CO2 and Higher Light Questions

[meegosh]

Hey all,

I was apparently a good boy this year and Santa brought me a 36" 96watt Coralife compact fluorescent light. The bulb is a 6700K bulb. My main questions are, with this amount of light over a 30g long, am I considered medium or high light? I have read mixed things on lots of different websites. Now I think I'm at right around 3wpg, which a lot of sites say 2.5 wpg is when you need to inject CO2. I'm fine with that as I really want experiment in planted tanks some more.

Now my other questions are, is DIY CO2 feasible in a 30g long? I have read mixed things about this also. Some say 20g is the most a DIY CO2 system can handle, others say 30-40g. If I need to go to a pressurized CO2 system, is the Milwaukee MA957 still the way to go? I read up on them a little and see them going for around $80 on ebay with regulator, solenoid, needle valve, bubble counter and even free tubing. Does that sound about right?

I haven't looked at tanks yet but I'm sure I can find them locally. It seems like ~$60-70 for a 5lb online? Closer to $100 for a 10lb? How long would a 5lb vs 10lb last on my tank?

Just getting started on doing some research and thought I would get some of your opinions. Also, I have some swords and vals in my 10g and they are doing great. This is the main reason in wanting to upgrade my 30g. My 10g looks like a jugnle now, I have been letting it grow out so I can move some things to the 30g.

30g with new light:

 

[timwag2001]

you're pushing the high side of lights. you can do diy pretty easy on a 30. i've done it on a 55. i HATE diy though. fluctuations with co2 can cause bba and its very easyfor diy co2 to fade out and make your levels drop. so yeah, i would suggest that you go pressurized, it's much easier. i wouldnt call milwaukee "the way to go". it's really just an average regulator. the really good ones are 2 stage. but i have one and it gets the job done just fine. your prices are pretty accurate. and a 5 lb tank should do you fine. i run a 5 lb tank on my 55g. i have to refill it everycouple of months.

just dont forget your ferts!

 

[meegosh]

Thanks for the reply. I'm only running the new light during feedings now to prevent an algae outbreak. I'm going to be swapping the substrate this week and then planting some vals and swords for now.

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[meegosh]

What would you guys recommend for dry ferts? I see Rex Griggs has a combo pack of ferts for like $24. It includes 1lb potassium nitrate, 1 lb potassium sulfate, .5lb plantex + B (traces and iron), and .5lb potassium phosphate. Is that reasonable? Seems like that will last me a good while.

Any other recommendations? You guys use ph regulators? It seems like one would be worth it in the long run. Any opinions on them? Thanks in advance!

 

[timwag2001]

rex griggs is ok but he can get backed up on his orders and can take weeks to ship. i recommend Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - Main, Main, Dry Fertilizers, Dry Fertilizers,

you need kno3, kh2po4 and csm+b. kno3 and kh2po4 should be giving you enough K, so you more than likely dont need any k2so4.
depending on your gh, you may need a gh booster (which also contains k2so4, another reason you prob wont need it)

instead of hooking up my solenoid to a timer, i hook my ph controller to a timer. that way, once i know my target range, i can just set and forget

 

[mgamer20o0]

aquarium fert is a good place to order from. i dont even know of rex is shipping. i havent heard from him for some time last i knew he was sick and not shipping.

if you want the tank a little more easier to maintain you might want to think about switching to a 50/50 bulb. the fish would look better you wouldnt have as much usable light over the tank.

 

[meegosh]

I've ordered the ferts and a Ph monitor. Going to get the ma957 off of eBay in a combo for around $80. Found a local welding place that sells 5lbs filled for $65 so I will grab that Monday. Thanks for all the advice guys. Time to start researching some higher light plants. I really like the look of green and red plants,its a nice contrast I think.

Will my Nana petite grow faster under higher light? Its taken many months for it to even double in size in my 10g.

 

[mgamer20o0]

the more light it has the faster it grows. still not as fast if you grew it emersed.

 

[timwag2001]

it'll prob increase growing a little but you will more than likely end up with algae since its such a slwo growing plant.

 

[meegosh]

Well it won't be the only plant in the tank. I was just curious if it was a notoriously slow growing plant. I got some a while ago when I got my vals off dskidmore.

 

[mgamer20o0]

it is a slow growing plant. you might end up with 1000 vals though.

 

[timwag2001]

if it starts growning algae on it you can just put it in a more shaded area of your tank, like under some plants or something. your vals should take off like there's no tommorrow.

 

[timwag2001]

oh wow. i didnt realize that there was a second page where mgamer would say the exact same thing that i was gonna say.

 

[meegosh]

Yeah I've noticed that vals grow like weeds. My 10g is like a jungle right now. I think my swords are the only plants I'm using from the 10g.

Got the CO2 tank today also. I might even swap the 10g for the 30g tall I got from a friend.

 

[meegosh]

Does this look like a decent setup?

Milwaukee MA957 CO2 Regulator, Solenoid, MA 957, NEW - eBay (item 270509927411 end time Feb-02-10 07:09:43 PST)

I ordered ferts and have a 5lb co2 tank. Anything else? I may add a reactor and Ph monitor later. Thanks again.

 

[timwag2001]

same one i have. it'll get the job done.

you said you may add a reactor later. how do you plan on diffusing the co2 now?

 

[meegosh]

Either my friends glass ladder she isnt using or one of my powerheads that I have laying around. Would a reactor be much better than either of those? Thanks again for your help!

 

[timwag2001]

some say that getting tiny little bubbles under the leaves is better so according to some, the powerhead is better. however with a reactor you can get 100% dissolved co2.
there are a few different diy reactors that will save you a ton of money. this is one of the more poplular ones How To Build A CO2 Reactor | Build a Regulator | Test Kit

read these
CO2 revelations
and
CO2 revelations part 2#

 

[meegosh]

Those were some interesting reads. I read those a while back when I was contemplating going planted. I think I am going to use a power head to diffuse my co2 for now.

I do have a couple questions I figured I would post here rather than opening a new thread.

1.) I read somewhere that you should not mix KH2PO4 with your trace. I guess the iron reacts with it in some way. Is that correct? Should I dose my traces on a separate day to avoid this?

2.) My bubble counter didn't come with any fluid. Should I just use water? I've heard mineral oil is the best but some say to use water at first in case some gets into the tank. I guess the only drawbacks of water is that it evaporates and can get foul if left stagnant.

3.) It seems that starting with tons of fast growing stem plants is the way to go at first. I guess this helps prevent algae from growing. Any recommendations on stem plants?

I have been looking locally and haven't found many plants that look healthy. I am going to take a drive to the one LFS that has four 75g plant only tanks that had really healthy looking plants a few months back. I guess this will be my best bet for local plants.

As far as online, I was looking at aquabotanic.com (Rob's site) and was quite impressed with the selection and pricing. Any other good sites?

 

[timwag2001]

yeah, iron and phosphate dont mix well and precipitate out and become useless for the plants.

you dont want to use water its a pain in the butt having to refill it all of the time. they sell bubble counter fluid, which is just mineral oil and wont cause any harm in your tank. its really just a laxative so if ingested, i guess you'll have some fish that are regular. so instead of spending extra money on "bubble counter fluid" just get mineral oil.

i dont really have a recommedation on plants. it's all in what you like.
at this point i would offer you some but just did a bunch of trimming so i'm a little low on plants at the moment.. i pretty much only buy from fellow hobbiest through forums that have good feedback. i think its better that way. the few sales that i make online just help to support my hobby and i like to think thats what everyone else does.