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Decided to start up again


Vallisneria
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Alrighty, well the posts about the plant contest has made me decide to try to get my 58g "planted" back into shape. Hopefully it will be looking good by next month :D I also setup my DIY CO2 jug again last night so i'm hoping that will help things along quicker.

So i'll probably have multiple questions during these next few weeks :lol: Just warning you inadvance :smokey:

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If you need any plants, let me know... I'm doing a trimming today, and have tonnes of Java fern, Hygro. polysperma (sunset & variegated), moneywort, Red Tiger Lotus.... I'll set some aside for you for Monday.

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Cool, thanks Jason

So far, yesterday i did a deep cleaning of the tank. I hadn't trimmed any of the plants in a while and since teh java fern isn't doing so well lately there was lots of dead stems. I also added my DIY co2 jug back but decided to try feeding the bubbles into a elite mini powerhead instead of the ladder thingy. So far its working good but i'll have to get used to the noise it makes when it sucks up the co2 bubbles.

I think i might also try a black background instead of my "plant" background i have now.

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"Elite-mini" has a venturi input which is located on the water outlet. Where are you feeding the CO2 line to? If you feed the gas into the impeller chamber, the noise is inevitable, not to mention hurting the impeller itself. Furthermore, I would doubt this pump has enough throughput for a tank your size.

Edited by Milan
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I rubber banded the air hose to the bottom of the pump, so it sucks up the bubble. I thought about putting the hose on the venturi thing but its located on the output and isn't the point for the pump to suck up the co2 and have the impeller mix it in? I've never used the venturi before so i dont' really know how it works.

Furthermore, I would doubt this pump has enough throughput for a tank your size.

why does it matter the size of the pump? I'm only using it for the co2.

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I found that the venturi didn't create fine enough bubbles, so I'm doing the same as Valerie.

why does it matter the size of the pump? I'm only using it for the co2.

You want to make sure the pump will push the CO2 bubbles throughout the tank. If the pump output is right by your filter output, it shouldn't be a problem.

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why does it matter the size of the pump? I'm only using it for the co2.

Firstly, it is dependant on the amount of gas required for your tank to achieve the proper CO2 concentration. The more water you flow through the gas, the better diffusion.

Secondly, if you feed the gas into the impeller chamber, the amount of gas may become overwhelming for the pump, resulting in stalling the flow, besides the noise, which you are already experiencing. If you are using the venturi, it may not be able disperse bubbles to a fine mist at lower flow.

I had that Elite-mini on my reactor, and had to switch to a bigger pump. Mind you I have a very densely planted tank and the bubble rate to provide enough CO2 is about several bubbles/sec. I don't know what plant mass and lights you are dealing with, but you will have to experiment with this to see how it works for you.

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I don't know what plant mass and lights you are dealing with, but you will have to experiment with this to see how it works for you.

I have 2wpg on this tank and its moderately planted with java ferns and crypts. I'm not really looking to reach a certain CO2 concentration or anything.I"m going for simple. I used to have the DIY co2 setup on this tank with the ladder diffuser and my plants really took off, so i thought this time i'll try the pump.

So far its working fine. Yes there is a bit of noise from the pump but its not too bad. Maybe tonight i'll try attaching it to the venturi and see how that works. Can't hurt to experiment.

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