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should i gradually build up light?

willo

Seedling
Joined
17 Feb 2014
Messages
5
Hi there

this is my first post - please be gentle if i ask some pretty basic/stupid questions!

I have had a low-tech planted set-up for a couple of years, and have finally taken the decision to add pressurised CO2. I took the decision to empty out the water from the original set-up, remove all previous plants, but keep the substrate (Columbo Flora Base planting substrate), and add some new substrate to enable me to do a slightly more interesting layout. The new set-up now has approximately 3/4 new water, and 1/4 of the previous water which i returned to the tank.

Firstly, would this be considered a new set-up, or is the fact that a proportion of the water, most of the substrate, plus the filter being "mature" mean that i can short-cut a lot of the guidance for new set-ups?

Secondly, and this is my main question, do people generally build up the light when adding pressurised CO2 for the first time, or should i start with the level of light that i think is the right long-term sustainable level? I seem to have read different ideas.

The technical details of my new set-up are as follows (please accept any terminology mistakes!):

  • 200L (probably about 150L of water, with maximum water depth of approx 20 inches)
  • pressurised CO2 (aiming for around 20-30ppm)
  • 4 x 39W T5 lights. Currently timed for 8 hours (with 2 lights for the full 8 hours, and the other 2 for the middle 6 hours)
  • External filter with 1200L p/h
  • two additional (small) powerheads to try and improve circulation
Plants currently in the tank are: Cyperus Helferi, Eleocharis Vivipara, Eleocharis Parvulus, and Glossostigma Elatinoides (very small amount, because i got the online order wrong!). There is a bit of java fern as well.

Annoyingly, the Hemianthus Callitrichoides wasn't ready at the same time, so the online order for these will arrive next week. This was a bit frustrating as i received the rest of the order, and therefore needed to plant them before they died. I now have the challenge of someone planting the next plants while the tank is full of water!

So, apologies for the long message, but any help on whether i should reduce the lighting until the newly-planted plants adjust the the CO2 level would be great. I want to avoid the 8 hour lighting duration from creating a big algae problem.

Also, one more thing, the java ferna already looks quite brown (in just two days since gluing it to my bogwood). Is this a sign it is struggling already? I thought java fern was meant to be fairly easy and hardy?

Many thanks for your help

Peter
 
Hi Peter,
Folks who start CO2 for the first time always have CO2 induced faults. Therefore, I would suggest that lighting always be reduced when introducing new plants to a tank. I would immediately disable 50% of the lights and work on getting good CO2 dissolution and good distribution of the flow throughout the tank.

Plants turning brown is always a sign of poor CO2. Ferns that go brown are always an indicator that CO2 is poor and that lighting is much too high.

Increased CO2 also inevitably means that there is an instant increase in the demand for nutrients. You will need to supply large quantities of NPK and trace element mix.

Cheers,
 
great - thanks very much for the reply. Yes, i will disable 50% of the lights, and i have been reading up a lot today on nutrients/dosing/EI etc....
 
Hi ceg4048

I read your article called The Estimative Index Dosing with Dry Salts. I found it really helpful, but i didn't quite understand what "CSM + B" was when i got down as far as the sample dosage for the 20 gallon tank. Is this the same as what you refer to in your previous reply in this thread as "Trace element Mix". What do the CSM + B stand for?

Many thanks

Peter
 
Hi Peter,
Yes, any trace element mix will work. That was just a brand name from a company called Plantex a long time ago that was made for hydroponic gardening. At the time in USA that was the easiest and most convenient Trace mix at a good price. The brand name became a proxy name for any similar Trace mix in the same way that Coke and Hoover became associated with any cola and any vacuum cleaner.

Cheers,
 
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