cgmac

Whenever I see hair algae in my tank I am sure that it is a direct result of not enough CO2. My tank is also experiencing some hair/fuzz algae now. Things that I am planning to do to try to help the situation: TAke out my AC200 filter and put in a powerhead with filter attachment and run CO2 into the venturi outlet of the powerhead. (I have an Eheim filter so won't be going without filtration) I will also be getting back into a more normal routine of fertilizing the plants, root tabs and liquids. I used to run a Hagen ladder with my home built CO2 reactor, and just had trouble getting enough CO2 to dissolve in the water. Maybe switch to a powerhead to distribute your CO2. I have read on other plant forums where lots of people are having success with it.

I have had my planted tank up and running for a year now. I am using the EI method of fertilizing and must remove 50 % of the water each week so I don't get a build up of the ferts in the water. I have done (many times) 50 % changes and even cleaned out the filter at the same time, and not had a bacterial bloom with cloudy or green water being the result. I do a gravel vac each time I clean the tank. I don't clean out the filter often, my AC once a month and my Eheim hasn't been done yet, and I've had it hooked up three months now (I think it is time). I did get cloudy water one time when I removed a large plant that I didn't like much, but I solved the problem by hooking up the Magnum 250 filter with some diatom powder and let it run for about an hour. Just my thoughts......

Jeeeeepers!! If those plants are from Gregoire Lake, they should be able to live through anything !!! LOL

Any ideas out there for using this filter to help diffuse co2 (pressurized) ? Thanks!!

I have four rams ( I think they are German Blue Rams) .....Toirtis sold them to me so he can confirm that or not !! They are in the tank with Cardinal Tetras (10) and Bleeding Heart Tetras (6). They all get along very well. If a pair of the Rams are mating then they get a bit territorial but not overly aggressive.

That sounds much less labour intensive than the drying technique and will try that when I set up another tank. Wish I had the time for another tank, don't know how some of you manage multiple tanks and fish rooms!!

How does drying it out stop it from clouding the tank? Letting it dry allows the sediments to settle into the larger pieces of flourite and stay there. I have read about this on another forum, of course after I set my tank up. This step has worked well for other people, but still depends on rinsing thoroughly. Using flourite in a tank is initially alot of work but I think is very worthwhile.

I have flourite in my tank and I rinsed it thoroughly. It took a long time and the water was still cloudy when I assemebled the tank. I use flourite exclusively. The key is to rinse it really well and let it dry completely before getting the tank going. Taking the step to let it dry is the key to having clear water when all is said and done.

From what I have heard about the Carbo Plus unit, the blocks are quite expensive to replace and tend to crumble and be ineffective. I am sure that spending the money on a pressurized system up front is the right thing to do. I used diy co2 for about 3 months. It was inconsistent, time consuming and would have cost more in the long run. You can go to a welding store or a fire supply/safety supply store to get a co2 tank, and order your regulator online. Easy ! Roughly $200 or a bit more for the gear but well worth it. Carbo plus could end up costing more in the end.

I too have had nothing but good results with Excel. I have never had trouble with it hurting any fish. I have had the same crew in my tank for the last six months, since startup. I also use pressurized co2, and feel that the biggest benefit for my tank (with the use of Excel) is the control of the fuzz/hair algae that Degrassi has also experienced. Sorry to hear about your puffers passing.

www.rexgrigg.com Try looking at this guy's site! He sure has a lot of useful info on diy co2. Hope it helps you.

Thanks Jason...like the idea of the new tank. I would dearly love to have another tank up and running, but don't seem to have enough time for the one that I have now! Time to do my weekly water change..... Hey Finaddict ....thanks.....do you find that the eheim keeps alot of the detritus off the gravel? Anytime I touch something in the tank I get a cloud of stuff floating in the water. I run a Magnum 250 after each water change with the micron cartridge, and sometimes with diatom powder but not often. That helped clear my tank of green water once and have never seen it return.

Something that I have been thinking of for a while.....to see what filters you all are using on your planted tanks? I am using an AC 200 with sponge and biomax media. I am just finding that there is still so much "crud" in my tank. I have a plastic lid from a container over the outflow of the filter to alleviate surface turbulance (that was by suggestion of Milan many months ago!) I feed the fish sparingly once a day. I have been thinking of buying an Eheim 2213 for my tank to see if this helps to keep it cleaner than it is. I do once a week water changes. 33 gallon planted quite heavily 6 bleeding heart tetras 10 cardinal tetras 4 blue rams

I use pressurized CO2, after having diy for about 5 months. I like the convenience of pressurized, it makes maintenance time alot easier and timely. Now if I could just get a balance on my ferts and get rid of the bit of hair/fuzz algae that seems to grow, I'd be doing great! I am thinking about adding another tank (I only have the one 33 gallon). I would like to try a non CO2 tank with anubias and some other easy growing plants.

Just thought I would post a message about my first experience with cloudy water. I removed a couple of plants from my tank about two weeks ago. I was able to clean up the tank nicely after removing the plants, but didn't have time to go searching for replacements for them. A couple of days turned into a couple of weeks ...... then I noticed the water going cloudy !!!! ARRRGGGGHHHH !!! Last night I did a 50% water change and it did not help, even using my Magnum 250 with the micron filter ( I use it after every water change to polish the water and remove any suspended particles). Tonight I used the Magnum with diatom powder, and after the process of getting the powder into the filter, I switched it over to my tank and turned it on. I made sure it was running nicely and then had to leave the room to do something for my daughter. When I came back about 15 minutes later, the water clarity was much improved. It is now crystal clear!! It is nice to see it like this after having cloudy water for a few days. I keep checking this part of the forum for new posts and haven't seen one for a few days. So, thought I'd babble about my tank struggles. When I first started out, I would read in forums about other hobbyists problems and thought to myself...."That won't happen to me!!"....but guess what?? I seem to be facing alot of the same struggles. G'night folks!!