Help Me Revamp My 29 gallon!

[Puckhog429]

Hey guys,
Its been a pretty long time since i've been on here. I have majorly downsized my tanks and setups as over the summer I have been busy with work and sports. So I no longer have my 200 gallon garage setup, 10 gallon, and 4 gallon cube (long story, had slow leak and caused a lot of damage). So I am left with my 29g which is not lookin so hot.

Here is a run down of my setup:

Tank: 29 gallon 30 X 12 X 18

Substrate: org. potting soil with red clay

Lighting: 30" Finnex planted plus (old kind with aluminum body)
30" Coralife Aqualight dual t5 36 watt with 6700k and 10k bulbs

Filter: Fluval 405 with custom pvc spray bar

Ferts: GLA PPS Pro (havent been using, just started again yesterday)
Glut dosed almost every day

Fish: 3 Small Angelfish, 6 Harlequin rasboras, 10 or so khuli loaches, and 2-3 ' otos

Plants: Lots of crypts, Anubias Nana, Aquarium lily, dwarf sag, italian val


What I would like to do with the tank is totally redo the scape with different plants, I would like to try my hand at pressurized co2 and eventually change up the stock list as well.

I would like to learn a bit more about co2 and which route to go. From the research I did I like the idea of the Drs Foster and Smith co2 kit found at Freshwater Planted Aquarium Plant Care: Drs. Foster & Smith Semi-Automatic CO2 System being that it includes almost everything I need.

I would like the co2 system to be as worry free and simple as possible as I am pretty busy and don't have tons of time to be messing with things.
Some suggestions or comments on what you would do for co2 in my situation would be great, also please consider that I am 16 and trying to keep my upgrades pretty reasonable in price.

For the new scape I want to use manzanita or something similar. Still unsure of what I want it to look like. I can worry about that once I get co2 dialed. Im gonna want to take advantage of the co2 and get some higher level plants in the mix as well assuming that my lighting will support it. I thought about tossing the t5 fixture and suplementing the current planted plus with another led.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Puckhog429]

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[Puckhog429]

Anyone?


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[Fresh2o]

I looked at the reviews on F&S for the regulator and they were pretty favorable but not outstanding. One of the complaints was the lack of the working pressure adjustment knob. Not sure how important it is to be able to adjust the working pressure for general use, but it appears that some diffusers appear to operate better when the working can be set to a certain range.
I would be on the fence with that and probably go with a Milwaukee or Aquatek instead. Price wise with the tank and rest of the hardware it should come to $150-200.


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[sinibotia]

I'm bad at plants but here's a stocking idea that I promise will liven up your tank: 5 zebra loaches (botia striata).

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[Puckhog429]

Thanks for the responses guys. Gonna do a bit more research on co2 kits like you suggested. Ive read a little bit about ph controllers but dont really know anything about them. Seems like one would make the system a bit more automated which for me would be perfect. Could someone enlighten me on them?

Anyone have any comments on my lighting? I dont think its enough to sustain high light plants but would like a few opinions and suggestions for upgrading the light level.

Thanks guys!


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[Brookster123]

If it's cruising and you don't hate it?? Why mess with it?

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[Puckhog429]

The lighting? I wouldn't mind trying my hand at some higher light plants.
For example the lighting I have now wouldnt grow a lot of stem plants such as ludwigia and other one like it. The plants would only get leaves in the upper portion of the stems, lower leaves would die off because the light wasn't penetrating deep enough.

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[Fresh2o]

I think that lighting (Finnex Planted+ & Dual T5 HO) is fine for many types of stem plants. The addition of consistent CO2 would help tremendously.
A controller, specifically a pH controller hooked up to a solenoid would monitor the pH and open and close the solenoid valve as needed to maintain the pH within a given range.
This will add CO2 independent of the light schedule. That setup is a bit too pricy for me and the separate timer setup works fine for many folks.


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[Puckhog429]

Okay so looks like im either going to go with an aquatek or milwaukee regulator. Is there any specific model/size etc. i should look for? Seems to me like the milwaukee and aquatek are essentially the same thing so I guess I will go with whatevers cheapest.

So with the regulator looks like im gonna be needing a co2 tank (5 lb?), some kind of diffuser, co2 specific tubing, a timer which I already have and a bubble conter which comes with the regulator. Anything I miss? WHere would you guys reccomend buying this stuff. Looks like amazon has the best price on the regulators?

Thanks!

 

[Puckhog429]

Basic Aquatek CO2 Regulator with Integrated Solenoid R 76 | eBay

What do you guys think about this? I can go with buy it now option and get it for $75 plus 5% back through ebates. Guy says its been used for 3 months and comes with paintball adaptor, diffuser, and tubing? Is it worth the few bucks saved or should I just go with a new one?

 

[Puckhog429]

Okay so looks like a 5 lb tank is gonna cost me around $50 which isnt that big of a deal. Is it worth the extra money for the big tank or would paintball tanks be a cheaper/more convenient route to take?


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[Fresh2o]

The paintball adaptor is $15-20, CO2 tubing $10, diffuser $10. Subtract that and it appears to be a great deal for a slightly used regulator. Owner prolly got tired of the finicky fine adjustment knob and is going for a GLA. Yes, making precise adjustments to the flow rate for Aquatek is their weak point IMO. I have one and it's working fine for me despite this.
I say go for it. Paintball tanks (24 oz) will run about $25. I get my refilled every 4.5 months for under $5.


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[Fresh2o]

Okay so looks like a 5 lb tank is gonna cost me around $50 which isnt that big of a deal. Is it worth the extra money for the big tank or would paintball tanks be a cheaper/more convenient route to take?


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I went with the PB tank because I knew I could get refills at Dick's Sporting Goods versus locating a gas or home brew shop. PB tanks are smaller and that may be important if there is limited space in or around your cabinet.


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[Puckhog429]

Okay thanks guys. Im gonna go with that then and buy a couple used paintball tanks on cl.


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[Fresh2o]

Okay thanks guys. Im gonna go with that then and buy a couple used paintball tanks on cl.


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Cool. If possible, make sure that the PB tanks are not expired. You'd have to get the brand of the tank and look up the stamp pattern online. *Sometimes* that gets checked while getting a refill. Once I almost did not get a refill because the attendant read the wrong numbers.


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[Puckhog429]

Oh haha. Maybe I will just buy new then and avoid the hassle


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[Puckhog429]

Quick Update guys!

I ordered the aquatek regulator from ebay with paintball adaptor, co2 lines, and diffuser for just over $70 shipped and ordered a 24 oz paintball tank from ebay for $25. Now all I need to do is shop for some new hardscape materials! Will update when I get hardscape stuff ordered and things start arriving!

 

[Puckhog429]

Here again with another update!

All the co2 stuff came in and is setup. Watched a few videos on youtube for the setup still need to dial in bubbles per second, and how long I should run my lights.

I have the co2 running at less than 1 bubble per second right now and lights running 3 hours on, 4 off, then 6 on. The co2 is hooked up to the same timer as the lights. Should I put it on its own timer? Should I change light schedule now that im running CO2? Seems to me that running the lights break-free would be most efficient for the co2.

I ordered some manzanita that will be coming in a week or so. When it gets here I will pull out plants and driftwood and redo scape. Gonna keep the crypts, anubias and aquarium lily. I will give this guy local to me a call to setup a date to go and get plants. He has a basement fishroom setup with all kinds of different planted tanks from low to high tech.

Also how do I know how many bps I should be running the co2 at?

Any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!

 

[Puckhog429]

Also thought I would add that the diffuser it came with is a small ceramic disc encased in rubber that suction cups onto the tank. I have it right under the intake to my fluval 405.