ubr0ke

updated the charts for different lighting..led's, cfl, etc

stem plants start to rot in hopes of breaking off and floating to a more favourable environment in nature. So its a process of elimination. Lights, nutrients, carbon. You have enough light and the plants you listed have a lower demand for co2.

Nutrients are what i would say is you issue. Start dosing more.

imo...inorganic ferts are safer for fish. You know what your adding. There are way to many examples of tanks using inorganic ferts with positive results to merit any worry. Organic, however is a risky endeavour.

I used to use worm castings. make sure to rinse then dry in sun to avoid ammonia cycle.

That is a great tutorial, thanks for the suggestion. Where did you get those handy fittings? And the check valve? I'll have a better idea of what I need as things appear. I always need to see the stuff first and then I can visualize what kind of fitting I need.

swagelok has every fitting you will need. You can order right off the website.

the check valve your looking for is here

http://www.swagelok....f1-2a086c6523b7

thats npt to npt..thread to thread..you could also use the thread to tube.

the part number is b-2c2-1/3..

I used stainless steel but you could use brass for a lot cheaper..

As for the needle valve and solenoid, I bought from the states but you can try ebay..The problem with building these setups is you need to know the specs your looking for or you may buy something that doesn't really work with our use.

nicest tank ive seen in awhile..congrats. very natural feel

if your unfamiliar with the build of a co2 system look in my Journal.

Ya your ok. Its for oxygen but for our use it will work.

I've been doing a ton of reading over at TPT about CO2, regulators, reactors, atomizers, blah, blah, blah... my eyes hurt. It's been an interesting read and I feel that I have learned something and things aren't as confusing as they once were.

So I'm wading in about as fast as the wimpy kid at the lake on May long weekend I've already got some parts that I managed to wiggle out from work cause we were never going to use them again anyway. Just maybe not 100% sure about them.

I've got a Victor single stage regulator with appropriate gauges and even a 320 connection! Single stage is good enough for me, especially if it was free! Just not sure about the low pressure gauge, is there supposed to be oil leaking out the top?

The little nub on the top of the rubber was cut off and oil comes out when you turn it over. Hmmmm.

So far, that's all I've got, the tanks at work were too old otherwise I'd have 2 - 5lb'ers!!!

Been looking at solenoids, needle valves, bubble counters, check valves, on and on... I think I'm set on a Burkert solenoid if I can find one, a parker needle valve, any kind of bubble counter with a built in check valve. Although I hear they aren't really reliable so I'm looking for a seperate check valve too.

Then I'm going to put it in the tank!!!! Oh wait... I've got to get a cylinder first lol. That will most likely be the last thing I get.

Currently I'm using a yeast setup for a 20g and 10g, run through an internal filter to chop bubbles. The noise is driving me up the wall as I sit here on the couch typing. The water sound is soothing and relaxing, puts me in a zen state.... cha cha cha cha bubbles being chewed up. I feel like mangling something now lol.

So to alleviate that problem, and I'm pretty excited about this, I'm going to use a Cerges reactor!!!!!!! And cause I get to do some DIY stuff too :w00t: not that I'm handy or anything. I'm a musician, the staff at HD or Lowes or Rona are going to get to know me lol.

My whole thought process behind this: One day I will have a tank big enough to lay down in and I'm going to need this stuff anyway, so I might as well start now. That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Thanks for reading!

Just make sure the regulator is for inert gas or there can be issues..whats the model # of the victor and ill check. You should not use regulators that are made for fuel or anything but inert gas.

For those of you that are new to planted tanks, this is a good read.

http://aquariumalgae.blogspot.nl

its young..but thanks for the info

Not the best pic.. not even sure its an african Cichlid but any info on its id would help

thank you

excuse my ignorance, but what is it for?

A salt..haha

It will kill snails, worms etc, remove organics, kill algae and stain your hands purple haha.

blah...

csm+b has 7% chelated iron but I don't suggest mixing macro and micro ferts together. imo.

the non-co2 method lead me to this article: http://www.barrrepor...nagement-method

which really brought me to the crux of the matter.

I use this method.

Patience is the key. I have mostly fairly easy plants with a few trickier ones. Glosso and hair grass doesn't spread very fast but its healthy.

Plants include: Crypt parva, crypt wendetti, hygro, anubias, glosso, christmass moss, flame moss, hair grass, dwarf hair grass, and rotala wallichii.

its hard to believe but there is around 20 fish and 60 shrimp in there.

impressive! that's what new hobbyists need to see. so tell me it's stock 30w t8.

yes it is...sorta..

It has a decent reflector.

the non-co2 method lead me to this article: http://www.barrrepor...nagement-method

which really brought me to the crux of the matter.

I use this method.

Patience is the key. I have mostly fairly easy plants with a few trickier ones. Glosso and hair grass doesn't spread very fast but its healthy.

Plants include: Crypt parva, crypt wendetti, hygro, anubias, glosso, christmass moss, flame moss, hair grass, dwarf hair grass, and rotala wallichii.

its hard to believe but there is around 20 fish and 60 shrimp in there.

jcgd....Im glad you typed this out because I'm jaded and sick of repeating myself. haha..

I just choose to read this forum now a days.

congrats on the new tank...its looking awesome.

dow chemical>firebag

Thats a bummer... it looked amazing but I totally understand about work getting in the way... .I have been busy with work for quite some time as well.

Hopefully you can start it up again.

Yea, I was really happy with the design but working long hours away from home doesn't work to well when water changes and dosing is so important to maintain with so much light.. I just drained the water and moved the co2 to a low light tank. The hard scape is still in place so hopefully work will slow down a bit and I can start over.

Just want to have the best healthy results. I dont care how much would cost

ADA aqua soil is the best substrate you can use. You would have to go to Calgary to get it though. Its pricey but nothing compares.

Tank is shut down. Work is getting in the way of my life. =(

Check this page out. This will determine your light level.

http://www.plantedta...er-bulbs-2.html

just scroll down until you see the par data.

need a good update that includes leds !

Not going to happen any time soon. Too many variances between brand, watts, builds, etc.

What about hardware store lights that are daylight or full spectrum?

Full spectrum or daylight is color temp and makes little difference to par readings. Hardware store lights?, my guess would be t8's or t12's. You can use the chart originally posted. With t8's or t12's you can also use the watts per gallon rule.

co2 will kill snails as well as fish at high levels.

barrreport.com, plantedtank.net, aquascapingworld.com..