Help please

[robert2191]

Hi
My plants seem to be struggling , my drop checker is lime green i am fertilising using EI method , lighting is 2 x 54w

Also have brown stuff over sand seems to always be in one place

And sand seems to be going different colour not sure if this is algae

Could anyone help with these problems
Thanks


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[Matt Havens]

Hi
My plants seem to be struggling , my drop checker is lime green i am fertilising using EI method , lighting is 2 x 54w

Also have brown stuff over sand seems to always be in one place

And sand seems to be going different colour not sure if this is algae

Could anyone help with these problems
Thanks


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Hi Robert!

There could be a number of reasons for sand looking dirty or the wrong colour. Also the plants struggling.

I do not know the answer but if you could shed some more light on the setup I am sure you will get some helpful suggestions to the subject.

For example:

How long do you run the lights?
How many fish do you have?
How long has this been planted?

At a glance i would say it is just debris and detritus with the sand. I see that you have otto's in there which would help with algea.

The plants appear to have small holes on the leaves. Some of my anubias has suffered a similar fate. I would say it was because I have them in an area with no cover from the lights, whereas previously they were in some cover.

Good Luck!

Hi
My plants seem to be struggling , my drop checker is lime green i am fertilising using EI method , lighting is 2 x 54w

Also have brown stuff over sand seems to always be in one place

And sand seems to be going different colour not sure if this is algae

Could anyone help with these problems
Thanks


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[Martin in Holland]

The brown stuff on the bottom looks like fish waste and other kind of waste, the algae in the sand on the last picture looks like BGA, both could mean that you do not have enough flow at substrate level, this can also be the cause for your plants not getting enough nutrients and most of all not enough CO2.

 

[ceg4048]

Poor CO2/flow/distribution. Review injection technique, injection rate and injection start time.
Review filter pump performance and outlet placement.

Cheers,

 

[robert2191]

Poor CO2/flow/distribution. Review injection technique, injection rate and injection start time.
Review filter pump performance and outlet placement.

Cheers,

Thanks
I have my co2 reactor hooked up to my pump coming from my sump not sure the flow rate but since iv been using my reactor i have noticed my flow has note been very good and i also i have a power head top right of the tank pointing down ever so slightly , I thought my flow was ok because the leaves on plants are moving slightly
I will try getting a better pump and move power head around a bit
Can anyone recommend a pump to run with a co2 reactor tank in 395l
Thanks again


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[ceg4048]

Hello,
If detritus or debris is collecting on open spaces in the substrate it's an indication that movement along the substrate is not ideal, so low growing plants in the substrate will suffer a bit more than plants with leaves exposed higher up.

For a 400L tank ideally you would want a pump with a 4000 LPH rating which should make the powerhead redundant. something like http://royalexclusiv.net/Flow-Pumps...-flow-pumps/Mini-Red-Dragon-pump-2-5m::4.html

If you have a sump then you ought not to need a reactor. The gas can be ported directly into the intake using a simple ceramic diffuser disk.
If you have a reactor hooked up to your line it may be that the reactor spuds are of a smaller diameter than the rest of your plumbing which will, of course demolish your flow rate.

Again, without more detailed information such as schematics or photos of your plumbing and tank, we have to guess. We can see the photos of the plants, but we know that the cause is your physical and mechanical setup. How is the outflow arranged? We need to see what you are looking at, otherwise we are forced to use our imagination.

Cheers,

 

[robert2191]

Hello,
If detritus or debris is collecting on open spaces in the substrate it's an indication that movement along the substrate is not ideal, so low growing plants in the substrate will suffer a bit more than plants with leaves exposed higher up.

For a 400L tank ideally you would want a pump with a 4000 LPH rating which should make the powerhead redundant. something like http://royalexclusiv.net/Flow-Pumps...-flow-pumps/Mini-Red-Dragon-pump-2-5m::4.html

If you have a sump then you ought not to need a reactor. The gas can be ported directly into the intake using a simple ceramic diffuser disk.
If you have a reactor hooked up to your line it may be that the reactor spuds are of a smaller diameter than the rest of your plumbing which will, of course demolish your flow rate.

Again, without more detailed information such as schematics or photos of your plumbing and tank, we have to guess. We can see the photos of the plants, but we know that the cause is your physical and mechanical setup. How is the outflow arranged? We need to see what you are looking at, otherwise we are forced to use our imagination.

Cheers,

Thanks
I have tried taking some pictures not sure if they will be useful
I have my co2 reactor connected to the outlet pipe and yes its two different size pipes

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[ceg4048]

Hello,
Thank you very much for the photos. They definitely help clear things up.

So I can see that this is an open top sump where the level of the water that the submersible pump chamber is lower than the level holding the media. If this cases splashing then CO2 is immediately out-gassed from the water at a very high rate. If possible, you might want to think about finding a way to cover and seal the sump to retard the gas loss from the sump.

I cannot see what the input to the pump looks like, but is it possible to mount a cheap ceramic diffuser just below the inlet s so that the pump pulls the gas in without too many of the bubbles escaping? That would completely eliminate the need for the reactor and you could maintain the same pipe diameter of the pump outlet throughout the pressure side of that circuit. That will get you closer to your original flow rate.

You need to know the pump rating. I assume it's adequate but if you can determine make and model you could google for the specs. Adherence to the "10X flow rating"rule of thumb becomes more critical as the size of the tank increases.

We also need to see pictures or schematics of the outlet . How are you distributing the flow? is the end of the filter return tube connected t a spraybr, a lilly pipe or an open ended tube? Where is the outlet mounted, on the back wall of the tank, or on the side? Where is the outlet pipe/device pointing?

When does the gas come on in relation to when the lights go on - an hour before the lights? 2H before? At the same time?

Do you monitor the pH drop of the tank to determine how efficiently you are getting the gas into the water? This is the main method of determining if the changes you make to your hardware configuration are better or worse. Do you own a pH pen or probe to do this easily? If not then it is highly recommended to get one of quality and to keep it calibrated.

Cheers,

 

[robert2191]

I cannot see what the input to the pump looks like, but is it possible to mount a cheap ceramic diffuser just below the inlet s so that the pump pulls the gas in without too many of the bubbles escaping? That would completely eliminate the need for the reactor and you could maintain the same pipe diameter of the pump outlet throughout the pressure side of that circuit,

Do you mean put the diffuser in the sump right near the pump

Co2 come on 1 hour before lights , lights are on 8 hours

This is my outlet

This is my pump

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[foxfish]

You only need a small modification to your pump ... first remove the front of the pump, cut the bottom off a suitable plastic bottle (or cut it down to a suitable length) slip the bottle end over the pump inlet (you may need to add some tape to get a good fit) now place a diffuser inside the bottle & that is it!
If your reg will coupe I would use a UP or bazooka or other high pressure diffuser but you can in fact simply stick the end of your C02 line into the pump inlet without any diffuser & it will work but with a more defined mist!

 

[ceg4048]

This is my outlet

That's your outlet? On a 400L tank?
You can do much better. I mean, look at the nozzle tip. It appears to have a smaller diameter than the return tube. If so then it's also killing your flow rate.

In addition to foxfish filter inlet modification, I would y suggest to fabricate a spraybay along the back wall of the tank as discussed in the sticky thread http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/water-flow-in-the-planted-aquarium.1167/

Cheers,

 

[robert2191]

That's your outlet? On a 400L tank?
You can do much better. I mean, look at the nozzle tip. It appears to have a smaller diameter than the return tube. If so then it's also killing your flow rate.

In addition to foxfish filter inlet modification, I would y suggest to fabricate a spraybay along the back wall of the tank wall as discussed in the sticky thread http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/water-flow-in-the-planted-aquarium.1167/

Cheers,

How would i set up a spray bar
My return pipe runs trough the bottom of my tank and up the black thing

Sorry if im not describing very well im new to all this


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[foxfish]

 

[Martin in Holland]

I don't know why the picture is sideways, but this should do the trick to set up a spray bar in your tank.
Try to find black tubes that fit over your outlet, bent it (45 degree is better for your flow than 90 degree bents), make sure the spray bar is under water (about 1 inch should be OK) at all times.
Experiment with cheap white electric tubes first, you could even paint those with spray paint used for model airplanes and such.

 

[robert2191]

Thanks a lot everyone
I will try and make some changes and hopefully things will pick up

Would the green tubing for filters work for attaching the spray bar

Thanks


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[ceg4048]

You're welcome.
Yes, you can even cut spraybars to fit a certain section lengths and attach the section using the green tubing.

Don't spend a lot of money just yet. Find the cheap solutions first, even if they are ugly to look at. Solve the fundamental problems and then think about how to accomplish them more aesthetically.

Cheers,