Koot

Looks really good. Had a similar made stand, without the stain, that I used for many years. Doors are the way to go.

Hey Geleen, twice a week with excel and a root tab, hey? I think I'll start there.

Hey, Thanks for the replies - great info. The tank is well establishsed. I've had it running for about 7 years now, with varying set ups. The loss of bioload has been gradual with the natural lifespan ending for various fish over that time span. I'm looking to boost the numbers and get a school of 8-12 cardinal or rummy nose - 2 more corycats and more shrimp (new to shrimp and they are awesome). I'm using a mix of two types of flourite. Some fine black sand, and a more coarse graval. I'm interested in the Metricide, will have to do some reading up. Also, what do you use to dose your excel and flourish - just use the cap? or something more precise?

Hey all, I'm looking to run my tank without CO2 and get low to moderate growth. It's a 29 gallon, I've got a fugeray LED lightstrip on it. I used to have success with my plants, but lately haven't been able to find a good balance. One thing that is different is that I have a lower bioload. Small school of 5 cardinal tetras, a corycat, a 6" pleco, and a couple of shrimps and snails. I'm not sure if a lower bioload would contribute to less plant growth... Should I be dosing excel daily? Say half a capful? How about flourish ferts weekly? What are some good dosing regiments to follow to help out the plants? Which by the way are Anubias, Java Fern/Moss, Crypts, Hygro Polysperma.

No ability to run separate timers for the moon and daylight are my biggest complaint. that, and no rear exit of power cord... I run things pretty low tech, but already seeing improved growth over my old coralife 65watt CFL. No worries about the late reply, Cgybetta meeiu, your light arrive?

hahaha, I'll be sure to post a picture here shortly. I suppose I mean 'stepping up my game', in a low tech sense. Upgraded my filter from a HOB to a Fluval Canister, and my lighting from a 24" Coralife CF to a 30" Finnex Led. So far the differences in clarity of my tank have been huge, just waiting on some growth now from the plants. I'm not making the jump to pressurized CO2 yet, but I think I may eventually give that a shot. Right now, I'm just looking to get some balance back with the tank and increase my tank stock (more schooling tetras and shrimp).

Welcome. Your Bettas will love a planted tank.

Does the Ray 2 have separate timers for the daylights and moonlights?

I decided to go the LED route and after some research, Finnex was the way to go. Especially for the price, the PAR, and the looks. One of the reps is also quite active on plantedtank.net quite a bit, which is great to see from a consumer point of view. I also liked that they carry a 30" model. If you have a 29 gallon, you know that 30" is an oddball size in the world of lighting. My 29 gallon is 18" high, so this should give me low to low-medium light. Seeing how I'm not running CO2 or on a mad fert dosing regime and have mostly anubias, java fern, hygrophilia polysperma, and crypts...it should be adequate to promote growth. Once I have it set up for a couple of weeks I'll report back on my thoughts. All I can say for now is that it was extrememly easy to order (there's a canadian distributor now) and it arrived in 4 business days.

I just switched from a Whisper 30 to a Fluval 206 - I had both filters running for a while to let the 206 acclimate, but once I unplugged the Whisper 30... I realized I should have made the switch long ago - so quiet.

Here's what I ended up with. I may add a support in the middle to reduce some bowing that may occur over the next couple of years...but it's really sturdy and the biggest advantage is that I can lock up the cabinet to keep the little ones out. Oh, and this cost me $19 on kijiji. I have a new Finnex LED coming soon, too...the stock T8 is in there after my POS Coralife overheated. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for the info, everyone. Went ahead and found a great cabinet on kijiji for cheap...which frees up some cash to buy a new cannister and light. Cheers! :drunk:

Hey all, I'm in the process of starting to upgrade my set up and I'd like to upgrade my stand. The prices for aquarium furniture in all of the LFS here in Calgary are all a bit too much for me, considering they are MDF or steel frame. My question is if anyone has found some IKEA furniture, or second-hand cabinets, etc....that could be braced and reinforced to act as an aquarium stand. The biggest tank I'll probably go to right now would be a 33 gallon. So the stand would need to hold at least 450lbs, I'd imagine. Or are aquarium stands like one you'd find at bigals or piscies worth the money?

The milk jug won't work for you. I'm still currently using a store-bought DIY Co2 system - it holds considerably less than a 2l pop bottle would, but that also means that once a week (with a water change) I replace the sugar/yeast. I've been doing this for over 4 years with minimal results, to be sure. Lately, I've begun reading up on everything that is needed for a paintball pressurised system, because over the long haul this is the best way.

Hey everyone, I've been keeping a 29 gallon freshwater planted tank for about 7 years - I run DIY Co2 currently, but I'm looking to step up my game over the next couple of months.