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Bobtastic's 1st Planted Tank Journal (240l)

Bobtastic said:
Would a Hydor Koralia 1 be enough?

Just had a quick look a Koralia 1 is rated at 1500lph plus your Fluval 405 at 1300lph

That's a total of 2800lph, so yes you should be good to go with a Koralia 1. :thumbup:


Cheers Gordon.
 
I am all gas'd up thanks to the guys at TGM. Special thanks to Graham for spending the time talking us through everything and even supplying a drawing!

Tho... I think we forgot to put in a suction cup for the defuser... So I'm currently running on the "spare" one... Also I'm not able to use the J-tube as the rim of my tank is too wide... *sniff*

Hopefully it will give my plants the well needed boost! Now just have to get my hands of some more fert as FluidSenor is currently out of TPN+...

I'll post up some more pics as an when I take some.
 
Just done a quick pic/diagram of how the Co2 is setup in the tank and could do with some feed back to say whether it's the best placement or how it could be changed to improve distribution.

TankCo2Layouy.jpg


also created a post in the Co2 section to get better exposure.
 
I've been extremely lax-y-dazical with this "journal", but here is a picture of how it looks now.

240lTank.jpg


Had a lot more growth thanks to the addition of Co2. The Crypts are looking a lot more healthy as are what is left of the Eleocharis Acicularis and Pogostemon Helferi after the heater mishap. Algae is a lot less now to and I find I'm only sucking up fish poo and dead algae rather than living stuff...

The Hydrocotyle verticillata has gone crazy and is sprouting up all over the place. Tho I need to gather up, trim and replant the bushy one at the back (can't remember its name....)

Future plans -

I plan to get some Rotala Rotundifolia (red tipped), Rotala Nanjenshan (green), and Alternanthera reineckii (red) and put it in back right and probably back left to fill in the background.

Also get some more Eleocharis Acicularis, Hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba' and Pogostemon Helferi to fill in the foreground more.

I also want to get some java fern and mosses and attach them to the wood but haven't quite decided where I want them to go.
 
Ok, finally remembered to take some picture of what the tank looks like atm. I must be honest but I dont seem to be having much luck with this particular setup...

IMG_5191.jpg


The Crypts that are/were left/back of centre and under the outlet seem to have melted away...

Tho the Hydrocotyle verticillata and Micranthemum umbrosum behind the wood seem to be going ok.

IMG_5197.jpg


The addition of Co2 seems to have gotten rid of the original algae problem, but this has given way to another/continued, other species of algae problem...

IMG_5196.jpg

IMG_5195.jpg
 
I've just updated the bottom of the original post with the picture that have been taken of this tank in it "progress"...

With the addition of pressurised Co2 the problem with the algae on the sand has gone, but it doesn't seem to have resolved all of the algae problems that I am having with this tank. I have switched to a DIY TPN solution, of which I'm dosing 15ml daily atm. I have also lowered the lighting period to see if that has an affect on the algae on the wood, rock and plants.

I have also lowered the power head to just above the filter outlet and Co2 defuser to see if I can get some more Co2 to the lower plants and help with the over all distribution. I have another power head that I currently use for water changes that I would add to the opposite end of the tank to help with flow/distribution around the back of the wood.

I am also planning on getting hold of some more plants to see if the light/low biomass it also contributing to the problem, but don't really want to waste my money if I'm fighting a loosing battle.

I would be really interesting in other ppls opinions and advise on this... I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall with it.
 
Whats the water change regime, if tyou dont mind me asking :D

With just adding co2, thiswont correct every problem within an aquarium. unless other aspects are addressed also.
 
I must admit I'm am fairly poor with the water changes. I can leave it 2-3 weeks between changes on occasion. But not all the time.

Yeah, I was just hoping that it would sort out most of them! ;o)

I'm aware that most of the plants that I have in are pretty slow growning. I have a little patch of Egeria densa (back left) but I must admit that it's not growing as well as the ones I have in my low light setup (110l 2xT8 - no fert or co2). I was thinking of adding some Hygrophila difformis along the back/behind the wood to see if it would out compete the algae.
 
Bobtastic said:
I was thinking of adding some Hygrophila difformis along the back/behind the wood to see if it would out compete the algae.

it's not so much about 'out competing the algae' it's possible to run a tank with next to no plants in and still be algae free.

I'd look at regular W/C if your injecting co2. you'll be amazed at the out come. :thumbup:
 
Oki koki! Is there a minimum amount that you'd say?

When I do a proper water change I usualy take down roughly 50% and would you say a minimum of once a week? Or should I do it more regularly until the algae clears?
 
Lol, can you tell me what the "correct" Co2 level is?

I'll take a video of the bubble counter, defuser and hopefully the micro bubble distribution around the tank and post it up! I was gonna do it last night but ran out of time.

I've been toying with the idea of an inline defuser or reactor to increase the defusion, but haven't taken that step yet...
 
Bobtastic said:
Lol, can you tell me what the "correct" Co2 level is?

a green drop checker with 4DKH water within :thumbup: it's gambling trying to assume we've got 30PPM of co2. with time, and experience, it;'s possible to run CO2 without a drop checker (i've done it) but I'd always recommend one for peace of mind.
 
Here is the video a promised. I must appologies for it's quality it was extremely rushed and I'll do a better one shortly.

Video

The pH of my water is quite low (pH6) but I have observed the dropchecker change colour.
 
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