29 gal. journal...

[brion0]

Originally Posted by oldpunk78

your tank is looking good. i'm curious to see how the air stone holds up to the co2. i just started using the wooden ones with pretty good results.

do you know how much co2 the two 64 oz juice bottles are making?

Thanks oldpunk,

I ran CO2 through the air stone when I first started CO2 in the tank. It would grow algae, an seemed like yeast would collect on it. So after a couple weeks I had to scrub it off with a toothbrush. Algae wont grow on it now, an with all the current maby the yeast wont stick. Ill check it in a couple weeks to see how its doing. Its ceramic like the the nice glass diffusers use, so the CO2 should not affect it much. Ive looked at the wood ones an they are about a little more money than this one. An Ive thought about picking them up, but already had this one an it hasnt failed me yet.

I made a bubble counter so I could keep track of when the mix is starting to die down. Ive counted the bubbles over a minute / by 60 an came up with 1.8. When the bubbles start to slow I swap out the oldest bottle. If you look at the last pic you can see some pearling. I just swaped out a bottle two days ago. Im going to make a DIY drop checker from the sticky on APC, so I can get a better idea of whats going on.

[Trallen44]

How are you liking the new tripod? Have you noticed a change since starting dosing, or is it too soon?

[brion0]

Originally Posted by Trallen44

How are you liking the new tripod? Have you noticed a change since starting dosing, or is it too soon?

The tripod is nice, way better than holding my breath an balancing my elbow on the table, when trying to keep my other elbow steady on my knee. For $15 it was worth it.

No, I havent seen a change to speak of. Only dosed a few times. Got my poormans doser set up, but it still needs dialed in a bit. Got some help from Wasserpest, who recomended using the test tube method for dosing Phosphates. The poormans auto doser is a sticky in the eqiptment fourm. An Im using the airpump II method. Figuring out the mix was a headach, an after calculating for hours I may finaly be close. Think I may still need to make some adjustments though.

The scape will be redone some time next week. Its been brought to my attention that Im suffering from colletitus. An bringing any type of order to this mess of plants in there will be near imposible. So all the crypts an most of the hygros along with a few others are going to get removed. An I may get another plant or two an replace one of the others.

[Hilde]

I liked it better when you had the java fern near the middle. Then it was as a center piece.

Amazing stand and light. You used a soldering iron?

[brion0]

Originally Posted by Hilde

I liked it better when you had the java fern near the middle. Then it was as a center piece.

Amazing stand and light. You used a soldering iron?

Thanks for the feed back Hilde, your the second person to say they liked it better before. Think I just have to many types of plants now. It realy doesnt have a focus point now. I feel like its jumbled up. In a few days Ill try to come up with something that will work better.

The stand is welded tube steel, an I used a Mig welder.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/di...-hood-got.html

[Trallen44]

I am sure you will get it to looking like you want before long. You have been doing a great job so far. And your stand shows that you pay attention to detail and quality work.

[brion0]

Originally Posted by Trallen44

I am sure you will get it to looking like you want before long. You have been doing a great job so far. And your stand shows that you pay attention to detail and quality work.

Thank you,

Im going to try a triangle scape, high on the left with an open space on the right. The ferts are kicking in, new growth can be noted from one day to the next. The plants that were yellow are turning green now. May be to soon to tell bet I think the BBA has stopped addvancing.

[Trallen44]

Originally Posted by brion0

Thank you,

Im going to try a triangle scape, high on the left with an open space on the right. The ferts are kicking in, new growth can be noted from one day to the next. The plants that were yellow are turning green now. May be to soon to tell bet I think the BBA has stopped addvancing.

Sounds like a interesting scape. Can't wait to see it. That is good that the ferts are kicking in now and improving things.

[brion0]

Hello everyone, I tore the plants out an started over today.

Heres what I started with, it had really filled in. You can see BBA on the Rotala's leaves, though it didnt seem to be spreading to new leaves, since I started dosing ferts. I cut the ferts in half till the plants grow in more.



Pulled up every thing, an sorted the plants. Bare bones,



Heres the new scape,



Right,



Left,



I tried to get down to 5 or 6 species, ended up using 8. As it fills in, I might remove the Rotela rotundifolia, an move the Ludwigia repens.

The plants I used are, Rotalla wallichii, Ludwigia repens, Rotela rotundifolia, Bacopa Monnieri, Heteranthera zosterfolia, Hygrophila corymbosa Compacta, Blyxia japonica, and Hemianthus callitrichoides. Even added a rock. Its a triangle on the ground, an should grow into a triangle shape, when the plants come back.

[Trallen44]

It looks like the ferts had really started to work. I like the new scape. Can't wait to see how it looks once it fills in and grows some.

[brion0]

Originally Posted by Trallen44

It looks like the ferts had really started to work. I like the new scape. Can't wait to see how it looks once it fills in and grows some.

I think there was more growth in 7 days with ferts, than the entire month before.

[oldpunk78]

i think once that grows in, it's gonna look pretty sweet!

[brion0]

Originally Posted by oldpunk78

i think once that grows in, it's gonna look pretty sweet!

I hope that its more manageable, an I can get every thing trimmed nice.

[brion0]

The tank is doing good, the bacopa is a couple inches from the surface. The other plants are all doing well. Trying to get a presurised CO2 system put together, should have it running in the next couple weeks. Heres a pic of the new fish.

[brion0]

Heres the under belly of my tank. Think people might enjoy all the DIY equipment.



In the left is my home made canister filter. Then a mess of a DIY CO2 system. On the right is the auto ferts doser, its working very good for me. I've talked about it before, an now its a mix of a few of the different methods described in the poor mans auto doser sticky in the equipment forum. If any one is interested in it Ill describe it in more detail. I just dont think I would stay consistent if I had to add ferts by hand each day. On the top is the Quiet 1 pump, an in line CO2 diffuser.

Im working on a Pressurized CO2 system. I haunted Ebay for a week or so, finally found a regulator for cheap, a two stage Matheson. Hoppy's thread on how to assemble a regulator, an the Victor Pimps thread by LeftC have been very helpful to me. I now have all the parts on the way, so I'm hoping to have it put together in a week or two.