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Carpet plant and Mid-ground plants melting. Kindly advice.

Hi Clive

You couldn't have said it any better. Thank. 🙂

I got the idea for increasing the photoperiod from Tropica.com from their 90 days step by step guide. I quote:

Day 21:
Change up to 30 % of the water. After 3 weeks, it is enough to change the water once per week, provided you see no signs of algae problems.

Check the technique (is the pump running, does the switch on/off clock work, is the CO2 running).

It is now time to increase the light period to 8 hours per day.
It is also time for fertilization. We recommend that you start with a fertilizer that does not contain nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), e.g. Plant Growth Premium Fertiliser (read more about the Plant Care series here). Start with only ½ a dose, which means 5 mL per 100 L water per week. It is best to spread the fertilizer over the entire week instead of dosing all of it at once.

The light that I have has a built in timer but I don't think I can control the brightness when set on a timer. The other option I have maybe is to get some floating plants to shade the plants at the bottom. Or is this option going to open up a new set of problems? :crazy:

But seriously Clive, you MUST start writing a book on planted tank.:thumbup: You have been blessed with so much knowledge and it's a pity if it gets lost in huge maze called the Internet.

I'll update soon.
Take care and cheers
Raffik
 
Hi Clive
Taking into consideration that I have an inline Co2 diffuser and a chiller attached to my tank, if there is one thing in my tank which you would highly recommend to change, what would it be?

a. Upgrade the present Eheim 600 (2075) to a Eheim 1200 (2080).

OR

b. Take the Eheim UV light out.

OR

c. The present set up is fine.

I'm asking out of curiosity.
Awaiting your reply.

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/imagejpg1_zps3fc714eb.jpg

https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/technology/uv-sterilizer/reeflexuv-800
 
Oh wow, that's easy, option a), no question. I don't even have to think about that one. It's an automatic response. Any time you can get more flow, if you can afford it, then get it. If you can get the thermo version without going to the poor house then do that because that will be one less piece of equipment in the tank.

But never buy their overpriced media, you do not need to stuff your filter with very much media. All that flow you paid extra to get will disappear, so just get some activated carbon, some Purigen and some foam or alfagrog and get on with it.

Sorry, I don't like slagging reputable companies, and Tropica plants are among the highest quality in the world but there is no way I will agree with their 90 step procedure, or whatever it is. Forget about all that. You know, they have scientists working there who can control a lot of different things in the tank. They have an army of staff to do whatever is necessary to get their tanks looking tip top. You don't have an army. I can tell you this; when I set up a tank, 30 nanoseconds after filling with water I'm dumping massive quantities on N P and K into the tank. There is no way I agree with anything you just quoted there except "It is best to spread the fertilizer over the entire week instead of dosing all of it at once."

Cheers,
 
Hi Clive
I tried to take the Ph reading today but had some trouble ( I think so).

I took the reading as follows using API test kit.

7.45am 15 minutes before Co2 switched on, Ph was : 6.6
9.45am 15 minutes before lights switched on, Ph was 6.4
10.45am Ph was.6.0
11.45am Ph was 6.0
upto
05.00pm 1 hour after lights and Co2 switched off, Ph was : 6.4

Ph.6 is the lowest reading available in my API test kit so I can't confirm what was the actual Ph reading below 6.0
I called up some LFS for a low Ph test kit but none of them have it. In fact some LFS were surprised to know that I wanted to test such low Ph in the tank.

I had placed a bag of crushed coral in the canister filter to bring up the Ph during the tank's cycling process and I had taken them out 3 days ago.
Ph reading taken then, before Co2 came on was 7.6.

The Ph reading taken for dechlorinated tap water after 24 hours before water change is usually Ph 7.2

Is it safe to have such low Ph of 6.0 ( and maybe below) in the tank? Whats your opinion on this?
I'm doing my weekly water changes of 50% without fail.

Thanks and regards.
Raffik
 
Hi Raffik,
There is only one reason to worry about low pH, and that's only if, by mistake, you dropped a bottle of pool acid or battery acid in the water. You really need to stop worrying about pH because neither fish nor plants care. They only care WHY the pH is low. If it's low because a toxic agent is in the water then you need to get rid of the toxic agent. If it's low because weak acid caused by CO2, for example, is in the tank then it's nothing to worry about. What you have to worry about is whether you have too much CO2 in the tank, because too much CO2 will asphyxiate the fish.


If you can afford it you would do better to buy a pH probe and to keep it calibrated.
I don't know what to tell you about your pH test reagent. There are a lot of other reagents that test below pH 6.0 but they probably won't be found in an LFS. You can, as an alternative, put the coral back in and raise the alkalinity so that the pH range is easier to measure.

It's entirely possible that, along with the fact that you removed the coral and thus lowered the alkalinity, there is residual CO2 in the water the next day. So of course the starting pH will be lower. This doesn't matter just continue to walk the fine line of increasing the injection rate slowly while ensuring that you do not gas the fish.

Cheers,
 
Hi Clive,
Thanks for your assurance.
I'm now on the hunt for a reasonably priced Eheim 1200 (2080). I'll put the coral in that canister as it has more space in the trays. With Eheim 600, the bag of coral seem to slow the flow in the tank quite a bit.

As for the fish and shrimps, I monitored them today, they seem to be doing fine and feeding well.

The only issue I have is the increase in the number of microbubbles in the tank. It makes the tank look like a bottle of soda water 🙂
Presently the diffuser is on the outflow tube from the filter but before the chiller.I can't think of a better position for the inline Co2 diffuser.
Is it ok to place it in the intake tube from the tank to the canister so that the Co2 will have more time to dissolve in the filter canister?
Are there any drawbacks to this setup?

Thanks and a have good day. 🙂
Raffik
 
Zak Rafik said:
Is it ok to place it in the intake tube from the tank to the canister so that the Co2 will have more time to dissolve in the filter canister?
Click to expand...
Yes you can do this.

Zak Rafik said:
Are there any drawbacks to this setup?
Click to expand...
Yes:
1. It will get dirty faster because the inlet pipe is pulling debris from the tank.
2. There may be some gas buildup in the filter, causing burping or otherwise noisy filter operation. This can be mitigated somewhat by modifying your impeller so that it simulates a "needle wheel" impeller. See plantbrains post on how to in http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=87870&highlight=needle+wheel

Cheers,
 
Do you need to increase the bubble rate if you switch to the intake? As in, is some Co2 lost in the filter?
 
Sacha said:
Do you need to increase the bubble rate if you switch to the intake? As in, is some Co2 lost in the filter?
Click to expand...

Probably the opposite. With this method the co2 is totally dissolved in the water that flows back in the tank, i.e. no loss of co2 in the filter. I am using this method and find it the best: optimal dissolution and no micro bubbles in the water. Burping and airlocks can occur, though.

Thomas
 
Hi Everyone :wave:

The latest update on my planted tank:

Monte Carlo – Foreground :
Has mostly stopped melting but there is the occasional leaf that is seen coming off and floating but way much better than a few weeks ago.
New growth is excellent

Staurogyne Repens – Midground :
Same situation as Monte Carlo but slow growth.

Lobelia cardinalis ‘small form’ – Midground :
Has stopped melting completely and growing new leaves and roots but the new stems seems leggy.
There is also some green spot algae on the leaves.


Last night I upgraded the Eheim 600 (2075) to a large Eheim 1200 (2080) exteral canister filter. The amount of flow from the 2080 is amazing.
The water flows from top to bottom in oval shape format. Therefore I have removed the power head as that would cause too much water current.
I don’t want my take to look like the inside of washing machine. :lol:

I’m sure if I remove the UV light, the flow would be much better.


My EI fertilization kit has just arrived from http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/

I have some doubts to clear about EI and I’ll start new thread in this forum about that matter. Can’t wait to start dosing EI and see the results.


http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums...7-8B35-4A47-8C2B-E79A40AC97B7_zpsvscdry8y.jpg


http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums...4-7289-4EE1-BB10-6615E5F8CD3F_zpsjcqcqzaq.jpg

Take care and cheers.🙂
Raffik[DOUBLEPOST=1408860528][/DOUBLEPOST]Hi Thomas
TOO said:
Burping and airlocks can occur, though.
Click to expand...

May I know how you handle the Burping and airlocks in you filter. Is the sound noticeable and how about warranty for the filter? Mine came came with 3 years.
Please do inform.

Thanks and cheers
Raffik
 
Zak Rafik said:
May I know how you handle the Burping and airlocks in you filter. Is the sound noticeable and how about warranty for the filter? Mine came came with 3 years.
Please do inform.
Click to expand...

Hi Raffik,

By burping I simply mean that sometimes a build-up of gas comes out through filter as a swarm of bubbles, causing a little "noise". I don't do anything to counter this as I don't think it is an issue at all. The airlock sometimes occurred on my previous Eheim filter, causing a reduced flow through the pipes, which is obviously not good, as it impacts the amount of co2 that comes through as well as the distribution. This usually happened when I had been away for a week or so and had not performed water changes and filter cleans. A fast remedy is to use the primer button to press out air. If away for some time I opted to install a small powerhead to counter this. With my current set-up I have not yet encountered this problem. About warranty: no idea. I don't think it can destroy the filter.

Thomas
 
Yesterday I removed the uv light system from Eheim 2080. Now it's just the 2080 filter and the chiller only. Can't say the flow has improved much. As the 2080 comes with a flow indicator, it's about the same with or without the uv attached.

Have upped the Co2 more for the past 2 day.. Drop checker turns yellowish after 2 hours of lights on.
The worst performer is the Repens. Very slight new growth even after nearly 40 odd days. And even then the new leaves soon breaks and floats off.
Carpet plant Mote Carlo is spreading like crazy and doing very fine.
When I set up the tank, I had expected Mote Carlo to be a headache and the opposite for Repens.
The rest of the plants are doing fine too.

Noticed an increase in GSA on the wood and stone but not on glass. Started dosing Potassium Phosphate 1/4 teaspoon on alternate days.
Hair algae is almost gone.
EI dosing for the past 5 days. Guess I've to be patient.

ceg4048 said:
you do not need to stuff your filter with very much media. All that flow you paid extra to get will disappear, so just get some activated carbon, some Purigen and some foam or alfagrog
Click to expand...

I'm interested in adding some Purigen but not sure if it's compatible with EasyLife' Voogle and Fluid Filter Media.

Tried to do a ph profile today but gave up after ph went below 6.0. The test kit' minimum is 6.0. Guess need to get a ph pen.
 
Last edited:
I'd suggest that you simply stop spending your hard earned money on all that voodoo juice and just concentrate on the basics. Large water changes and the simple items work best.

As I mentioned many times before, if you want to be able to read the pH values from your test reagent then you need to increase the tanks alkalinity. Just gradually add baking soda to raise the KH and this will also raise the pH. Of course a pH pen is better but do the cheap things first.

You just need to be patient with the tank. It's easy to get problems but much more difficult to resolve them.

I'm not sure how much light you are using but reducing the intensity will help, although this will slow the growth rate.

Cheers,
 
Hi Clive
Here is the layout for the LED lights
Can I switch off the 8K and 10K lights ( total 40watts) and have the RGB leds ( 33 watts) switched on?
And do I leave the Co2 at the same out put?

The photo of the tank was taken 3 days ago after a big trimming of plants. Before the trimming, the stem plants were nearly reaching the top.

Thanks and Cheers🙂
Raffik

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/LED-layout-forum_zps721faca3.jpg





http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/IMG_0800-Copy_zps0e324a31.jpg

(Just for laughs):joyful:
Oh!, By the way Clive
This is the cabinet where I keep all my "voodoo juice" in lovely containers.:lol:
Cheers
Raffik

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/IMG_0805-Copy_zpse635b6a2.jpg
 
Last edited:
 
Hi nickmcmechan,

Thanks for your words of encouragement. It has been about 6 days since dosing EI. Ceg4048 has repeatedly advised to get the Co2 level right, but I'm at my wits on that matter.
Tomorrow I'll try the dim the lights further.
I have also lowered the tank temperature to 25c but I notice the chiller is kicking in more often.

I just took a video of the Co2 bubble counter and the fine bubble that come from the spray bar. The inline diffuser is place in the intake to the Eheim 2080 and through the chiller.



Cheers
Raffik
 
Hi
Switch your UP atomiser to the out side of the filter....you will get more bang for your buck!
Doing this should produce a fine mist....if the atomiser is clean!
This fine mist will travel further and deeper into all areas of the aquarium plus will be suspended in the water column for longer!
Cheers
hoggie
 
Hi
Switch your UP atomiser to the out side of the filter after the other apparatus....you will get more bang for your buck!
Doing this should produce a fine mist....if the atomiser is clean!
This fine mist will travel further and deeper into all areas of the aquarium plus will be suspended in the water column for longer!
The bubbles are so small that they can be hard to see...which is a good thing in my opinion!
Cheers
hoggie
 
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