workfortheman
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I also like the black neons, but never intro'd them to a fresh tank. Why not try some barbs (rosy barbs can be exceptional algae eaters, and are active and hardy).
40g planted
- Thread starter tetrin
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Jason the Lost
Aquarium Advice Activist
I was kind of leaning towards barbs because I wanted them for this tank anyway but was unsure of their general hardiness....a local lfs has some albino tigers that have been there for a while and seem happy and healthy and pretty colorful. Are some barbs such as rosies hardier than others?
Generally speaking for this tank I was looking at eventually having a school of barbs, a school of cories, a few swordtails and angels and a couple other misc.
Generally speaking for this tank I was looking at eventually having a school of barbs, a school of cories, a few swordtails and angels and a couple other misc.
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you have a nice community setup (no aggressive fish), you could have some Blue Rams. They are beautiful centerpiece fish, especially in a planted tank.
greenmaji
Aquarium Advice Addict
2.5wpg+ your going to need CO2
2wpg is a good top limit to going without..
2wpg is a good top limit to going without..
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok I just got them today. There are directions for use on the plant food supplement. Do I even need these in a low light tank? Should I save them for when I get my lights/CO2? I was also wondering about any unforeseen affects that these products might cause with regards to my fish.
xIHaKIx
Aquarium Advice Activist
Someone explain Hard water for me, and Im really happy with the feed back Im getting, I think I will buy it.
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you use them as directed you will not harm your fish. However if your plants are doing well and don't need any fertilizers you are running the risk of an algae outbreak.
How do your plants look? Are they growing well any brown leaves or holes etc.
How do your plants look? Are they growing well any brown leaves or holes etc.
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hard water means that there is a high level of carbonate hardness (kh) in the water. This creates water that is also high in alkalinity (ph). This is usually found in water that flows over rocky substances that carry a high mineral content such as limestone.
The opposite of this is soft water, which is acidic and a has a lower ph.
The opposite of this is soft water, which is acidic and a has a lower ph.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
For the tanks that Malkore has to supply with CO2, I am quite sure he would spend $17 per month on sugar, lol! I think in his case he was really not exaggerating. Having used DIY setups for years and finally switching over to pressurized I can wholeheartedly agree that it is so much easier, and you have control over your CO2 levels.
Mike- I feel your pain. I was going through the same issues with high light and keeping up with testing and dosing on a daily basis, so I cut my light in half (my fixture has two halves so I just turned off the switch to one half lengthwise) and I continued with my ferts and CO2 but I don't test so much now and the plants still grow, but it is less intensive in terms of work. When my life calms down I can crank it back up and start pushing the envelope again. You can grow a whole heck of a lot of stuff with ~2wpg without having to dose as much, provided you keep up with water changes (I strongly recommend 50% weekly PWC to keep ferts from building up).
I can understand your desire to scrap the system and start over, but maybe just some tweaking is in order, and there are certainly willing members here to help!
Mike- I feel your pain. I was going through the same issues with high light and keeping up with testing and dosing on a daily basis, so I cut my light in half (my fixture has two halves so I just turned off the switch to one half lengthwise) and I continued with my ferts and CO2 but I don't test so much now and the plants still grow, but it is less intensive in terms of work. When my life calms down I can crank it back up and start pushing the envelope again. You can grow a whole heck of a lot of stuff with ~2wpg without having to dose as much, provided you keep up with water changes (I strongly recommend 50% weekly PWC to keep ferts from building up).
I can understand your desire to scrap the system and start over, but maybe just some tweaking is in order, and there are certainly willing members here to help!
xIHaKIx
Aquarium Advice Activist
Wow tell you the truth I never checked the ph of my water. I dont think my gravel is made out of lime stone. So I think I have soft water. Any other ways I could tell what kind of water I got?
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you are planning to inject CO2 a KH and PH test is almost a must.
xIHaKIx
Aquarium Advice Activist
What are the tests? . Like PH Strips?.......when I do, do that lets say ph and or KH is high will I just be able to turn off the co2 and its gonna come down by its self?
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
These two items are the tests I use:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=2255
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19391;category_id=3081
I gave you a link before about DIY CO2 in the link is a chart that tells you the CO2 levels based on your PH and KH levels.
The other test will help you determine your water quality.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=2255
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19391;category_id=3081
I gave you a link before about DIY CO2 in the link is a chart that tells you the CO2 levels based on your PH and KH levels.
The other test will help you determine your water quality.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
You can call your municipal water company and they should be able to tell you pH, GH and KH, and tell you whether these values change at different times of the year. If you get water spots on the hood of your tank (white, scaly deposits) or if you get spots on drinking glasses or your shower door then you likely have hard water, but I will echo Rich and say you will need test kits for yourself if you are going to inject CO2.
flamingonhot
Aquarium Advice FINatic
hmmm lol i used to use one type and it had a lot of iron in it that makes this wierd dark green algae grow on your plants.....
i dont use them unless i have java fern or aponogetons...with them for me it seems to make all the difference. and like bearfan said what kind of lighting are you using? mine always died until i upgrade the lighting a bit.
i dont use them unless i have java fern or aponogetons...with them for me it seems to make all the difference. and like bearfan said what kind of lighting are you using? mine always died until i upgrade the lighting a bit.
xIHaKIx
Aquarium Advice Activist
Ok....I see. Now what would happen if I dont get the ph and KH tests?.....will the c02 effect the water to a point where my fish will start to die? or is that mostly for bigger tanks.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
xIHaKIx said:
If your KH is low then your pH will be unstable with CO2 injection, and that is not good. In small tanks it is harder to keep water parameters stable. Mainly you need to know how much CO2 is getting into your tank so you have some control, and the best way to do that is to test pH and KH regularly.
Tiffi
Aquarium Advice Addict
Even if I poke into a hornets nest now, I have to state that it's not absoulutely necessary to test your pH and kH for the CO2 values all the time.
It's great to have test kits at home, I have them myself and test the water frequently. The only thing is that if he would go and get his tab water and aquarium water, before and after CO2 injection tested at the lfs, you shouldn't need to test all the time with a store bought kit like that.
I had a kit from Dennerle before and it worked absoulute constantly and without any kind of problems at all.
If he decides to make his "own" mixtures - then yes, I would advise to get a test kit, to see when you are getting close to producing too much CO2, exspecially for a small 10gal tank. I have experiemented with DIY mixtures myself and had everything from nearly no production to a CO2 blowout within 2 days. And still the system Travis wants to use has a passive reactor and therefore should not be able to diffuse too much CO2 into the water anyway.
Hence, I think it's only necessary to test the water frequently to figure out the CO2 saturation, if he wants to use his own mixtures, instead of going with the "regular" ones. And still a complete water test kit is really worth an investment and should be considered anyway, not only to test the CO2 saturation.
It's great to have test kits at home, I have them myself and test the water frequently. The only thing is that if he would go and get his tab water and aquarium water, before and after CO2 injection tested at the lfs, you shouldn't need to test all the time with a store bought kit like that.
I had a kit from Dennerle before and it worked absoulute constantly and without any kind of problems at all.
If he decides to make his "own" mixtures - then yes, I would advise to get a test kit, to see when you are getting close to producing too much CO2, exspecially for a small 10gal tank. I have experiemented with DIY mixtures myself and had everything from nearly no production to a CO2 blowout within 2 days. And still the system Travis wants to use has a passive reactor and therefore should not be able to diffuse too much CO2 into the water anyway.
Hence, I think it's only necessary to test the water frequently to figure out the CO2 saturation, if he wants to use his own mixtures, instead of going with the "regular" ones. And still a complete water test kit is really worth an investment and should be considered anyway, not only to test the CO2 saturation.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
No worries about hornets, Tiffi!
Your advice is sensible, absolutely, and I do not disagree. However, IMO someone who is inexperienced (forgive me if I am incorrect, xIHaKIx) ought to know exactly what is going on and test the water a lot, even more so in a 10gal. It is easier to start out fishkeeping with larger tanks than that, so more attention must be paid.
Assuming the tap water is at least moderately hard, I am certain he can install the Hagen CO2 system without fears, and simply swap out the mixture when it runs out about every two weeks and do nothing else, and let the plant growth be his guide.
Your advice is sensible, absolutely, and I do not disagree. However, IMO someone who is inexperienced (forgive me if I am incorrect, xIHaKIx) ought to know exactly what is going on and test the water a lot, even more so in a 10gal. It is easier to start out fishkeeping with larger tanks than that, so more attention must be paid.
Assuming the tap water is at least moderately hard, I am certain he can install the Hagen CO2 system without fears, and simply swap out the mixture when it runs out about every two weeks and do nothing else, and let the plant growth be his guide.
G
Guest
Guest
Yeah, depending on how high wattage you go, at some point you are going to need CO2. It will not only help the algea problem, but your plants will thrive instead of just survive.
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