Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Tank

[RadMax8]

You could make a DIY reactor pretty cheap. It should affect your flow much, if at all. You'll be able to use less CO2, since more of the gas gets dissolved into the water. Brookster made one, and there's a few good how-to videos on YouTube.

If I had a canister, I'd definitely have a reactor.


Definitely not wasting time. Nope.

 

[fishenthusiast]

You could make a DIY reactor pretty cheap. It should affect your flow much, if at all. You'll be able to use less CO2, since more of the gas gets dissolved into the water. Brookster made one, and there's a few good how-to videos on YouTube.

If I had a canister, I'd definitely have a reactor.


Definitely not wasting time. Nope.

Maybe a GLA inline diffuser would work just as well? Could that be a viable option?


Go Reds!

 

[RadMax8]

They seem to be a better option than the in-tank diffuser, but you are still dealing with a ceramic media to get the CO2 into the water. So you'll still have to clean it. And you might still deal with tiny bubbles. And you'll still have to run higher psi on your CO2 to get it to work right.

With a DIY reactor, your main drawback is going to be size. You need a longer pipe so the CO2 can completely diffuse in the water. But once it does, there is no visual evidence that there is CO2. You also don't have to take it apart to clean since CO2 is placed directly in the water.


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[fishenthusiast]

They seem to be a better option than the in-tank diffuser, but you are still dealing with a ceramic media to get the CO2 into the water. So you'll still have to clean it. And you might still deal with tiny bubbles. And you'll still have to run higher psi on your CO2 to get it to work right.

With a DIY reactor, your main drawback is going to be size. You need a longer pipe so the CO2 can completely diffuse in the water. But once it does, there is no visual evidence that there is CO2. You also don't have to take it apart to clean since CO2 is placed directly in the water.


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I'm not very good at the DIY stuff unfortunately. Would there be any reactor that I could buy that is of good quality and not too expensive?


Go Reds!

 

[Brookster123]

Dr. Foster and smith has a few decent ones I've heard. For substrate dividers.. cheap flimsy cutting boards from walmart, cut them up and push them into substrate, work great at keeping dhg fenced off..

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[fishenthusiast]

Dr. Foster and smith has a few decent ones I've heard. For substrate dividers.. cheap flimsy cutting boards from walmart, cut them up and push them into substrate, work great at keeping dhg fenced off..

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Good idea Brookster! It looks like I'll stick with getting DHG and a reactor. I'm thinking about getting a small powerhead to increase flow to get around 300 gph. Would this disrupt my fish any, namely my Harlequins and pair of Honey Gourami? I'm would want to put this in the "dead area" of my tank.


Go Reds!

 

[Brookster123]

Thank Brian_Nano12g, Gave me the idea! Hydor koralia nano 240gph..

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[fishenthusiast]

Thank Brian_Nano12g, Gave me the idea! Hydor koralia nano 240gph..

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A small powerhead like that shouldn't bother my fish, and I will get more flow to deliver ferts and CO2 across all areas of the tank to the plants. Concerning the CO2 reactor, the ITSA Mix Max CO2 reactor runs at $8.99 (medium) and $11.99 (large) on Drs. Foster and Smith. Would this work, or is it a poorly built CO2 reactor (the cheap cost scares me)?




Go Reds!

 

[Dallascowboys16]

A small powerhead like that shouldn't bother my fish, and I will get more flow to deliver ferts and CO2 across all areas of the tank to the plants. Concerning the CO2 reactor, the ITSA Mix Max CO2 reactor runs at $8.99 (medium) and $11.99 (large) on Drs. Foster and Smith. Would this work, or is it a poorly built CO2 reactor (the cheap cost scares me)?




Go Reds!

I bought one of those and it was ok beside the fact that the impeller wouldn't spin and the pipes are pretty funky sizes that aren't compatible with normal tubing. I would give it a try though. My filter just didn't push enough water for it to work.

 

[fishenthusiast]

I bought one of those and it was ok beside the fact that the impeller wouldn't spin and the pipes are pretty funky sizes that aren't compatible with normal tubing. I would give it a try though. My filter just didn't push enough water for it to work.

Okay, I'll give it a shot.

I'm about to put in a monster order to Foster and Smith. New bulbs, a small powerhead, a CO2 reactor, some Flourish Iron, some water conditioners, and a new background.


Go Reds!

 

[tiger terror]

I've read that it works well with some tweaking...supposedly a little trimming work on the impeller(tabs left after being punched out of the mold)&it spins more freely...

Getcha sleeves wet fish tank people!

 

[fishenthusiast]

I've read that it works well with some tweaking...supposedly a little trimming work on the impeller(tabs left after being punched out of the mold)&it spins more freely...

Getcha sleeves wet fish tank people!

Thanks for the info! I'll take it into account.

With the powerhead I'm going to buy, the new flow within the tank will be close to 300 gph, but not exactly there. I think it should be fine though. The only other thing that I have to decide on is what "plant grow" bulb I should get to put with a 6000K midday bulb that I'm going to get.


Go Reds!

 

[Brookster123]

I got one off amazon and it leaked, the bottom unscrews. I'd opt for something else. The spinning blades seems like a time suck too.

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[fishenthusiast]

I got one off amazon and it leaked, the bottom unscrews. I'd opt for something else. The spinning blades seems like a time suck too.

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Are there any alternatives that you think might work better?


Go Reds!

 

[Brookster123]

Tiger terror just ordered pre fab. Maybe shoot a pm..

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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon High-Tech Tank

Okay everyone, besides the reactor, everything has been put into place to give my plants optimum growth besides new T5 HO bulbs. Foster and Smith has just come out with some new bulbs from Giesemann. I'm going to get a midday bulb that emits a color temperate of 6500K (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13821+30182&pcatid=30182). I was wondering if their plant grow bulb will help with plant growth. I don't like my pink rosette bulb as I don't think it is bright enough. This plant bulb seems to look good.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13821+30181&pcatid=30181

By looking at the spectrum charts of both bulbs, they look to be a good combo. My current bulbs might lack something, so maybe these next moves that I'm about to make will make my tank take off!! Do you guys think this combo looks good?


Go Reds!

 

[Brookster123]

Those new giesemann bulbs are/were a hot topic in tpt.. i think the plant bulb should/will.aid in plant growth yes

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[fishenthusiast]

A little update: My female Dwarf Honey Gourami died due to unknown reasons. The male seems to be doing fine though.

My Cyperus helferi has had a sudden growth spurt. Although many of the leaves are plagued with algae, this new growth gives me sudden hope. Maybe I'll keep it after all. I plan to chop off all the leaves with algae, and see what happens from there. All new leaves are green and long. My Crinum Calamistratum is looking good, and my Green Wendtii is forming a nice red underside. After I do a tank cleaning this weekend, I'll share some pictures.


Go Reds!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Yesterday, I did a massive tank cleaning. I cleaned algae off of the glass, heater, and filter pumps. I removed the Rotala rotund., and I'm planning on replacing it with some type of stem plant. I also trimmed the Pogo as well.

 

[mikem691]

Looking good Following.