Milan

Too bad you are not in Calgary, so we can't do "rent a scale" thing ... :hey:

It's working now ... Thanks Tanker!

Congatulations! Great deal you've got on the cylinder. I thought BLD took the regulator off it's sale items list, but seems like you caught the last train ... EDIT: Hey ... I just checked the BLD link above. It's on sale again Tanker, did you hear this ... ?

There was recently a topic (clicky) on this ...

OK, here are some numbers ... Normally, with the tap water I'm getting 7.4 mg/l of Mg, and what I had in my tank was :guns: 23.4 mg/l. Ca=60 mg/l

Calgary too. I don't even now why do I have this crap, to begin with .. It was probably one of those things you get "just in case ...." . The "case" being a screw up :bang1:

Here is what happened to me ... In the last month or so I noticed my plants had stunned and deformed growth, cupped leaves, with very brittle stems. Bottom parts would break even to a touch. I thought it had something to do with some nutrient deficiency, and my tank has been running notoriously low on PO4. From then on, things went rolling ... I kept increasing the dosage of PO4 (at least I thought) but no luck bringing them up. GSA started to develop on Anubias leaves and rocks ... At the same time the KH kept climbing as the time since WC went on. I thought it had something to do with tannins from recently introduced mangrove bog wood so I didn't pay to much intention to it. I never bothered to test GH either, since I've never had an issue with tap water. So I decided to verify my PO4 test against the Standard Solution. Dissolved 10 ml in 5 gallons of water, and it read zero. Then I took a sample of a pure solution, and it read zero again !!! Must be a bad test, I thought ... The revelation came when a friend of mine sent me a sample of his vegetable garden soil to do a jar test on nutrients. Used the same test on PO4, and it skyrocketed .... Holly sh#*$!! Alarm bell went off instantly and drew my attention to the chemicals I was using for my solutions ... Instead of using KH2PO4, it was the bloody MgSO4. These two chemicals in dry form look exactly the same (white crystals). Accidentally, I mixed up the labels on containers. So, instead of adding PO4, I was boosting the Mg levels in my tank, resulting in the symptoms described above. It looks like a Ca deficiency, and it probably is, with Mg being the culprit blocking the intake of Ca. There have been many discussions on Mg/Ca relationship - myth vs. true, but after experiencing it myself, I'm more than convinced it is the fact ... Hope this helps someone ...

Some more observations! ... In the beginning, while the plastic is still spanking new, it takes few hours until bubbles start nicely climbing their way up. I also tried to apply some water circulation from a powerhead directed toward the ladder, but that completely impaired the thing. Snails get into the ladder during night, when the CO2 is shut off. Once the bubbles start harassing them, they let go. The most persistent one stayed there for about 3 hours battling bubbles. Didn't have a chance to verify, but I would imagine similar if not worse thing would be with any other debris.

There is a board setting "Do you wish to get a pop up notification when you get a new private message?" Default setting is "YES" ... Why are they not working? I already neglected some of my PM's ...

Beautiful scenery Garhan! Could those images be enlarged? It's hard to see very much from thumbnails (or you are just teasing us). What is that violet color plant on the far left side of this image?

Couple of days ago I found a Hagen ladder diffuser among some forgotten gadgets in my garage, so I decided to test it with a newly acquired pressurized system. I was very pleased with the performance. In my 29g I was able to reach 78 ppm of CO2 at the bubbling rate of 90 bbls/min. No kidding, all fish at the surface gasping for air. Fortunately, I was around in time to crank the thing down, and avoid casualties. My sincere apologies to the fish. :cry: There is a flaw however. A tiny little snail that ventures in the way of bubbles can easily throw them out of their path. Perhaps, Hagen's engineers are already looking into some improvements. This diffuser sells for about $20. Thumbs up ... :thumbs:

Based on molecular weights (K=39.1, H=1, P=31, O=16), KH2PO4 has 28.7% of Potassium. Plants need about 20-30 ppm of K to live. Are you going to dose K2SO4 or not, depends on the amount of K you are supplying with KNO3 and KH2PO4. EI (Estimative Index) does not call for K2SO4, since it's based on dosing of the two in excess. Potassium deficiency is easy to diagnose. On older growth you will see tiny black pinholes with yellow areas around them. Overdosing of K, and interference with Ca uptake, according to what I read, is a myth.

Another thing. Keep your leftover yeast in the fridge. Otherwise your next brew may not perform ...

No need for activation. Add 2 cups of sugar to a two liter bottle. Then take a thermometer and bring your tap water to about 27C, and fill the bottle. Shake the bottle to dissolve the sugar. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp (you may need to experiment) of brewers yeast, and shake again (not much). Hook it up to the reactor and wait for a half an hour ... and there they come

A mixture of 2 cups of sugar + 1/4 tsp of wine yeast in a 2 lit of water @ 25-27C starts bubbling in a matter of few minutes to 1/2 an hour. Lasts for about 7-10 days.

Is it possible to attach a spreadsheet file (*.xls) to a post? I noticed there is an "attach file" box at the bottom of the page, but for some reason it doesn't accept it, although it's well under 100k limit.

I was surprised too. It is mentioned in the February edition of the Barr Report, page 6-7. However, I came across a thread (can't find it now) on APC where Tom says that increased levels of PO4 under moderate NO3 will also encourage red color. So, this may be your case ...

Seachem Florish is just traces, and perhaps some K. If you wish to stick with commercial ferts you will need Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, from their product line. This gets expensive for a high lights tank. However, the cheaper alternative are KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate), KH2PO4 (Mono Potassium Phosphate), which you can purchase at most hydroponic shops for considerable less money. You mix them with water and make your own ferts and dose following recommendations already developed for these type of ferts. If you are interested in this, I can provide you with such information.

With 3.4W/gal you will need a minimum of 30 ppm of dissolved CO2. Otherwise your plants will be CO2 limited, and the algae will take over it. LaMotte test kit are excellent, but expensive too. However, AP or Hagen KH and PH kits, commonly found on the market would suffice. From KH and pH measured, you can calculate the CO2 concentration. Here is the info on this. Also, you will have to increase the supply of other nutrients, such as N, P and K sufficiently to reflect the increased plants metabolism.

Actually, it's the other way around. Lower levels of NO3 will cause more red color.

I think a 15 lb is actually not considered to be a "big" one. Dimensions are 7-1/4" diameter, and 21-1/2" (to the top of the valve) height.

What I meant by "reasonable" is to have a bubble or two of gas per second. However, with just an air stone as a diffuser, it may be completely irrelevant.

I would assume, it greatly depends on a tank size, lights, and plants bio mass. I haven't hooked it up yet (waiting for the regulator to arrive), so in my case, it's still to be found out ... My wild guess would be anywhere from 6-12 months ...

With Calgary water of KH~6, and a reasonable CO2 brew, you will never be in the zone of dangerous pH swings. You may as well keep it going overnight. It won't help your plants grow better, but won't hurt either ...

For those who are thinking of getting into pressurized CO2, here is what I found, hunting for one myself. Cylinder: The best deal I could find was at "The Recharge Centre", Tel: (403) 258-1141 in Calgary, and (780) 440-5010 in Edmonton. They sold me a 15lb filled cylinder for $105. "OxyPro" also had decent prices, but unfortunately for me, the smallest cylinder they had was 20lb. They asked for $115, filled. Regulator: I ordered a Milwaukee Instruments MA957 from "Best Lab Deals" They sell them for $69 US + $12.16 US shipping. This is a good deal for this kind of regulator. Regulator, needle valve, solenoid valve, bubble counter ... all in one. Hope this may be of a help to someone ...