[ipkiss]

Built in "algae reduction" feature.

 

[SingAlongWithTsing]

Apparently these Powerveg bulbs loose a lot of par over time. Ive had these what, a year and a half, close to 2 maybe? (not that that's a short time in T5 world) But check this out

Last week I'd checked Par in the dutch and it was about 80. wtf? Its supposed to be around 100. I assumed it was the old 3000K, probably 3 years old and normally a beast. Found the Plantmax brand that I wanted on at bulbs.com and they just happened to have the PVs.

So I decided to grab another 633 to replace a 660 in the farm tank, which I dont like with only 4 bulbs, too neony.

Well the new 3000K raised PAR about 5 points. Those things hold up VERY well.

Swapping out the PV 633 raised it....20!! And that was after a 1 hour warm up with a brand new bulb, hasnt even 'burned in' yet.

It must've gone down in a hurry over the last 6 months or so, because it was still around 100 then.

So Gregg you might wanna keep an eye on that 660...

have you considered trying out a t5ho retrofit for the 660?

https://www.harrisseeds.com/products/41696-4-active-grow-red-bloom-spectrum-t5-ho-led-hort-tubes

there's probably a cheaper one on amazon

probably blasphemous in here lol

 

[burr740]

have you considered trying out a t5ho retrofit for the 660?

https://www.harrisseeds.com/products/41696-4-active-grow-red-bloom-spectrum-t5-ho-led-hort-tubes

there's probably a cheaper one on amazon

probably blasphemous in here lol

Yeah those are intriguing, probably where we're all headed sooner or later. For me it'd all come down to color rendition, how the plants looked.


Somebody just needs to drop 50$ and check one out...

 

[Ben Belton]

Would be interesting to get one of the wide spectrum and the red bloom ones. Gets a bit pricey though.

 

[AboveBeyond]

How are you guys measuring pH? Ph meter/pen? I'm realizing drop checker is not the most reliable way to measure c02. Thanks.

 

[burr740]

How are you guys measuring pH? Ph meter/pen? I'm realizing drop checker is not the most reliable way to measure c02. Thanks.

Yeah a digital ph pen, 20$-25$ off amazon is what I use. Just follow the instructions on storage and cleaning, and be sure to calibrate it often. You'll need to buy some calibration fluid/mixture as well. I use the little packets of powder and mix with distilled water.

Some hold up better than others. I find they usually last about a year or two before needing replaced.

American Marine makes a better one for about $100

 

[AboveBeyond]

Thanks Joe.

I'm trying to increase my circulation after reading on how you arranged your flow. Can you assess if the flow in my tank is okay? Is it too much? The Rotalas are swaying a bit.

I got a Hydor Koralia Nano 240 pump in a standard 50g tank:

The "side view" should read "front of the tank view" in the diagram.

UPDATE: After abserving the Koralia for few days, I had to shut it off due dead spots. The Ludwigia right next to it appears to be starving of co2. The new leaves were all curling. Back to square one...

 

[burr740]

@AboveBeyond personally I'd ditch the spray bar and just run the open ended tube. Put it in the back corner, aimed at the front glass about 1/3 of the way across. The flow will hit the glass and drive downward, mostly going to the right but some will disperse back to the left.

This will help get the CO2 rich water down low in better contact with everything. And probably eliminate dead spots. You'll just have to play with the angle a little bit, as in where exactly to aim it along the front glass. Keep the powerhead where its at.

 

[burr740]

Well it turns out HCL can kill more than KH. It can also kill Dutch dreams. :nerd:

So far Ive been adding it straight into the tanks, undiluted. As long as I pour it directly into the current from the filter outflows everything is fine. In the farm 75 I have a Koralia 425 that I turn on just for this.

However, if I ever miss the center of the current stream the HCL just settles to the bottom, or wherever the side currents take it. You can see it travel due to the difference in opacity from water.

Ive burned up several plant groups being careless over the past couple of months. Melted an entire 12x6" wall of Buce mini coin in one tank, wiped out purple stauro in another, and several odd plants here and there along the way. Usually I dont notice until 3-4 days later when the plants start to melt. And melt they do! Completely.

Anywhoo, the latest casualty was about 3 weeks ago when I burned up 2/3 of the Blyxa novo in the Dutch tank. It's the lone specimen plant in a main focal point. Probably lost 75-100 leaves and what's left is pale and covered in fuzz algae. The contest deadline is next Sun the 15th.

Sigh...

Fortunately I have a couple of back up plans although Im not too crazy about any of them. So wish me luck...

Anything less than 'Best in Show' will be a disappointment! :bounce:


Edit: Oh and btw Im now adding the HCL to a 1 gal bucket of water first to dilute it before adding it to the tanks.

 

[jercarr2018]

A couple months back you made a post on Facebook I think or maybe I saw it in this thread, it was a bunch of staurogyne purple that got eaten up. You blamed it on bristlenose plecos. Do you think it was the HCL or is it still attributed to the plecos?


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[Maryland Guppy]

So far Ive been adding it straight into the tanks, undiluted. As long as I pour it directly into the current from the filter outflows everything is fine.

Seems my corner filter is a blessed thing, I dump everything in there! :grin2:

 

[burr740]

A couple months back you made a post on Facebook I think or maybe I saw it in this thread, it was a bunch of staurogyne purple that got eaten up. You blamed it on bristlenose plecos. Do you think it was the HCL or is it still attributed to the plecos?

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No that was absolutely the BN pleco. Dont think I was even using HCL when that happened. Either way HCL melts plants. The tissue left on those was still strong and healthy. They were just chewed down to the nubs.

But a couple months later after it'd came back real nice, I did melt that same group with HCL. Its the purple I mentioned above. lol

 

[vvDO]

Well it turns out HCL can kill more than KH. It can also kill Dutch dreams. :nerd:



So far Ive been adding it straight into the tanks, undiluted. As long as I pour it directly into the current from the filter outflows everything is fine. In the farm 75 I have a Koralia 425 that I turn on just for this.



However, if I ever miss the center of the current stream the HCL just settles to the bottom, or wherever the side currents take it. You can see it travel due to the difference in opacity from water.



Ive burned up several plant groups being careless over the past couple of months. Melted an entire 12x6" wall of Buce mini coin in one tank, wiped out purple stauro in another, and several odd plants here and there along the way. Usually I dont notice until 3-4 days later when the plants start to melt. And melt they do! Completely.



Anywhoo, the latest casualty was about 3 weeks ago when I burned up 2/3 of the Blyxa novo in the Dutch tank. It's the lone specimen plant in a main focal point. Probably lost 75-100 leaves and what's left is pale and covered in fuzz algae. The contest deadline is next Sun the 15th.



Sigh...

Fortunately I have a couple of back up plans although Im not too crazy about any of them. So wish me luck...



Anything less than 'Best in Show' will be a disappointment! :bounce:





Edit: Oh and btw Im now adding the HCL to a 1 gal bucket of water first to dilute it before adding it to the tanks.

Oooh... that stinks...

I have drop by drop by syringe with a 3.5 inch needle attached, added it to the tank and spread it out over a large surface area and did not have any issues. The one time I short it directly to algae and plants, everything in its path BURNED.


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[LRJ]

Well it turns out HCL can kill more than KH. It can also kill Dutch dreams.

Damn, man. Sorry to see this. At least you have back up plans.

Do y'all use protective gear when dosing this stuff? Seems like one accidental splash could spell trouble.

 

[Immortal1]

Sorry to read about your HCL issues - I guess I am fortunate in that I put the HCL in the 20g holding tank under my 75g tank. Give it 5 minutes to mix and then pump it up to the display tank.
I do understand what you said about seeing the opacity difference of the HCL as it goes into the water. By what you described I can imagine it potentially sinking to the bottom of a display tank and effecting the plants. Kinda odd that your post is the first I have read about HCL effecting plants - guess there is many ways to doses and many amounts to dose which would lead to way to many variables.
Best of Luck on your plan B - hope it works out.

 

[burr740]

Thanks guys. Here's some light damage on Erio vietnam and Isoetes from a while back

 

[varanidguy]

Thanks guys. Here's some light damage on Erio vietnam and Isoetes from a while back

Wow that’s unfortunate, but at least it’s small enough for the plants to recover from. Have you found that the burning effect is eliminated when you pre-dilute the acid?


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[burr740]

Wow that’s unfortunate, but at least it’s small enough for the plants to recover from. Have you found that the burning effect is eliminated when you pre-dilute the acid?

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Still have to be careful and not let it sit in one place. Especially the small tanks where it's more prone to happen for some reason. Im about to stop doing it, I believe. The vast majority of my plants dont need it. KH out of the tap is 6 which isnt very high in the first place. Just have to keep the true soft water species in the soil tanks.

I just changed out one of the 20Ls to that new Landen soil. Vin set one up a couple months ago, likes it, and a few guys on FB are using it. Its smaller and heavier than Amazonia, and seems harder. Which makes it a lot easier to plant in.

Doesnt leach a lot of ammonia which is a plus iyam. I just want the CEC for KH and loading nutrients mainly. Right now it's taking KH from 6 to 2 in about 36 hours. Of course its brand new so that'll probably get less down the road. Gonna see how well it holds up over the next few months and how plants like it. I could see myself working with this in the big tanks. $20 for 5L isnt too bad (it's $30 some places) One bag per sq foot makes about 2 1/2" deep

 

[burr740]

Yesterday was the AGA deadline and I managed to get my entry in. It came out OK I think. Similar problem as last years in that several groups are still young looking. But its better I think. We'll see if the judges like it any better.

Novo schmovo, wound up using Crypt spiralis 'red' in its place. All I had were babies about 7" tall so I just crammed 6 of them in one place. Ideally would be a couple inches taller but it looks OK

Cool plant. Seems identical to spiralis tiger, has the green stripe on new leaves and the exact same markings, only its a bright reddish color instead of brown.

Results coming in mid November. Here's a teaser. :red_mouth

 

[ipkiss]

Right. I forgot it is competition time. No wonder the updates dried up lately. Best of luck!