marwil said:
Hi Clive
Thanks for your reply I have indeed reduced the light so I was listening to that one
.
OK, that's good, otherwise the problem might be more severe.
marwil said:
Funny you should bring up the nitrate thing I did a test yesterday and it was showing 0ppm now as I have said Iam using 2 2339 eheim wet and dry filters and they are supposed to be good with the nitrate removal.
Well, first of all, you need to stop testing, because a 0ppm reading is almost impossible if you are dosing EI so that's just confusing the issue. Reaching for some miserable test kit when things go awry is the worst reaction one can possibly have. Secondly, unless I'm missing something, I know of no biological filter that removes nitrate, unless you have added some sort of nitrate removing resin. As far as I'm aware wet/dry filters facilitate the same biological processes as ordinary filters in that they oxidize ammonia into nitrite/nitrate via bacterial colonies. I'm not familiar with an Eheim model 2339, are you sure these aren't 2229 instead? If so then you have a combined rating in the neighborhood of 2000LPH. In any case, as discussed, you may have a distribution problem so I would at least put the spraybars back on and see if things improve. Stop worrying about whether the fish are annoyed by the flow. This can always be modified later on to find a happy medium. Fixing the distribution right now is top priority.
marwil said:
I leave the co2 on 24/7 now the drop checker is constantly in the green
Well, again, this is not a panacea. Your particular tank may require a higher injection rate.
marwil said:
I've also removed the redmoor wood as I felt it was doing anything for the tank so flow should improve..
Well the wood is an aesthetic item so I see no reason to remove it. You will generate much better flow by keeping the overgrowth trimmed and neat.
marwil said:
do you think I should put the spraybars back and maybe as amy said increase the size of the holes in them and also do you suggest upping the ferts and yes its always after the water change..
I suggest that you remount the spraybars but do not play with the hole enlargement yet. Each filter comes with at least one spraybar correct? Utilize all of them. Ensure that the spray exit angle is aligned with the horizontal and ensure that the bars are mounted as close to the water level as possible without causing bubbles but just rippling the surface. Increase the macro dosage by at least 50% and observe for 3 weeks.
Here is a photo I use a lot to illustrate proper spraybar alignment. You can see the gaps in the pattern and that's where two spraybars are ganged together, so there aren't any holes at the joints. Ganging the bars (or pieces thereof) reduces the exit velocity while giving you better coverage across the length of the tank. This usually works better than hole enlagement because you could easily enlarge the hole too much which would have the counterproductive effect by reducing the velocity too much.
Cheers,