hope this helps
 
I run a separate loop using a Eheim Compact+ 2000, adjustable 1-2000 lph. I'm running a Sera 1000 at the moment but feel it's on the edge of it's limits, already tried the AM1000 in three different guises without success.
Was thinking something like this threaded and cemented into the top for CO2 tube.
 

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I run a separate loop using a Eheim Compact+ 2000, adjustable 1-2000 lph. I'm running a Sera 1000 at the moment but feel it's on the edge of it's limits, already tried the AM1000 in three different guises without success.
Was thinking something like this threaded and cemented into the top for CO2 tube.
I only had success previously with an a 1000, after removing all the bio calls and snipping the black co2 inside to half way, that was on a 450 litre tank and did well. Let the odd few bubbles though but not many.

What are the hose tail size on the Eheim, or what size tubing. I'll list what you need and a link for each.
 
Hi,
16/22mm, and many thanks for your time!
Hi Bazz,
Sorry for my super late reply, I have been really busy with work developing new products, and faffing around creating my own like for like of Seachem safe/prime.

I've linked below what you would need to make a 2 inch wide reactor that would fit your 16mm piping. Obviously you'd need to order 2 inch pvc pipe also.

I'll make a thread for people too so they can use it for reference. You'll also need to get pvc cement, cheaper on amazon or ebay.

2 Inch x 63mm PVC Adaptor Socket for Pressure Pipe Systems X 2

63x25mm Plain PVC Reducing bush for Pressure Pipe Systems x 2

25x16mm Plain PVC Reducing bush for Pressure Pipe Systems x 2

16mm PVC Plain Spigot to Hose connector adaptor x 2


Let me know how you get on.
 
Hi all, I've been super busy lately researching the best way for dissolving co2 100 percent with not even a single smidge of a bubble even late on in the period. My reactors are great, but the last hour or so I start to get very teeny teeny bubbles escaping.
So Im working with someone and we have initially started this bad boy with more bits to go on.
Screenshot_20220612_120456.jpg
Screenshot_20220612_120456.jpg
.....3 injection points, bleed valves on top of each and will run inline with the main sump pump. Should be super efficient.
I have two reactors I'm more than happy to pass on, one is 70cm tall, the other 90cm tall.
 
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Well after nearly 5 months from planting, I'm really happy with both the growth rate, and health of the plants overall. Its nothing special compared to most of the beauties on here but I'm happy non the less.
IMG_20220620_154501.jpg
Not sure of the big wendtii tropica at the front, quite dominating. Must admit though, I'm in love with the bucephelandra. It's dojng extremely well, and growth rate is faster than my crypts grow. I'm due to install my triple cylinder co2 reactor next week, which should decrease amount of co2 used.
 
It's beautiful!
Where are the fish? jj
Wow thank you @FrankR , wasn't expecting that. Fish wise, you can only see a few back left corner and a couple back right.
But there are 20 rummy nose tetra,
6 ottos,
6 panda Cory
3 Pepper Cory and a random STUNNING endler guppy that came in the fish shipment.
Lots of bloody Mary shrimp.

When lights are initially on, the rummies have a good swim about, then are off chasing one another through the rampant growth, but they always appear around 7pm, they've grown accustomed to knowing when feeding time is haha.
I must try and get a decent video to show them all actively about 😊
 
Wow thank you @FrankR , wasn't expecting that. Fish wise, you can only see a few back left corner and a couple back right.
But there are 20 rummy nose tetra,
6 ottos,
6 panda Cory
3 Pepper Cory and a random STUNNING endler guppy that came in the fish shipment.
Lots of bloody Mary shrimp.

When lights are initially on, the rummies have a good swim about, then are off chasing one another through the rampant growth, but they always appear around 7pm, they've grown accustomed to knowing when feeding time is haha.
I must try and get a decent video to show them all actively about 😊
I really like it. I was joking when I said that about the fish. (jj=just joking)
How do you maintain such a beast? (Apologies if I missed that post)
 
I really like it. I was joking when I said that about the fish. (jj=just joking)
How do you maintain such a beast? (Apologies if I missed that post)
Ohhh haha, sorry, slow head on me when I replied to that then haha.
Maintenance wise, it's pretty much the same as any other aquarium really, with the added benefit that I don't need to stop filters, open up clean etc. Having a very big sump, means all I do is change the poly floss out once a week, sometimes two.
I use the plastic pipe hooks that come with washing machines, hang over one hose and get syphon going, that runs to a barrel outside that I use to feed my indoor and outdoor plants, the other hose I use a makeshift gravel vac, and lightly suck up any sediment from moss or the thicker parts. Glass is wiped down twice a week.
As for taking care of Media I'm actually trialling something I developed here at work, based on 30 ppi foam baked with silicone carbide, so no flow restriction through the inside or outside of it, so far it's been fantastic. I've still some alfagrog in but that'll be taken out shortly. I find any of the hyped up bio media to be just that, hyped. Anything that doesn't allow flow through isn't the greatest method. And why pay such large amount of money. Its like purigen, I get the exact same stuff from my suppliers that we use when making certain products, it does exactly the same, recharged the same, and costs me less than £13 for 5 litres. And this stuff is EXACTLY the same, I've looked under the microscope.

So these blocks will just be a case of taking one out every so often and dunk in a jug of aquarium water and pop back in.

Filling, I have a mixer tap, so attach a hose with a temperature fitting on it, run the water until I get the same temp as the tank and then fill up.
Once a month I do a heavy clean but other than that, the actual cleaning takes 15 mins, the filling around an hour as I do it slowly 🤗
 
As for taking care of Media I'm actually trialling something I developed here at work, based on 30 ppi foam baked with silicone carbide, so no flow restriction through the inside or outside of it, so far it's been fantastic. I've still some alfagrog in but that'll be taken out shortly. I find any of the hyped up bio media to be just that, hyped. Anything that doesn't allow flow through isn't the greatest method. And why pay such large amount of money. Its like purigen, I get the exact same stuff from my suppliers that we use when making certain products, it does exactly the same, recharged the same, and costs me less than £13 for 5 litres. And this stuff is EXACTLY the same, I've looked under the microscope.
So Purigen is just plain resin?
 
So Purigen is just plain resin?
Not a plain resin as such no, as it is micro porous , but it's certainly not 'unlike any other filter media' as they say.
I brought a fresh lot home from work to restock as I rarely bleach it and reuse as the bleach doesn't fully remove the organics within it.
IMG_20220622_150143.jpg
and as you can see it's identical.
We use it for purifying water even more before mixing into other chemicals. But purigen etc doesn't reduce nitrates massively like it says. I've tested it often.
 
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