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Calling for help, starting to be tired !!!

Thomas,

Cheers,

Hi Clive,

So yesterday I did a big clean in the tank, cleaning glasses, scrubbing plants, stir substrate in some area, clean the stones ....
I made a change in distribution. I put back the 25mm hose of FX5, put the big ceramic disc in the tank. Up the power of FX5 to almost 50%. With a bigger outlet and a bit more power, distribution is way better !!! a have a bigger mass of water that moves across the tank with out too much velocity. I can clearly see that with the ceramic disc I can pump more CO2 in the water. But as it is cheap disc, all the bubbles are not very small, but I am sure I will have better result.
The filter media, is just foam from different size. About CO2 in the filter, when I tried it months ago when it was in my older tank (bigger) it was running at 100%, but still the gas was trap at the top of the filter and was burping big bubbles.

Would you advice me to run the second filter with second FE and up aqua, pointing in the same way than the FX5 ?

Hope I am going on the good road.
Cheers
 
Yes I think that will help if you use the second filter, but try and keep things simple for now and see how this one works first. If you do install a second unit then DEFINITELY point it in the same direction.
Did you chop up the foam into small pieces? That will help to dissolve the gas and avoid big bubble buildup.

Cheers,
 
Yes I think that will help if you use the second filter, but try and keep things simple for now and see how this one works first. If you do install a second unit then DEFINITELY point it in the same direction.
Did you chop up the foam into small pieces? That will help to dissolve the gas and avoid big bubble buildup.

Cheers,
No I didn't chop the foam !! I will do it next time I clean the filter, and give a try to put the tube in the inlet.
I have to find some calibration fluid for my ph pen, but here in Congo it will impossible so I will have to order it !!
So should I wait and see for 10 days ? If there is no improvement I put the second filter ?

thanks
 
Another option for better CO2 dissolution and distribution is to put the atomizer on the inlet. I did this about one month ago and am quite happy with it. Since I changed to glass spray bars I found difficult to work with the UP on the outlet (as soon as the bubbles start to get big they make a lot of noise on their way out of the small spray bar holes). Putting it on the inlet saves that. And I have no issues with gas buildup in the filter, perhaps because there is not a lot of material in the there. In my (limited) mind this method must mean more or less 100% dissolution of the CO2 before it enters the tank...

Thomas
 
Another option for better CO2 dissolution and distribution is to put the atomizer on the inlet. I did this about one month ago and am quite happy with it. Since I changed to glass spray bars I found difficult to work with the UP on the outlet (as soon as the bubbles start to get big they make a lot of noise on their way out of the small spray bar holes). Putting it on the inlet saves that. And I have no issues with gas buildup in the filter, perhaps because there is not a lot of material in the there. In my (limited) mind this method must mean more or less 100% dissolution of the CO2 before it enters the tank...

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

thanks for your in put, I have already tried this :p, I did first the CO2 tube directly in the inlet not working, than I tried to put the UP on the inlet, and still having gas build up :arghh:.
This is due to the huuuuge amount of CO2 I need to pump to reach good concentration in my very soft water.

Lets see what the new configuration do, if it's not working, than I will try with second filter+ UP AQUA, and the ceramic inside the tank.

cheers
 
Hi guys,

So yesterday was the first full day with the changes. The ph drop is better with this configuration it reached 3,65. I wasn't satisfied how the CO2 bubbles were hit by the flow, so I added a koralia pump just under the outlet of the filter, 20 min after installation ph drop to 3,2 !! great.
I don't know if it is because of the changes but surface scum is gone that's great !!! Is it already a good sign ?
I have not noticed any earlier pearling.
But this is only the first 24 hours, so we can't really judge. But overall flow in the tank have really improve !!!

Hi Thomas,
Cheers,

One interrogation is about flow pressure. Clive how do you know if you have to much flow or that the flow is too stronger ?

I will continue to report

Cheers
 
Hi Thomas,
Yes, getting a sharper pH drop is definitely a better sign. Surface scum disappearing is definitely a fantastic sign.

If the flow is too strong then the leaves will flap about as if they were flags in strong wind. If they just rock and shiver then it's OK. There were a couple of threads with video showing strong but good flow, but the links died. I'll have to search around for some others. I don't suppose your sister's Congolese camera has video capability?

Cheers,
 
Hi Thomas,
Yes, getting a sharper pH drop is definitely a better sign. Surface scum disappearing is definitely a fantastic sign.

If the flow is too strong then the leaves will flap about as if they were flags in strong wind. If they just rock and shiver then it's OK. There were a couple of threads with video showing strong but good flow, but the links died. I'll have to search around for some others. I don't suppose your sister's Congolese camera has video capability?

Cheers,

Hi Clive,
My sister's cam cameback from japan, they have fixed the problem. But she is in Kenya since a week and she will be back in a month !
I can film with my go pro (it films in 1080p) so quality is good. Or I can film with my iphone.
It would be great to see a video of a tank with strong but good flow.

What is the correlation between surface scum and poor CO2 ? I would love to have one of your rocket science explanation lol.

cheers
 
And white matter is on and in a part of the substrate.
Can it be a reaction between Iron and phosphate ?
ytuhagas.jpg
 

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It is possible that the precipitate is Iron phosphate.
I cannot say for sure. Are you dosing micro and macro at the same time?
Is the Iron chelated?

Cheers,
 
No but yesterday I dosed trace in the afternoon and at 9pm I have put macro. So yes this precipitation.
What is the move. 50% WC. I was thinking that you could dose macro and micro within three or four hours lol
 
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