Update: finally got some new hosetails for the reactor. Had a job getting the old ones out but managed eventually. Also got the eheim jubilee clips to tighten the hoses on, and these are a superior design it has to be said. Also invested (ouch) in the eheim double taps, as this will make life easier in the long run for maintenance, hose cleaning etc. not fitted the reactor yet as it needs a bit of time and we had guests at the weekend. So currently still feeding the co2 into the filter inlet. This isn't great, it barfs out big chunks every so often. The fish seem ok, and the drop checker is getting yellow by end of day. Mind you it's half way up the tank not near the substrate.
I am having a problem with the carpeting plants, especially the HC, and less so the glosso. I think the HC is growing out well, but it's threatening to yellow in parts. I can't tell if this is normal or not. Now I havea lot of flow - 1200lph or so from the eheim, 300lph or so from the other filter (it's struggling with the head), 2800lph from a the koralia and another 900lph from a small koralia. All on the back top pointing towards the front. The plants are waving nicely. I can tell from bubble movement that there is decent flOw by the substrate where the carpeting plants are, but maybe the pattern is still not quite there. Or maybe they're just settling in. Possibly fitting the reactor will help. Interestingly, the plants no longer pearl like they did when I had bubbles from The diffuser and a blue drop checker..... Suggests some kind of co2 issue.
Also, the damn clumps just keep on coming out of the substrate. I think I just didn't take enough rock wool off the roots, and what with fish poking around and high flow, as the roots grow they seem to push the rock wool up out of the substrate.
Other than that going ok. Crypts partially but not completely melted. Stems growing. Fish happy. Added more harlequins at the weekend, pretty much babies. One got bashed to death overnight by aggressive platies, the rest seem to be left alone now.
I am having a problem with the carpeting plants, especially the HC, and less so the glosso. I think the HC is growing out well, but it's threatening to yellow in parts. I can't tell if this is normal or not. Now I havea lot of flow - 1200lph or so from the eheim, 300lph or so from the other filter (it's struggling with the head), 2800lph from a the koralia and another 900lph from a small koralia. All on the back top pointing towards the front. The plants are waving nicely. I can tell from bubble movement that there is decent flOw by the substrate where the carpeting plants are, but maybe the pattern is still not quite there. Or maybe they're just settling in. Possibly fitting the reactor will help. Interestingly, the plants no longer pearl like they did when I had bubbles from The diffuser and a blue drop checker..... Suggests some kind of co2 issue.
Also, the damn clumps just keep on coming out of the substrate. I think I just didn't take enough rock wool off the roots, and what with fish poking around and high flow, as the roots grow they seem to push the rock wool up out of the substrate.
Other than that going ok. Crypts partially but not completely melted. Stems growing. Fish happy. Added more harlequins at the weekend, pretty much babies. One got bashed to death overnight by aggressive platies, the rest seem to be left alone now.