• 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
it may be glaringly obvious, but i just cant quite make out what this means exactly? the EI bit is confusing me......you dont mean Estimative Index here do you?.....is it a typo or abbreviation for something else....or am i being dumb :banghead:

It's not you mate that is a very poor explanation, lol
What I should have said is this "I'm seeking an alternative to Estimative Index when I scape the 200ltr tank as the position of the tank would make lots of water changes a nightmare"
EI is what I'm doing for the Black Lava Rock scape.
I apologise for making you question your intellect, when indeed it was my fault for writing anything on a public site before having my morning coffee.
I should know better, lol.
 
It's not you mate that is a very poor explanation, lol
What I should have said is this "I'm seeking an alternative to Estimative Index when I scape the 200ltr tank as the position of the tank would make lots of water changes a nightmare"
EI is what I'm doing for the Black Lava Rock scape.
I apologise for making you question your intellect, when indeed it was my fault for writing anything on a public site before having my morning coffee.
I should know better, lol.
Ha, I need morning coffee too.....and midday, and afternoon, and evening......oh, and Im always questioning my intellect :banghead:

Seems if your looking at reduced water changes, a low tech approach may suit best, perhaps with lots of ferns moss and Anubias covering a root/branch network. EI can be dosed lean though, along with reduced lighting and or co2 to suit, which would help reduce the frequency of water changes needed. If you keep the light low, everything else can be reduced, its all a balancing act ;)
Cheerio,
 
awesome hardscape !
Thank you :)

Second water change of this week to try and get on top of a few things as stated in the previous update post.
Took a few shots while i was on :snaphappy:

Vallis curtain needs some work :hilarious: ....

feb20122106.jpg


A different perspective....excuse the packet bloodworm in the foreground :yuck:

feb20122107.jpg


Christmas moss starting to take...
feb20122108.jpg


Red Ramshorn snail with airbag.....
feb20122109.jpg


drop checker colour....
feb20122110.jpg


Giving serious thought to a second filter for this tank. It will give more versatility regards external equipment, i could also use it as a c02 reactor type system and use with glassware which will be less intrusive than the koralia nano circulation pump. I think with extra inlets and outlets the c02 will be dissolved and distributed better....
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Really looking good ady, the second filter is a better way to achieve that clean looking tank, even though power heads are small I didn't realise they can spoil the view so much until I added one :) will you go back to an inline diffuser if you decide to go that way ?
Hi Tim,
yeah, ive got an inline diffuser which i was considering adding anyway. If i add another filter i will definitely add it to that and try to make a rector type system, utilising the extra filters volume and some well chosen media :) Ill think on it for now and try and save some pennies.....mmm, what filter, decisions, decisions.....
 
Have you thought about a jbl e700? Would that be powerful enough?

I see you have a g6 on there at the moment. What lph are they? I have seen 700lph and also 1350 lph?
 
Have you thought about a jbl e700? Would that be powerful enough?

I see you have a g6 on there at the moment. What lph are they? I have seen 700lph and also 1350 lph?
Hi Ian,
g6 has a rating of 2460lph, claimed over 1000lph with all medias in, head consideration etc.....
I dont know about the second filter really. It will be moving water along the rear of the tank where traditionally most of the time there are tall plants, so probably dont want a tank buster that will tear them all up or lay them flat :eek: , but needs to be powerful enough to distribute well. The koralia nano is rated at 900lph so probably somewhere around that mark would be more than enough. If i run a standard shape lily return then water will be directed downwards aswell which should help with better overall distribution.....however the koralia currently agitates the surface so i was considering an 'obubble' type, but then i dont get the benefit of downward flow :crazy: Maybe i dont need the surface agitiation....ive just had to go get my spare 2kg c02 cylinder refilled as the 3kg one i got before christmas is running out fast :wideyed:.....surface agitiation is expensive!! If i get the plants fed well and growing in earnest then they should do the job of oxygen enrichment anyway. :)
An external with a large canister volume but not a huge lph may be best for a reactor type system?....im not very experienced with filters unfortunately. Im guessing the jbl e700 is 700lph rated which may be a touch low? I also need to consider that ill be adding inline c02 which could further restrict flow......
 
Well.....truly awful few days for the tank :(
No hatchetfish casualties through jumping until the weekend when 3 found the gap in 2 nights :(
Also Co2 ran out when I was out over the weekend, lights on as usual. I'd already had my spare co2 canister filled in preparation, but when I added it the regulator didn't seem to fit as it did and the seal wasn't tight = leaky regulator seal.....I noticed that immediately so another day of lights off and a trip to my co2 supplier to see if anything had been removed/changed with the coupling....it hadn't but we measured the two and the spare canister has a slightly larger diameter coupling than the one in use so I'm guessing the o ring seal had maybe been compressed when in use and hadn't had time regain its form when I added it immediately to the larger canister? When we tested it again at the co2 supplier it sealed so I felt like a right plonker! Anyway, reinstated co2, a while later switched lights on and yuk, melted stems, shed leaves.....bummer! It must have been the light that got them when co2 ran out, maybe it had been fluctuating for a few days also whilst running out.....need to keep a better eye on it in future! Well, thought it couldn't get any worse, but it seems my solenoid took the hump at being inactive for a few days, and has stopped functioning correctly. The last two days I've come home to no co2 flowing even though the timer has switched the solenoid on.....opening the needle valve creates enough pressure to free it and allow flow so its clearly being activated, but getting stuck. I've switched it on and off several times and it works, but must just get stuck when dormant for a longer period of time like overnight. If the same happens tomorrow it looks like a new solenoid will be needed :(
Frustrating to say the least, it never rains, it pours! Hopefully the damage won't be too great, although I can see melt on some of the ferns too so it could get worse before it gets better....
Not the most positive update, but warts and all!
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
That sucks Ady hard luck, I am sure you will get it back on track in no time ;) keep us posted and hope for a more positive update soon ;)
Me too, ill get the co2 sorted then maybe buy some new plants to make me feel better :)
 
Me too, ill get the co2 sorted then maybe buy some new plants to make me feel better :)
Agreed ;) my CO2 bottle pressure started moving yesterday to just below 50, so ordered a couple more 5Kg bottles, steal at £25 each!! Gotta keep an eye on it now, hope it doesn't run out before Tuesday when they get delivered!
 
What a shame I was surprised at how little warning they give you when mine run out.

ant
 
That's crap Ady hopefully everything comes together, my co2 is just above 50 been there since got it does it all of a sudden just drop ? I am going to order a spare bottle but only on for 5 hours a day at the min at 1bps but will get a spare

Thing will only get better mate
 
What a shame I was surprised at how little warning they give you when mine run out.

ant
That's crap Ady hopefully everything comes together, my co2 is just above 50 been there since got it does it all of a sudden just drop ? I am going to order a spare bottle but only on for 5 hours a day at the min at 1bps but will get a spare

Thing will only get better mate
Yeah, as soon as the needle indicated a drop in pressure I got my spare refilled as it only takes a few days to week max to go.....unfortunately I was a bit slack when it counted as normally I swap them over before it actually runs out to try to eliminate problems.
Cheerio
Ady
 
Bloody sorry mate to read this as your tank was looking pretty good.It is a nightmare when things go pear shaped like this.I hope your family were not around when you realised the damaged so you could let a few words go.You will have it back up to standard soon!Cheers mark
 
Cheers Mark....
Onwards and upwards, cleaned the tank up a bit, removed pp (melted), removed struggling alternathera mini from the centre, trimmed effected ludwigia and had a small move around. I've added another very small echinodorus Reni sp. to the centre....can't see it yet its so small :) placed the ludwigia at the left rear, see how it does and looks here.....if it doesn't work ill add a larger echinodorus and go with George's recommendation of a vallis curtain. Currently the centre needs to fill in more and so too the left rear ludwigia. Ive also tweaked the direction of the lily inlet to give better distribution to the centre of the tank where the new echinodorus is situated.
Luckily the solenoid seems to have corrected itself for the time being so no need for a new one.
Water change last night, took the opportunity to clean glassware and add in pre cleaned diffuser..... for the feel better factor :)
caught a glimpse of the CRS again....odd, but this ones colour pattern has changed dramatically to mostly red with hardly any white banding, none in the nano have gone like this so maybe due to environmental conditions?

And just for a laugh I thought I'd share my hc carpet progress....I got a tiny plantlet in amongst some plants I'd bought a while ago so planted it. As you can all clearly see, I nearly have a complete foreground carpet now ;)

Few weeks ago:
usurybu7.jpg


Today:
4u9e3yju.jpg


Context shot:
tapysy3y.jpg


:)
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Back
Top