lyquidphyre said:
Im not totally sure whats wrong with my CO2. I have checked and checked and checked for leaks and have found nothing. I am wondering if the place I take it to (the beer barn) doesn't fill it up all the way... or if checking for leaks emptied it out more than I thought. It runs out anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks- it just depends. I think it has lasted at the most 3 months and that was when I first got it. Im sure it would have lasted longer if I knew what I was doing then =o)
That is something that is going to have to be looked into. You are going to have to look into leak checking the system again, LOL. Do you happen to know the flow rate at which you set it at? You are also going to have to monitor the the KH and pH while you are injecting the CO2 inorder to gauge how much you are injecting. (did you replace the seal between the valve and the regulator?)
lyquidphyre said:
As far as lights, I have the second one you linked. And it's good to know NOW that I should never touch the actual bulb, haha.
I just hope that the bulb is a 10000K bulb an not an Actinic bulb. I wouldn't think a single fixture would contain an Actinic bulb, but ya never know.
lyquidphyre said:
Aside from keeping up with my CO2 and fertilizing from Greg Watson... what else would have to be done to keep up my tank (aside from the usual tank up keep)? Like I said, Im in college which means time and money are always limited. I would really love to get my tank up and running to where it runs on it's own so to speak (and by runs on its own I mean, all I have to do is dose and feed my fish because lately it's been a pain to up keep with all the algae and such). Er, not so much runs on its own.. but the amount of effort I put into it, I see. Right now I have put so much time and money in it and it's no where near where I want it.
How much does greg watson typically cost?
I am going to list the EI routine and taget ranges for your tank taken from:
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/62-estimative-index-dosing-no-need-test-kits.html (a good read if you have the time)
60 – 80 Gallon Aquariums
+/- 3/4 tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 3/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/4 tsp K2S04 3x a week
+/- ¼ tsp (15ml) Trace 3x a week
50% weekly water change
EI target ranges
CO2 range 20-30 ppm
NO3 range 5-30 ppm
K+ range 10-30 ppm
PO4 range 1.0-2.0 ppm
Fe 0.2-0.5ppm or higher
GH range 3-5 degrees ~ 50ppm or higher
KH range 3-5
http://www.gregwatson.com/DryAquaticFertilizers.asp
fertilizers to order:
CSM+B (Trace mix)
KN03 (Potassium Nitrate)
KH2P04 (Mono Potassium Phosphate)
K2S04 (Potassium Sulfate)
(I would also purchase (2) 8 oz twin neck dosing bottles)
When I purchased my ferts, I spent 34.47 including shipping. that was for all the ferts that will last for atleast a year and two dosing bottles.
The EI regime is just a simple way to maintain a range of nutrients within the aquarium, so the plants do not became limited by one nutrient, which would allow algae to thrive. It can be altered to suit your needs.
At first this seems daunting, to say the least, but give it a week and you will see that once a routine is established, there really isn't much to it. The best part is seeing the plants grow day after day.
(ps if my thoughts seem incomplete, I apologize, my current medical condition requires that I remain on narcotics, so my mind sometimes wonders. I have only been up for 41 hours now)
HTH