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Brown Algae

ceg4048 said:
Hi Dinesh,
Really I would strongly advise to stay away from yeast based systems in general, and on that size tank in particular, because that's another set of problems altogether, primarily because you have very poor control of the gas production, which induces some forms of algae that are a lot tougher to get rid of than brown algae. If you're going to do gas then do it right.

There are many different competent gas cylinder regulators, so that part is easy, but the difficult part is always finding a regular supply of the gas. You can use CO2 fire extinguishers and follow the guide in the Tutorial section Fire extinguisher CO2 | UK Aquatic Plant Society or you can use any cylinder that contains liquid CO2 such as beverage cylinders or welding cylinders. There should be an industrial gas company or companies that supply professional CO2 cylinder rentals and refill/replacement.

Dinesh : So the first step in injecting co2 is sourcing a co2 cylinder. I think i can get the Fire extinguisher as most of my factories have them as a safety measure. I can talk to the person who has supplied those fire extinguishers to my factories and get a good new one. Will update once i do some talking with the concerned person.

The most important feature of the cylinder, wherever you get it from, is that the coupling on the cylinder valve uses the European standard DIN477. In that way, you can fit a regulator like the one shown here on TGM website: Aquamedic Regulator

Dinesh : Next is regulator, mate i just checked TGM and it says it has only the regulator with needle. But i found few other regulators that had needle valve, solenoid and bubble counter on the same instrument. How do you suggest that ? Are they reliable ? But to be frank in this matter, i would prefer a regulator with multi-functions like solenoid, needle valve, bubble counter and other parts integrated and also the aquamedic regulator which i found on TGM is expensive when compared to a integrated regulator. Anyways give me few other options in integrated regulator ...

Then, to control when the gas turns on and off automatically (without your having to remember every day) you would do well to get a solenoid like the on pictured on TGM SolenoidNow, this isn't strictly required, because you can just leave the gas running 24 hours per day. It's probably worthwhile to try both ways, just to see which is more hassle free and which gives the best results. If you do use a solenoid then you'll need a timer to tell the solenoid when to co on and off and when to turn the tank lights on and off. I'm just being lazy here, so I'm staying on the TGM website just to show you examples: Electro-Mechanical Timer
Again, I'm also assuming that India uses 220V and those big cumbersome three-pronged plugs. I'll let you figure out any needed adapters, especially if you wind up buying from Asia, or from mainland Europe instead of UK.

Dinesh : Electro-Mechanical Timer. This should not a big task like selecting regulator and cylinder. But timer is definitely a must i guess because i will put both co2 and light off in the night.

The next thing you need to think about is how to mix the gas with the water. For smaller tanks, it's easy enough to put an "airstone" like disk inside the tank, but for behemoths such as what you have, it might be a better idea to use what's called an "in-line" device where the output of the filter mixes with the gas before it returns to the tank. These devices seem to work better in larger tanks, but it's up to you depending on how elegant you want the tank to look. Have a look at this page: TGM Diffuser Types
The only two in-line devices on that page are the Aquamedic AM1000 and the CalAqua
There are other types such as the UpAtomizers that are less expensive and work just as well as these. If you are handy, you can even make your own reactor out of nothing more than PVC tubing and some fittings.

Dinesh : Whats is the difference between single in-line and two in-line diffusers. Mate i do not want the diffusers inside the tank i feel it spoils the look of the tank... can i have something outside like i can connect it to my Eheim so the co2 dissolved water will come out through spray bar regularly.

After these items, the rest are sundries such as CO2 compatible tubing and dropcheckers, 4dkh water and pH reagent, all of which are very easy to get. I would suggest that you stick with any of our sponsors who sell this gear. AquaEssentials offers similar equipment.

Dinesh : Alright this keeps me a bit of relief as you said this is going to be easy when other major equipments are fixed.🙂

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Click to expand...
 
And thank you soooo much for that detailed post regarding co2 set up. Thank You so much for answering all my questions so patiently.
 
No worries mate. That's why we're here.

Yes the needle valve is an important part of the regulator because that's the knurled knob that allow you to fine tune the amount of gas that you inject. Normally it comes with the regulator assembly but I should have mentioned that they are sometimes sold separately.

If you can find a complete assembly that has needle valve and solenoid attached, and at a price you can swallow, then definitely go for it. Another of our sponsors, AquaEssentials has this combined assembly AE Regulator Assy Which is a complete unit. Bubble counters are a simply sundry and is a very easy add on. Don't get too worked up about bubble counters, which are an annoyance anyway because they often leak.

Remember that there are lots of different kinds of fire extinguishers, so just because there is a red cylinder attached to the wall it doesn't mean it's CO2. Make sure you tell your guy/gal that you want CO2 only and no dry chemical agent cylinder. You can mount the cylinder anywhere and just run tubing to the tank. Check the beer breweries, and Coca-Cola bottler's as well. They use CO2 to make the beer and coke fizzy, so you might be able to get a better deal and it might be easier to get the cylinder refilled - that's the second hard part. If you can't get the Fire Extinguishers refilled then you have to keep buying them, and you'll need to have a few on hand to swap them out when the gas content get too low.

I'm not really sure about single in-line versus dual. The two units that I linked to, the AM100 and the CalAqua are mounted outside, and as I mentioned, are installed between an external filter and the tank, so the CO2 and water get mixed on the way to returning to the tank. I assumed you had an external filter, and it needs to be a strong one. If not then you should get a second one and use two sets of spraybars. Here is an example of an alternative to those two, a much less expensive external diffuser: Up Atomizer
Water comes from the filter at the bottom, the gas goes in through the spud on the left and the mixture comes out on the top, then into the spraybar.

Cheers,
 
Mate a quick question ... I just received the Seachem flourish excel. Can i dose as per bottle instruction i.e 5ml for every 40litres after a 40% water change. Will it harm my cardinals in any way ?? Adding lots of carbon suddenly into the tank ???
 
Dinesh said:
Mate a quick question ... I just received the Seachem flourish excel. Can i dose as per bottle instruction i.e 5ml for every 40litres after a 40% water change. Will it harm my cardinals in any way ?? Adding lots of carbon suddenly into the tank ???
Click to expand...

Dose as per bottle, don't go any higher until your satisfied you understand how it works enough.

As the flora content is low, Maybe do a half initial dose, for a week see if you see an improvement, then up to recommended dose. But lighting still needs to be addressed until you can get a pressurised system.

Cheers,
 
ceg4048 said:
No worries mate. That's why we're here.

Yes the needle valve is an important part of the regulator because that's the knurled knob that allow you to fine tune the amount of gas that you inject. Normally it comes with the regulator assembly but I should have mentioned that they are sometimes sold separately.

If you can find a complete assembly that has needle valve and solenoid attached, and at a price you can swallow, then definitely go for it. Another of our sponsors, AquaEssentials has this combined assembly AE Regulator Assy Which is a complete unit. Bubble counters are a simply sundry and is a very easy add on. Don't get too worked up about bubble counters, which are an annoyance anyway because they often leak.
Dinesh : Yes, i will go with the complete assembled regulator with solenoid and needle valve. I just looked at the AE regulator Assy and they are pretty much what i was looking for ... all integrated. This is interesting and will have this as an option. Will look out for other regulators in the market and if you could help me with few other reliable options so i could finalize the regulator soon.

Remember that there are lots of different kinds of fire extinguishers, so just because there is a red cylinder attached to the wall it doesn't mean it's CO2. Make sure you tell your guy/gal that you want CO2 only and no dry chemical agent cylinder. You can mount the cylinder anywhere and just run tubing to the tank. Check the beer breweries, and Coca-Cola bottler's as well. They use CO2 to make the beer and coke fizzy, so you might be able to get a better deal and it might be easier to get the cylinder refilled - that's the second hard part. If you can't get the Fire Extinguishers refilled then you have to keep buying them, and you'll need to have a few on hand to swap them out when the gas content get too low.
Dinesh : You are exactly spot on. The extinguishers what i had in my factory are with dry powder. Just contacted the supplier and had asked him for liquid co2 cylinder. He has agreed to show me sample cylinder in 1.5ft and 2ft, i do not exactly know if how much of liquid co2 can go in a 1.5ft or 2ft cylinder. And he has aslo agreed to refill the liquid co2 cylinder if i get one from him. But the unlucky part is, cylinder is made of steel and NOT aluminium. He also mentioned that maximum pressure that he would arrange in his cylinder is 15psi .... Will this cause any problem and make it not suitable for use in the aquarium ???

I'm not really sure about single in-line versus dual. The two units that I linked to, the AM100 and the CalAqua are mounted outside, and as I mentioned, are installed between an external filter and the tank, so the CO2 and water get mixed on the way to returning to the tank. I assumed you had an external filter, and it needs to be a strong one. If not then you should get a second one and use two sets of spraybars.
Dinesh : Perfect, if these are installed between the external filter and the tank then it is fine. But mate they are really expensive and my filter is Eheim 2217. If 2217 is not strong enough then again i will have to get a another stronger filter just to connect it to this diffusers. Definitely this set up will empty my pocket.

Here is an example of an alternative to those two, a much less expensive external diffuser: Up Atomizer
Water comes from the filter at the bottom, the gas goes in through the spud on the left and the mixture comes out on the top, then into the spraybar.
Dinesh : I will go for this option, but can you suggest any other diffusers that are can be fixed between the filter and tank and lie somewhere in this same price tag. Learning lot of things and thank you guys for you support.

Cheers,
Click to expand...
 
Whitey89 said:
Dose as per bottle, don't go any higher until your satisfied you understand how it works enough.

As the flora content is low, Maybe do a half initial dose, for a week see if you see an improvement, then up to recommended dose. But lighting still needs to be addressed until you can get a pressurised system.

Cheers,
Click to expand...
Hi Nat,
I just did my 40% water change, will do a half initial dose (10 capful) by tomorrow morning. Then after the initial dose, will carry on with regular daily half dose(2 capful). Hope this should be fine right. Advise if im wrong.
 
Dinesh said:
Hi Nat,
I just did my 40% water change, will do a half initial dose (10 capful) by tomorrow morning. Then after the initial dose, will carry on with regular daily half dose(2 capful). Hope this should be fine right. Advise if im wrong.
Click to expand...

Sounds alright to me mate, you can increase up to full dose if you deem necessary.

Just be careful, if you overdose, potentially all your neon tetras will be gone.
 
Whitey89 said:
Sounds alright to me mate, you can increase up to full dose if you deem necessary.

Just be careful, if you overdose, potentially all your neon tetras will be gone.
Click to expand...
Whitey89 said:
Sounds alright to me mate, you can increase up to full dose if you deem necessary.

Just be careful, if you overdose, potentially all your neon tetras will be gone.
Click to expand...

Nat, Will proceed with half dose as I do not want to harm my cardinals. These fishes have nicely settled in the tank why should they be disturbed. Should I have all my 4X 80W for 6hrs after dosing Excel or 2X80w for 4hrs which I'm following now.
 
Ha never can tell the difference, I thought cardinals had more red? Who knows!!

Anyway, I would keep the lighting as low as possible, although its better than doing nothing, Easy carbo isn't anywhere near as good and cheap as co2. The stronger your lights, the more you'll have to add. Thus more expensive to run.

If clive advises you on a matter, I would follow his guidance to the letter, as he really knows a great deal about planted aquaria. A mind blowing amount. He might waffle on about the matrix every now and then ( 😉 ), so just pick out the parts you need.

Your moving in the right direction with this, and if you can obtain a pressurised co2 system, I've no doubt you'll succeed.

Anubis' like the shade, meaning you'll have to dose more co2& ferts if you want them to stay in good condition.

Think albino, without sunscreen (co2& ferts) on a hot day in the desert. Just hand him that cream Dinesh, go on.

🙂
 
Hi Guys,

I just dosed with half initial dosing of Execl. Will continue regular dosage from tomorrow lets hope for the best. Yes, liquid carbon is obviously expensive in long run.

I'm seriously looking for pressurized set up. Have asked for the cylinders. Will update once I have the sample with me. Aqua essential haven't mentioned about the coupling / Thread on the web page I'm not sure if aqua essential or any European regulators will have coupling / thread that can fit our local cylinders.

If you have any experience about the European regulators fitting Indian cylinder threads or even any idea about this set up, then please help me.
 
Nat im getting all possible help from Ceg to turn my tank into a descent planted tank. He has brilliant amount of knowledge in planted tanks and I can just see it in his so detailed replies.
 
No worries mate.
As far as the cylinder couplings go, It's more reasonable to ask you Indian supplier whether their cylinder valves use the DIN477 European standard. Except for the small disposable bottle connectors, any regulator you buy in Europe will be DIN477. Suppliers in Europe won't necessarily know what is used over by your way.

Cheers,
 
Mate can you suggest me any regulators ?? Easy Aqua Twin Guage Regulator/Solenoid is going to be one option.
 
Any solenoid valve integrated regulators ?? Your suggestions on this mate. Should have good reliability and warranty.
 
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