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Newbie Planted Tank Questions


KimW
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Most places have aquaflora tubs which they sell. It is a good product but I've had bad dealings in the past because the plant has been rotten. Don't get from ebay because it's illegal to import without proper paper work. 50/50 chance of your item being siezed by customs. I doubt ebay sellers will provide this paperwork! lol

First off...ask here for species. Then order online. There is another seller in WPG who people have ordered from.

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TNT is run by the owner of Aquarium Central. Their plant selection in store is usually quite good. Too bad the clubs don't run a spring auction bc those a 're great places to get lots of plants cheap. If you're looking for something specific, ask on AA, there's a good chance someone has it - I think Ckmullin has about 80 different species, alone! ;)

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Ive ordered from "The PlantGuy" with good sucess and decent prices. Think he is out of WPG. also i use AquaMagic off ebay too there located in Malaysia and never had an issue with them.

Or just ask on forums here ...peeps usually have "extras" for cheap or free sometimes!!

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Well specifically I am looking for quite a few dwarf hair grass. I really like the look of it. Oh and I may have a line on a cheap C02 tank through a welder friend of my husbands YAY! ( I knew all those business connections would come in handy eventually LOL )

Speaking of C02, where do you all typically get your tank refilled and/or certified? Curious to know where I would go to do that? I am close to Nisku and from what I have heard there's quite a few shops out my way :)

Edited by KimW
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Try the fire safety stores. A quick call asking if they do hydro tests should be good enough. If it is a brand new manufactured tank it does not need to be certified and good to go from that. Ask what is the latest hydro test date on the cylinder.

Make sure it has a TC stamp!!!!!!!!!!

I get mine from one of those fire safety stores in my area. (calgary) $45 filled for a 10lb tank.

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In Edmonton... Oxypro has been the only place that will not laugh at a person that walks in with a 5lb tank. They do an exchange program so I'm not sure how that would work if you own a shiny new tank.

Nisku may be different.

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OxyPro will refill your tank and not exchange if you ask them. The Hydro Test stamp will typically be a 2-digit month with a dot then a 2 or 3 digit store code, dot, 2-digit year. They need to be tested every 5 years, and most fire safety stores will do the test - takes a few days.

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Awesome! I will ask him about that. Is it worth it to spend big money on a regulator or can i just go cheap for something like that? Trying to get all my price points figured out before i even think about asking hubby to let me sink even more money into this tank lol!

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Awesome! I will ask him about that. Is it worth it to spend big money on a regulator or can i just go cheap for something like that? Trying to get all my price points figured out before i even think about asking hubby to let me sink even more money into this tank lol!

If you have welder friends, and can get something cheap, go for it. You'll want a half-decent needle-valve, tho. A good one will let you fine tune your bubble count, where a cheap one may only give you control between completely off and massive amounts with nothing in between.

I've used Aqua Medic and Milwaukee. The price is good on the Milwaukee 3-in-1, but the solenoid tends to fail after a couple years. When that happens, I just bubble the CO2 into the intake of a powerhead that's on the same timer as my lights.

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Ok I am sure I will have more C02 questions in the future, but onto something different now LOL I was doing more reading, and......I am now wondering about surface agitation? Is it necessary. I do have a powerhead in that tank, but it's mainly for underwater current (which my rasboras love and play in constantly).

I am working on my spray bar mod for the outlet on the FX5 ( am taking progress pictures so I can do a post) and as far as that I was wondering if when I set it in the tank I angle it a little bit so there is a small degree of surface agitation if that would help or hinder? Once I have co2 is it a no-no would I lose c02 content in the water etc. I want to get this right the first time , so.... planted tank surface agitation yes/no....opinions?

Edited by KimW
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If you have lots of plants that are fed well (ferts & light), then you'll want to keep as much CO2 as possible in the tank so the plants can convert it or O2. I do almost no surface agitation in planted tanks.

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I am amazed at how little surface agitation you need for gas exchange. As long as you can see the surface of the water moving the fish should be getting enough oxygen. If you're worried about gassing them with CO2 watch them closely when you first set it up and are adjusting. If they are gasping at the surface turn the CO2 down a little bit.

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Ph is the killer on most planted tanks, injecting CO2 combines with water to form carbonic acid which drops the PH. I would recommend monitoring PH levels while injecting CO2 until you reach a nice stable equilibrium. Once you get the right balance a simple glance at the tank and you will know if something is out of equilibrium.

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