JGs 20G long (3.10.10 update)

[MrJG]

Thanks guys. Hopefully I can lick this little algae issue and be happy with the tank again.

rb73: yea the HC is starting to carpet back up again. I should be able to fix you up with a patch in a few weeks. Hmm the plant 1/3 of the way down... could be the limnophila 'mini'? or the peacock moss? of the bright green ricca?

I'll be catching SWD at the Cat's Cradle in Carborro, NC, NY, and then Brookyln. I'd hit you up to show us the sights but I know you'll be busy 'round that time!

[@marko@]

i like it before, i still like it. can i get a recent shot of the whole tank plz?

your getting a 20L fishman? good for you; i love those tanks, large enough to be stable, small enough not to be considered an indoor pool, and it has good proportions.

[MrJG]

marko I'll see if I can manage to get a good one tomorrow... tank lights go out at 9.

[MrJG]

Ok this is the best I could do at 1pm lights on thus no pearling just yet. :P I really need a better camera and some skills.



It looks a lot better from the end lol. Its turned into a bit of a mash with tons of plant types in there for the moment. I'm trying out a number of plants to see if they suit my plan for the 40. A few things I got with trades like the hygro/hairgrass. A few things I'm growing out.. narrow leaf java fern/crypt 'green gecko'. I got the E. Tenellus from cmlaracy when he was selling off some of his plants to replace the plant mass of blyxa/downoi/and erios I tossed from the algae.

I've had a few folks ask me questions about my DIY CO2 rig so I snapped a quick pic of that...



I'm going to paste one of those responses here.

I use the method here except I put the jello in shallow tupperware containers and then into the "quick freeze" in our freezer. It only takes ~ 1 hour for it to gel up. Then I cut it into strips or squares (it breaks up anyway) and put it into a large gatorade container. Breaking it up allows for the water/yeast to gain access to more surface area of the sugar trapped in the jello, I read a post by either Tom Barr or Rex Grigg suggesting this at some point. Normally it puts CO2 out like mad for ~2-3 weeks then I open it up and drain just the top layer and add more water/yeast for the next 2 weeks. I just redo the whole thing when I notice a serious slowdown or my drop checker starts getting a tinge of blue.

I think there a few variables that alot of DIY folks tend to miss. You really need to get CO2 proof tubing for your setup and not use normal silicone tubing as it bleeds a % of your generated CO2 before it even gets to the tank. Second you need a efficient way to diffuse the CO2 getting into the tank by using a ceramic diffuser or something similar. Also I used the "drill a diameter smaller hole than your tubing" method for ensuring seals on all of the caps. I added a small amount of super glue 'gel' just to be sure. Adding the second collection chamber stops the white snot looking stuff from going into your tank.

[CmLaracy]

everythings looking really nice!

But ever since the beginning I've been wondering, "when the hell is he gonna get some pressurized CO2?!?" But you my friend have lasted longer and fared better on DIY CO2 than anyone I have ever seen. God job!

[MrJG]

Haha thanks dude. I think mrkookm wins the award for the most awesome diy co2 tank for me.

I'll be going pressurized with the 40 breeder... its getting closer to setup time.

[jolywoo]

nice aquarium! I was always impressed at the way you were able to maintain such a healthy aquarium with diy co2. I couldnt do it, had to switch to pressurized. What kind of bubble rate is it producing, roughly, in bpm/bps?

[MrJG]

Thanks!
I have no idea on the bps... I've always just used the drop checker. Never figured I'd get too much with DIY so didn't bother setting up a bubble counter.

[Wingsdlc]

Adding the second collection chamber stops the white snot looking stuff from going into your tank.

That was the part I missed back in the day. I really hated that little kid snot stuff.

[chizamp]

That video was supa mega awesome. You got some really nice closeups of the shrimp! Your tank looks excellent, I am very jealous of it. Nicely done!

[MrJG]

Haha thanks dude. I had to go back and take a peek at the video myself after you posted that.

[ZooTycoonMaster]

Wait...so you have DIY jello CO2 with a glass diffuser? Does the canister filter output blow it around to the rest of the tank?

[MrJG]

Yep. Pretty much.

[ZooTycoonMaster]

How do you clean the diffuser? If it ever needs to be cleaned?

[@marko@]

what IS that? my DIY CO2 is usually white-ish.