Low/High Tech Tank Question.

[kashif314]

What actually means the term low tech and high tech. Is it the "Led" bright lights in high tech and dim lights in low etc?

So far my understanding of a low tech tank is that a tank which doesn't require co2 or strong lights etc.

High tech is a tank which have brighter lights and you dose fertz and other things etc.

Please correct if I am wrong. Thanks.

 

[Delapool]

Hi, interesting question! I've always thought a high tech tank started when CO2 was injected (maybe DIY CO2 as well). And high PAR lights which leads to use of probably a system / schedule of ferts dosing (not just something bought in a bottle at shop). And possibly some thought on substrate.

Not sure where to place builds on specific bio-types though. Maybe not high-tech equipment but high-tech knowledge??

 

[Bert2oo1]

I agree with dela, high tech is basically high PAR (strong lighting) and injected co2 with demanding plants. You normally provide a nutrient rich substrate aswell as daily dosages of home mixed fertilisers (using dry salts). Growth is extremely rapid so a lot of care is required.

Low tech is easier to grow plants,less light, less nutrients etc. a lot of people still run co2 just to make it easier. There is many different forms of low tech tanks. Including ones that don’t even use a filter! No need for a nutrient rich substrate and minimal fert dosing is required (generally store brought fertilisers work fine).

 

[Mebbid]

High tech is the point when you add either pressurized or DIY co2 to a system. The light level has nothing to do with it.

Light level in and of itself also does not require pressurized co2. Excel works very well in it's place in a high light tank.

 

[kashif314]

Hi, interesting question! I've always thought a high tech tank started when CO2 was injected (maybe DIY CO2 as well). And high PAR lights which leads to use of probably a system / schedule of ferts dosing (not just something bought in a bottle at shop). And possibly some thought on substrate.

Not sure where to place builds on specific bio-types though. Maybe not high-tech equipment but high-tech knowledge??

I agree with dela, high tech is basically high PAR (strong lighting) and injected co2 with demanding plants. You normally provide a nutrient rich substrate aswell as daily dosages of home mixed fertilisers (using dry salts). Growth is extremely rapid so a lot of care is required.

Low tech is easier to grow plants,less light, less nutrients etc. a lot of people still run co2 just to make it easier. There is many different forms of low tech tanks. Including ones that don’t even use a filter! No need for a nutrient rich substrate and minimal fert dosing is required (generally store brought fertilisers work fine).

Thanks a lot for detailed replies.

High tech is the point when you add either pressurized or DIY co2 to a system. The light level has nothing to do with it.

Light level in and of itself also does not require pressurized co2. Excel works very well in it's place in a high light tank.

So in other words a tank which is using liquid carbon like excel isn't high tech? You mean high tech means where we inject co2 and not liquid carbon?

 

[Delapool]

High tech is the point when you add either pressurized or DIY co2 to a system. The light level has nothing to do with it.

Light level in and of itself also does not require pressurized co2. Excel works very well in it's place in a high light tank.

Possibly - depends on how carried away one gets with the lights (in my case, the liquid carbon completely fails to keep up when the CO2 bottle runs out - this is straight glut though, not a seachem product which may/may not be better).

 

[ZxC]

Possibly - depends on how carried away one gets with the lights (in my case, the liquid carbon completely fails to keep up when the CO2 bottle runs out - this is straight glut though, not a seachem product which may/may not be better).

I would agree with this, I am currently running a 5 gal high tech and I tried it without CO2, just heavy excel dosing and I saw no impressive plant growth, the minute I added CO2, everything exploded with growth.

 

[Delapool]

I must confess I forgot to add I have a deep tank so high surface par.

 

[Mebbid]

Possibly - depends on how carried away one gets with the lights (in my case, the liquid carbon completely fails to keep up when the CO2 bottle runs out - this is straight glut though, not a seachem product which may/may not be better).

People rarely dose enough excel to manage higher light tanks, it's easily and safely done though. I was running 4 t5ho over a 55g and was using 25mL of excel daily with excellent results.

Thanks a lot for detailed replies.

So in other words a tank which is using liquid carbon like excel isn't high tech? You mean high tech means where we inject co2 and not liquid carbon?

Yep

I would agree with this, I am currently running a 5 gal high tech and I tried it without CO2, just heavy excel dosing and I saw no impressive plant growth, the minute I added CO2, everything exploded with growth.

Excel isn't as effective for speedy plant growth as co2, however that definitely doesn't mean it's not sufficient to meet the needs of a high light tank.

 

[Delapool]

People rarely dose enough excel to manage higher light tanks, it's easily and safely done though. I was running 4 t5ho over a 55g and was using 25mL of excel daily with excellent results. YepExcel isn't as effective for speedy plant growth as co2, however that definitely doesn't mean it's not sufficient to meet the needs of a high light tank.

Great information.

I chickened out on high dosing. Out of interest have you converted that to a ppm number? Easier here as solution is 10% and I just assume 500 litre tank so I was dosing over 2 - 3 ppm. From some dubious reading, I settled on 2ppm as a limit (from really old posts, other products, maybe some recent threads). Lately at 1ppm with new fish. Val and all plants were fine with higher dosing.

I know RC was dosing higher I think (must find old calculation spreadsheet) than myself at 1ml per gallon I think.

I never dose the night before a water change in morning. Just in case.

 

[kashif314]

I like to quote myself again:

So in other words a tank which is using liquid carbon like excel isn't high tech? You mean high tech means where we inject co2 and not liquid carbon? I am asking because I believe even with tge excel your tank can be classified as high tech if you dose liquid carbon and fertz. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Bert2oo1]

I like to quote myself again:

So in other words a tank which is using liquid carbon like excel isn't high tech? You mean high tech means where we inject co2 and not liquid carbon? I am asking because I believe even with tge excel your tank can be classified as high tech if you dose liquid carbon and fertz. Please correct me if I am wrong.

There is no right or wrong answer really. A lot of people will have different views of what’s low tech and what’s high.

Personally I believe that if u have a PAR over 50 at substrate level (lighting measurement) and your injecting co2 then your high tech.

If your below 50 and your using excel your low tech.

I disagree about using only excel as a carbon source in a high tech tank. Not only is it extremely expensive but there is no way u could hit the 30ppm target of co2 with excel.
4xt5’s is a fair bit of light but a lot of people would be running 8x on a tank that size on a high tech tank. Get up around 150 par at substrate and you would have an algae farm

 

[TMaier]

Personally I believe if the question is so complicated (PAR, PPM, Ferts, Macros, Micros etc) you need to know all this stuff then it’s High Tech.

 

[kashif314]

There is no right or wrong answer really. A lot of people will have different views of what’s low tech and what’s high.

Personally I believe that if u have a PAR over 50 at substrate level (lighting measurement) and your injecting co2 then your high tech.

If your below 50 and your using excel your low tech.

I disagree about using only excel as a carbon source in a high tech tank. Not only is it extremely expensive but there is no way u could hit the 30ppm target of co2 with excel.
4xt5’s is a fair bit of light but a lot of people would be running 8x on a tank that size on a high tech tank. Get up around 150 par at substrate and you would have an algae farm

Personally I believe if the question is so complicated (PAR, PPM, Ferts, Macros, Micros etc) you need to know all this stuff then it’s High Tech.

Thanks. I actually see some nice high power bright tanks running on excel at fish store. Mainly nano ones because excel is affordable for a nano tank. However I did see very bright lights and definitely those plants couldn't thrive without liquid carbon or fertz. I just hesitate to call that setup low tech because of the needs of plants.

 

[Mebbid]

There is no right or wrong answer really. A lot of people will have different views of what’s low tech and what’s high.

Personally I believe that if u have a PAR over 50 at substrate level (lighting measurement) and your injecting co2 then your high tech.

If your below 50 and your using excel your low tech.

I disagree about using only excel as a carbon source in a high tech tank. Not only is it extremely expensive but there is no way u could hit the 30ppm target of co2 with excel.
4xt5’s is a fair bit of light but a lot of people would be running 8x on a tank that size on a high tech tank. Get up around 150 par at substrate and you would have an algae farm

It depends on the fixture, if I ran 8 of the t5ho bulbs I was using it would result in a par of about 250 at substrate.

 

[ZxC]

Would another factor be which species of plants are involved? You can have low light/easy plants in a high light excel only tank and they will grow very well, but throw in some high demanding plants in the same situation and I don't believe they would grow very well (compared to a high light + CO2 tank).

High/Med/Low tech IMO is exactly that, an opinion. That being said, the "general" guideline I am familiar with is:
high tech: high light, CO2 strict fert doing.
med. tech: med/high light, excel and fert dosing.
low tech: low/med light, some fert dosing.

 

[Delapool]

I think there used to be a watts per gallon breakdown definition someone did (but all went out the door with LEDs). Even the reflectors (grouped or single) for bulbs might throw that old guideline out.

 

[kashif314]

Would another factor be which species of plants are involved? You can have low light/easy plants in a high light excel only tank and they will grow very well, but throw in some high demanding plants in the same situation and I don't believe they would grow very well (compared to a high light + CO2 tank).

High/Med/Low tech IMO is exactly that, an opinion. That being said, the "general" guideline I am familiar with is:
high tech: high light, CO2 strict fert doing.
med. tech: med/high light, excel and fert dosing.
low tech: low/med light, some fert dosing.

Well said yes. I think plants that are co2 demanding will need pressurized co2. In my case my plants are less co2 inclined so they are doing fine with excel only and with fertz.