20g Light/CO2 Questions

[mfdrookie516]

yeah i have pfs in all my tanks but one, which will have it soon... it is amazing. I can take my python and shove the gavel vac all the way to the glass and then lift it back up and i never have it in my sink... I have heard from some people that they just skim over it, but i do it the same way as you do gravel... I dont keep mine very deep, around 2", but my mbuna manage to pile it up in some places pretty deep. Pfs is course enough that you really dont have to worry about gas pockets building up like you do with smaller sands.

 

[timwag2001]

no. if its the red sea indicator that i think it is it is crap.
are you a do it yourselfer or the kind of person that would rather just pay a little more to get what you want?
you can buy dkh water and then add bromethel blue(i'm not sure if thats the right word... basicly its a ph test kit)
you can make 4dkh solution and then add the bromethel blue
lol
or you can just buy it like me CO2 Drop Checker | KH Standard - 4 dKH

 

[Arical]

PFS is sounding better and better. Did not think you would be able to vacuum it; definitely need to try and find a local dealer, thanks!

As for the CO2 Drop checker, sweet. Those have quite an interesting look to them, unfortunately they are all out of stock and I can't find any of them with the Canadian retailers. You know of any other retailers that ship to Canada that might carry them?

And unfortunately at this stage, I am afraid of most DIY projects. I don't know enough about the underlying principles (and with my luck), I'm worried I would put my fish in danger. The more comfortable I get, the more I will try out.

 

[mfdrookie516]

i got mine at meijers, 50lb bags, for $1.99 each... do they have those in canada? if so, might be worth checking out... if not, most pool supply stores should carry it

 

[Arical]

Sorry it took me so long to respond, it's been a long day!

Ive never heard of a meijers here, but I will for sure be asking around to see what places sell it. I can't believe how cheap that stuff is too, they charge way too much for substrate. Apparently there are a few people from around here that have bought it so I just have to find out who hehe.

One comment I saw while browsing was about Root tabs and how they can be expensive in the long run. Would it be better to spend the money up front with something like laterite? Would I still need to dose ferts/minerals with tabs/laterite?

 

[mfdrookie516]

ive always been told that those plant substrates are pretty much worthless after about 6 months... root tabs arent that expensive and do the exact same thing to pfs as the laterite, flourite, whatever... think about it this way... spend a few bucks on pfs, i think root tabs are like $6 and they last a long time, like around 2 months... or buy laterite or flourite, spend like $20+ for less, and have to buy root tabs for the root feeders later on? just thinking ahead

 

[Arical]

Wow, I just found a 40 pack of the Seachem root tabs for $25; 3-4 every 2 months, that's quite affordable.

Alright now I just need to find everything. I will compile a list here before putting any orders through. Thanks to everyone for the phenomenal help so far!

 

[aveldina]

I am going to do some hunting for rock to create a cave like structure this afternoon & I'll do some asking around about the pool sand if I stop at Petland. I can check local prices on things for comparison if there's something you're looking to check prices on. Having a dog, a cat and fish seems to land me in pet stores on a regular basis.

 

[Arical]

Alright, im washing the apparently safe PFS now. It's way finer of a substrate than I was expecting. It feels like beach sand! Hope my corys like it

 

[fort384]

You can get an ADA look alike drop checker on EBAY for a few dollars, and it comes with a bottle of the bromothymol blue pH indicating solution. I have a few bottles of the 4dKH solution laying around... will sell it to you very cheap, basically cost of paypal and shipping, so just PM me if interested.

As stated above, the seachem drop checkers are kind of worthless... they don't hold enough reference solution imo, and that makes the indication somewhat inaccurate.
CO2 Aquarium Glass Drop Checker Tester Set Test Kit - eBay (item 180360869245 end time Nov-20-09 04:44:44 PST)

Here is one example... but there are many distributors. The ones that come from HK and Malaysia take 2 weeks or so for shipping... you can buy from an american distributor for twice as much and get it in a couple of days.

 

[Arical]

Quick update:

Alright the PFS is settled now and the corys certainly seem to love it. Also I placed an order last night, so I should have the new supplies in about a week!

Main stuff ordered:

• Hagen Glo T5 (2x24W)
• Milwaukee Regulator w/Solenoid
• Seachem Flourish tabs

I managed to find a 5lb CO2 tank but still need to find some neoprene tubing. Also, I will be picking up the CO2 drop checker and the diffuser off ebay shortly. Thanks fort!

Next up, plants!

 

[fort384]

Sounds like you are off to a wonderful start! Check out plantgeek.net to get some good ideas for plants. You are doing this right!! Most of us started off with the wrong plants and the wrong equipment and ended up here when things didn't work out right. You will have a huge advantage going in.

 

[Arical]

After spending too much time on plantgeek, I created a new thread to figure out which plants to get. It can be found here. It's always fun to experiment, but I figured I only wanted to spend the money once .