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Easy carbo when on holiday

paul_j

paul_j

Member
Joined
20 Jun 2017
Messages
49
Location
Netherlands
Hi,
I´m dosing easy carbo in my 2 months old tank of 50L, 1,2 ml per day (1-2 ml is recommended on bottle).
I have Java moss, hygrophila polysperma, cryptocoryne parva and nevellii, monte carlo and bucephalandra sp.brown. I dose around 7 pumps of Tropica specialised per week (5 pumps is recommended on the bottle) and do a 40% water change every week.

There are a few melting leaves in the crypts, the Hygrophila polysperma is having holes in some leaves and since 2 weeks the white oily surface scum. But no algea, and all the plants are growing. So I think the tank is pretty healthy :)

My question: I know the liquid carbo must be dosed daily because it only works for 24 hours. I also know variable CO2 levels are not good. I´m leaving in holiday for 3 weeks and can arrange someone 2/3 times a week to check. So should I tell them to dose easy carbo a few times per week or should I stop completely? In the last case, maybe reduce the lightning period a bit (now 6 hours)?

Thanks,
Paul
 
I think you can try to keep giving as much as possible, but i would lessen the light a bit (higher possible? aka more distance to the tank)
Be ready to have some damage in the plants.
And do make sure they don't give to much feed, amazing how much inexperienced people give sometimes.
 
Got an open top tank which recieves a lot of daylight from a roof window.. In the summer months it's lit extremely bright and this far over 12 hours a day.. I dose easy carbo during this period from may till september, this periode i also need to switch off the artificial light, i don't need it. When light intensity and periode lowers i switch on artificial light. which is 12 hours periode and stop dosing easy carbo. I actualy don't realy experience a decrease in plant health.

paul_j said:
I also know variable CO2 levels are not good.
Click to expand...

True, but with easy carbo not an issue, it doesn't add co2.

Anyway i if light intensity aint to much you can easily do without easy carbo for a much longer periode than 3 weeks even if the light periode is 12 hours. In my experience it is all about light intencity.. :)
 
Thanks for the info.

The Hygrophila polysperma is not looking good, holes in a lot of old leaves, and new leaves are not looking healthy. Also the surface scum so I guess it's in stress.
So I think light is to high/co2 to low.

I don't want to give more liquid carbon so decided to set the light to level 1 right now allready and keep at like that for a few months maybe . But increased it to 7hours because the difference between level 1 and 2 seems pretty big.

I'll give an update after my holiday. :)
 
Take the opportunity over the next 3 weeks to lower the lighting and slow down the system and the time you are away should be fine, sounds like it needs it actually. I think Trop Spec is quite a weak mix so lowering lighting may help with the plant issues you have. As for crypts melting this could be a reaction to the liquid carbon, certain species do. My tank is co2 injected and recently was having a meddle with my co2 settings so thought I'd throw some LC in while I was meddling with injection rates. Within three days my Crypt Balansae fell to bits starting to soften leaves towards the end then they fell off. Unlikely it was to do with co2 messing because I was actually turning it up not down!

Duck weed will help to see if its a nutrient issue you have, if these floating plants are doing well you need to look at if you are providing enough carbon for the light setting you are on. As long as the lighting you have is as low as possible while away you could leave out the LC until you get back and see if the Crypts have made a bit of a come back. When you get back leave light still on the lowest setting and start adding LC and see if they react badly again.
 
I’ve just ordered a medical syringe driver on eBay to try out in my tank so I can set it up to dose every day a required amount. This was the cheapest option I could find.

(I’ve just noticed the min is 1ml per hour so this prob won’t work)

GRASEBY MS26 24 HOUR DAILY RATE SYRINGE DRIVER

£16.99
 
Last edited:
Furgan said:
I’ve just ordered a medical syringe driver on eBay to try out in my tank so I can set it up to dose every day a required amount. This was the cheapest option I could find.

(I’ve just noticed the min is 1ml per hour so this prob won’t work)

GRASEBY MS26 24 HOUR DAILY RATE SYRINGE DRIVER

£16.99
Click to expand...
Great little device, never seen it before.. For that price you can't go through the hassle if DIYing it.. :) But a while ago i found a DIY version of this.. Made from an old analog timer switch, the one with the turning knob. Construted like a Steam Engine drive shaft, pulling and pushing the syringe over a 24 hour periode. 12 hour pull / 12 hour push.. The guy pointed out a con, that was the rubber on the syringes plunger, these wear out pretty quickly and make it leak or pull air instead. Also if you use it with a fluid that creates residue after a while it cloges the syringe and wears it out sooner. Might not be the case with Glut, i have no idea.

Anyway, a beter options might be, search Ebay for Glass sysringes, these are much more precisely fabricated and do not have the need of a rubber sealing on the plunger. Sa can't wear out.. :thumbup: And are much more easy to maintain and clean. Chiinabay sells glass syringers in a good quality, pretty cheap in all kinds of sizes.

Oh another nifty thinking the guy did, was split the hose and place return valves in it. The pull sucks up from the bottle and the push admisters the tank.. ALso these had the same issue.. They get cloged wit residue depending on the fluid contents..
 
Furgan said:
(I’ve just noticed the min is 1ml per hour so this prob won’t work)
Click to expand...

I think you are mistaken.. There are 2 models.the MS16A and the MS26.. The M16A does 1ml per hour.. The M26 can do 1ml per 24 hours. The max syringe that can be installed is 35ml, that would give you a 11 day interval with 3ml a day or a 17 day interval with 2ml a day.. According the manual the M26 is the one you want if these intervals are suficient for your needs.. :)
 
This is what I use to dose liquid carbon. Pump does 1.8ml/minute and is connected to my controller (a simple mains timer will do). Bought mine from the for sale section. It is a 4 roller thus no one way valve is required ie when stopped liquid won't run back into the bottle.

http://www.williamson-shop.co.uk/100-series-with-ac-powered-motors-3274-p.asp

You can get even slower rotating pumps that does 0.25ml per minute if accuracy bothers you.

Whatever you do MAKE IT RELIABLE. My time clock jammed on and ended up dosing a large amount of liquid carbon, which killed fish and melted plants away.
 
I´m back form holiday and wanted to report here. Light was/is on level 1 for 7 hours. Crypt Nevillii and Parva look the same (pretty good), H. Polysperma leaves look better and definitely grow slower. But the Monte Carlo ´carpet´ is thinner than when I left. Older growth is yellow/brown and parts coming off the substrate.
I decided to increase easy carbo to 2ml.
If the MC does not improve after a few weeks I think I will go back to light level 2 and work with some floating plants above the crypts.
 
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