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ADA 60F iwagumi

so realistically If I have fixed the problem I wouldn't know as the thick algae at bottom of hairgrass wont disappear unless I physically remove ?
need to wait for my ph meter coming to check it more thoroughly to see how much co2 getting dissolved, also will I see new growth even with thick algae on the hair grass or will I just start to see colour go greener ? and if anyone has any more ideas please let me know

thanks dean
 
Ph meter arrived today one quick question it has powder to calibrate it should I use all the powder to calibrate then empty out and should I only have to do this once as only one sachet at the max ph

thanks dean
 
Deano3 said:
Ph meter arrived today one quick question it has powder to calibrate it should I use all the powder to calibrate then empty out and should I only have to do this once as only one sachet at the max ph

thanks dean
Click to expand...
Does it not have instructions included Dean?
The one I have came factory calibrated to ph7. So I needn't do anything for a month. I also have a sachet of calibration powder included, the instructions in mine suggest to recalibrate monthly to maintain accuracy, using distilled/ro water and the powder mix.
You will have to buy more calibration powder to repeat the process. I'm not sure how long the mix will last once made, maybe 2 recalibrations?
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
I use liquid buffer from hydroponics shop and calibrate every 2 months. It only ever needs adjusting by .1 ph. These powders worry me, they have to be mixed properly and you can only use liquid 1 time. If you make it all up and use just enough to cover probe in a container just big enough to get pen in. I use 15 ml to calibrate mine in an interpet medicine measuring cup.
 
Ady34 said:
Does it not have instructions included Dean?
The one I have came factory calibrated to ph7. So I needn't do anything for a month. I also have a sachet of calibration powder included, the instructions in mine suggest to recalibrate monthly to maintain accuracy, using distilled/ro water and the powder mix.
You will have to buy more calibration powder to repeat the process. I'm not sure how long the mix will last once made, maybe 2 recalibrations?
Cheerio,
Ady.
Click to expand...

it does have instructions just wasn't sure if you can buy more powder so didn't want to use all until I knew, should I put in bottle to calibrate in future aswel ? says use deionised water what can I use for this

thanks dean
 
do you have to buy the deionised water from shops and is it cheap enough to purchase the powder when used ?

Thanks dean
 
Hi Dean,
I'm new to ph meters and calibration methods too but a quick search shows several calibration solutions available on amazon alone in different types and quantities :)
Amazon.co.uk: ph calibration solution

As for deionised water, you wont need it if you buy a pre mixed calibration solution as opposed to the powder mixes. You can buy deionised water in garages and even wilkos sell it If you decided to go that way. Think ill be purchasing some ready made calibration solution by a reputable company like Hanna :)

How's the tank doing mate, any improvements?

Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Ady34 said:
Hi Dean,
I'm new to ph meters and calibration methods too but a quick search shows several calibration solutions available on amazon alone in different types and quantities :)
Amazon.co.uk: ph calibration solution

As for deionised water, you wont need it if you buy a pre mixed calibration solution as opposed to the powder mixes. You can buy deionised water in garages and even wilkos sell it If you decided to go that way. Think ill be purchasing some ready made calibration solution by a reputable company like Hanna :)

How's the tank doing mate, any improvements?

Cheerio,
Ady.
Click to expand...

Hi ady well I am hgv fitter so will get some deionised water from work we put it in batteries but thought might have been too strong but should be fine actually, I will keep it in bottle and re-calibrate every month or so and when run out will buy a ready-made one from link.

No tank looks bad ,no improvement, going to start doing 25% water change every 2 days I think , no point of turning gass up as already very high bps any other recommendations to help with dissolving the co2 ? flow is already strong (700lph and removed most of media) unless I try a normal style lilly pipe but currently got spray bar and they are usually best for flow but getting stuck now and very unenthusiastic with water changes etc but relly need a solid plan and really want fish in by next few month been running for ages now and still no fish .so think 25% every other day then once every 6 days do filter clean and pipe clean.

you not think fish would eradicate the algae and maybe its just algae left and stopping the grass from growing? also would love to see some nice colours the repens arnt to bad but algae on leaves but greener than the grass :(

Thanks Dean
 
Hi everyone not going well the tank has a horrible white skin ontop Even after just 2 days if you touch it pieces come off and fall to bottom, been dosing daily and taking ph readings as follows (thanks for advising me to buy a digital ph meter clive its so much easier)

10.am 7.8
11.20am 6.7
17.00pm 6.4
20.30 6.8

I have been working last 4 days so my better half been taking various reading for me gas on is 10am lights on 1pm and gas off 5pm lights off 6pm.
feel like fighting a battle I cannot win, the algae is still at bottoms of hair grass and some stringy algae in the grass, flow is quite strong with 700lph filter and gass on constant flow with DC always yellow, only thing is maybe 24w light still to high ? would the algae disappear in hair grass on its own or would I still be there until fish eat it ? just thinking maybe its stopped progressing but still hanging about if anyone has any more ideas please share , just wish I purchased the 60p deep tank

Thanks dean
 
Hi Dean,
Of course you can win this. I'm assuming that by lights ON at 1PM the pH is between 6.7 and 6.4 right? So that's good because the pH drop is around 1 unit. Normally, CO2 related algae doe not go away by itself. You can mechanically remove it using a toothbrush to snag, twirl and pull. This indicates that distribution to the substrate is a problem. The white scum is also indicative that the plants are not able to use that CO2.

Didn't you mention that the light fixture was raised to reduce the intensity? What was the distance?

Cheers,
 
thanks clive just puts you down as seems to be taking much longer than other people and still no livestock :( lol will check ph more tomorrow for more precise readings as I am off and can check every hour or so,if I even touch thehair grass it pulls out of substrate and its hard to get back in and the top of the tank is 115cm from light (45 1/2 inches) and its 1 x 24w hagen life glo here is some pics
film on surface



film2_zpsb6a0936a.jpg
close up of algae but hard to make out but colours are blooming like should be
close_zps452ffe2c.jpg

81483720-fcba-489b-bc46-bb0e72644182_zps3e22f771.jpg

thanks dean
 
Hi Dean,
Every tank is different mate. Every one of them is a Rubik's Cube. Sometimes you're lucky and things line up. Sometimes you're not lucky. 46 inches is a long distance, so really that shouldn't be a problem. AS strange as it seems, this sounds like a distribution issue, even though a shallow tank should be at an advantage when it comes to distribution. You have to find a way to force the flow to the substrate. The scum should actually help to retain CO2 as it block gas transfer across the surface, but it is also a result of CO2 deficiency, so this is part of the same problem, not something new or abstract..

Continue to do frequent water changes.When you do the water change, try to ensure that the hair grass is exposed to air as much as possible. You can even linger with a very low water level and allow the grass to slightly dry, then add water. When the water level is a few inches above the grass you can add Excel with an eye dropper or syringe over the hairgrass. Make sure the filter isn't running and slowly squeeze out the liquid so that it settles on the grass. Do this just before lights on. The purpose of all this is to pump up CO2 availability. The more often you can do this, the better, until we can figure out how to improve distribution.

Cheers,
 
I will continue 25-50% water change every 2 days only problem is cannot do before lights on due to work but I can add liquid carbon before work so around 6.30am few things firstly how long should I leave filter off ? I could set it on a timer.

secondly in such a small tank how much should I dose daily and how many pieces of hair grass should I add the carbon to ? so if I can dose 4ml daily how much should I add to each grass section ? should I cover much as possible and move across tank over the week ?

also thought I would add I am going to clean pipes and clean filter sponges every 6 days and dose 5.5ml daily EI dosing and also the spray bar is only 27cm long so doesn't cover whole stretch of tank but don't really want to keep spray bar forever anyway would eventually like and lily pipe, and how are we going to find out how to get better distribution ? sorry for all the questions just want some lovely small fish in a algae free aquarium :cool: one day

Thanks dean
 
So the mystery continues .. It appears you are supplying enough co2 or at least the water you are testing seems to have significant PH change.
The light is defiantly high up!! If you did not have the algae issues then I would of said it is to high!
You are dosing EI so that is covered....just the flow left...maybe?
 
foxfish said:
So the mystery continues .. It appears you are supplying enough co2 or at least the water you are testing seems to have significant PH change.
The light is defiantly high up!! If you did not have the algae issues then I would of said it is to high!
You are dosing EI so that is covered....just the flow left...maybe?
Click to expand...
lol i hope but strange as such a powerful flow, dosed 3ml this morning but only done 3 pieces of grass lol its hard as cannot see it in the tank, its going to be hard to do as much grass as possible and also how long should i leave the filter off for when add liquid carbon

thanks dean
 
If it helps i'm currently dosing 2.5ml(as much as i dare, with ember tetras, corys and amano shrimp)thats about 3.5x dose in my 35l tank. In your position with no fauna i'd be tempted to dose even higher. Anything above 2x stops cherry shrimp etc from breeding so is an early sign of too much but plants can cope with much higher concentrations than fauna so dont be too worried about harming them. Increase amount of spot dose slowly to allow a greater area to be covered. Ill have a look into toxicity levels for plants and get back to you. As far as i know its only riccia and vallis that hate liquid carbon but i'm sure someone will correct me if they've had a bad experience with any other plants.
 
I'd be tempted to lift all the hairgrass and clean all the algae off, remove any dead leaves and then replant.
 
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