• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

400 gallon.

Crap had an answer, didnt post it. Sorry Phil.
Basically never. It was designed for a discus tank, so few plants, a lot of fishload. It is big in dimensions (app 300 lit volume in total of wich i could fill app 225 lit with filtering material).
When i went planted i removed most of the filtermaterial. A few weeks ago i changed the plumming so i lost a smaller mount of CO2 through the filter. As of now there is app 10 liter Siporax and a few pieces of filterfoam. I only clean that when the foam gets more or less clogged. Usualy that is every 4/6 months.
 
12416498824_50bf6f95f5_k.jpg
Cleaned up infested plants a bit more. Still some way to go. Even hung up all the lamps a bit higher again, with lesser plantmass that should lower CO2 demand a bit more. I dont think there is new BBA. Fingers crossed. I do think i will get some more Echinodorus plants, they seem to fit me and this tank best, and the maintenace is just taking of old leaves, which is easiest in this size.
 

Attachments

  • 12416498824_50bf6f95f5_k.jpg
    12416498824_50bf6f95f5_k.jpg
    581.5 KB · Views: 105
Ed,

I like the look! A few of the more technically minded hobbyists over here in the US have been discussing the affects of dissolved organic matter and its relationship with algae, specifically BBA. After reading journal articles on DOC/TOC and algal proliferation, as well as considering the effects and mechanisms of filtration in an aquarium, I'm becoming convinced that a dirty filter is a major contributor to algae, especially BBA and Cladophora. It's been my experience that if I let the filter (canister or sump/wet-dry) media get nasty and clogged then algae start to proliferate. If I keep it clean I don't have nearly the issues with the major nuisance species like BBA. Lord knows I know a big filter is a pain to clean, but perhaps that would help you combat BBA in your system?
 
Thanks Phil. I made some changes in the filter and started doing some extra waterchanges in order to keep the system a bit cleaner.
I want to make some changes in the scape, but i need to get some nice pieces of wood. And i am looking for some extra swords. Getting there slowly.
 
Best of luck sir! I'm looking forward to seeing how your changes affect the system; for the better, I hope.
 
I weeded most of it out, doesn't seem te be growing back. I think i only see it on the leaves which had it, but it seems to be growing once it's there.
Now about covering the wood: seeing i am trying to limit myself to South American plants, i think only mosses would fit. Bolbitis and Anubias are african, Microsorum spp are asian.
Only did some mossballs (cladophora i guess), but i still need to find something suitable.
 
BBA seems to be less, I raised my lights and try to get as much CO2 in as i can. But i feel it is still not enough, i drop 1 pH point approximately but my water is quite soft.
And i am getting some BGA spots, even after cleaning the filter and the tank. I am using ferts 3 times a week(usually 5 tbs KNO3 2 tbs K2SO4 2 tbs MgSO4) and micro's 2 times a week. CO2 is on 21/2 hours before lights on till hour before lights out. It gets "pumped"into the inlet of an Eheim classic, the water from the eheim goes directly to the inlet of my large sump pump and gets pumped into a large standing pvc pipe with holes in the bottom side, so 3 places where the CO2 gets chopped up or can "dissolve"in moving water. Tiny tiny bubbles come out of the standing pipe. The pipe is in a sectioned off small triangular corner of the tank it overflows at the top with a drop of app 0.5 cm. Still i feel i can't get enough CO2 in the tank. I will try to get a large diffusor functioning (tried two, bur couldn't get them to my liking) working with an added CO2 set and have two CO2 sets working on the tank.

As an added measure i will black out the tank 3 days and hook up the gardenhose 2 hours every night, this way i do a biig waterchange.
 
Ed,

How are you using the Eheim filter? Is it for CO2 only or is it part of your total filtration system? If it's for CO2 only or you'd be ok with losing some flow, you may consider modifying the impeller to be a needle wheel type or mesh mod type. They're considered by many in the US to be the current best method for breaking up CO2 into a fine mist for distribution in a large aquarium.

A Cerges "reactor" (counter-current dwell time dissolver) may help you a lot as well. Google I had something similar on the old 225 back in '11 and am considering using a pair of filter chambers in series hooked up to a mesh modded pump on the 300. As long as you've got the space hooking one or two chambers up to your Eheim should go a long way toward dissolving the CO2.

Isn't CO2 a pain in the butt to get right? Of all the parameters we check, CO2 is by far the hardest one for me to get right. It doesn't help that I hate to see less than 100% dissolution and bubbles floating up to the surface…:mad:

<edit> New thought. The BGA may be a symptom of insufficient flow in that area. Does that seem plausible?
 
Last edited:
The eheim used for CO2 is standing in the last part of the sump and is used for CO2 purposes only. After the blackout i will fill it with cut up filtersponge pieces. The large diffusor i am trying to rig (and that will be a counter current device) will be driven by a 3000 liter eheim pump and is 4 cm clear pvc pipe app 1 meter long. I wil use the CO2 on a low bubblecount to see if it takes up everything first, since it an added system and see if i can get deeper pH drops. I have changed the plumbing towards the sump, but i still think i loose CO2 there, problem is i can't change a lot i only have 12 cm of space to work in and i cant move the tank (2000 kg i guess), so i have to add more.

Insufficient flow is hard to believe, however if i get the diffusor working i will probably set it up in a way that it takes in water at one side of the tank while the output is on the other side.
 
So blackout finished saturday. BGA seems to be gone for now, Added 5 tablespoons NO4, 2 PO4 and 2 Mg.
Added some new fish too:) Apart from adding to the corydoras elegans group (realy like those) 4 new species:

Characidium fasciatum (6x)
12900969305_57d39dce05_h.jpg


Pseudanos trimaculatus (6x)
12900959035_1211e2636c_h.jpg


Hypoptoma gulare (4x)
12901358594_4f6e75e7a2_b.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 12900969305_57d39dce05_h.jpg
    12900969305_57d39dce05_h.jpg
    227.9 KB · Views: 93
  • 12900959035_1211e2636c_h.jpg
    12900959035_1211e2636c_h.jpg
    721.6 KB · Views: 100
  • 12901358594_4f6e75e7a2_b.jpg
    12901358594_4f6e75e7a2_b.jpg
    604.7 KB · Views: 94
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top