Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Odyssey

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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

I think it's time for a picture update . . . with new camera angles!

FTS


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The Brownie Ghost is starting to gain some color.


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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Update: I'm tossing the Ista Max Mix in the trash, and I'll be getting a Rex Griggs reactor from a TPT member--you can get anything over there! The benefits: my filter flow will improve, there will be more CO2 dissolution, and the chance of a leak decreases. Also, I'll be getting a new heater. I think 8 years with one heater in two different setups calls for an upgrade. I'll also be adding 6 or so Cheery Barbs or Checkered Barbs to the tank.

Here's a link to the reactor: http://nilocg.com/rex-grigg-style-co2-reactor-standard-version/

If anyone needs a good reactor and can't make one, this is a good route to take. The Ista Max Mix just dumbed down my flow too much (I sound hip here haha), and it's not well built.

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Were the drop checkers green-yellow/green with Ista Mix Max? What BPS were you running at? I'm thinking that the CO2 demand would be less with decreased lighting. But I understand wanting to increase flow.



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Fresh2o said:
Were the drop checkers green-yellow/green with Ista Mix Max? What BPS were you running at? I'm thinking that the CO2 demand would be less with decreased lighting. But I understand wanting to increase flow.



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The drop checker is a light green with the Max Mix. It dissolved well for the most part, but I'm afraid it will eventually leak as the bottom unscrews. I only have to run 1.5-2 bps with the Max Mix. The bps number may decrease slightly with the new reactor.


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The Rex grigg sounds like a more secure solution. And more effective at CO2 distribution. You could probably drop down to 1 bps and still get green DCs.
I know clear PVC is costly but I'm always curious as to what's actually going on in those style of reactors.


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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

I got some RCS. I got a couple to see how they'll do. It's cool to have some inverts again though.


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Today I got 6 Neon Blue Daisy's Ricefish. They're pretty unique. We'll see how they do.


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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Fresh2o said:
Don't make me google this (too late). Very attractive fish. Pics when you can.


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Haha! These fish are camera shy, but I got a photo of one of them.

Edit: Well, two of them if you look at the left side of the photo.



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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

I'm having second thoughts about getting the reactor. For one, I don't want to restrict my filter flow anymore. The water hasn't seemed that clear with my current reactor ever since I got it, and I don't want to risk it with a different reactor. Secondly, I won't have tons and tons of bubbles flowing with an atomizer since this is a low maintenance tank. I'm thinking of just rigging up the old GLA atomizer again.


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fishenthusiast said:
I'm having second thoughts about getting the reactor. For one, I don't want to restrict my filter flow anymore. The water hasn't seemed that clear with my current reactor ever since I got it, and I don't want to risk it with a different reactor. Secondly, I won't have tons and tons of bubbles flowing with an atomizer since this is a low maintenance tank. I'm thinking of just rigging up the old GLA atomizer again.


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For clarity you could try adding a pouch of Purigen to your filter. It did wonders in my shrimp tank (water removed each week used t look like weak iced tea). In both my tanks I swapped the sponge for floss in my AC50 and that has helped remove finer particles.
I'm still using a Fluval ceramic diffuser with good results; pretty sure that GLA atomizer is much, much more efficient.


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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Fresh2o said:
For clarity you could try adding a pouch of Purigen to your filter. It did wonders in my shrimp tank (water removed each week used t look like weak iced tea). In both my tanks I swapped the sponge for floss in my AC50 and that has helped remove finer particles.
I'm still using a Fluval ceramic diffuser with good results; pretty sure that GLA atomizer is much, much more efficient.


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Purigen sounds nice. I might give it a shot. I'll buy a new heater, along with a new dosing bottle so I can dose nitrate and phosphate separately (guilty ?).

Edit: I can replace the fine media bad with purigen. Should I keep my carbon media pad?

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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Update: The Daisy's Ricefish are all still alive and appear to be doing well. Their color is improved and they are pretty calm, and I bet they'd be a good fish for some of you nano and smaller tank folks.


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Update: The Vesuvius Sword is still melting away like crazy, but still remains green. I might replace it with Vallisneria. I'll give it a couple more weeks to impress me. The twisty leaves, to me, distract from the Crypts in front of them.

I stopped dosing nitrate, and upped phosphate to prevent GSA on the Anubias. More Anubias will be added in upcoming weeks. I might decrease lighting by 10% so that I can make this system a bit more low energy--that means decreasing flow a tinge for my fish, even slower growth of the plants, and a low CO2 setting. I think they'd be happier without the powerhead though. I might add a smaller powerhead instead (~100 GPH for a total of ~220 GPH of flow in this tank).


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Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Low-Light Tank

Update: The powerhead will be kept. I'm seriously considering Val and a background Crypt to replace the Vesuvius. More Anubias will be placed in the tank. I also reduced lighting to 40%. Otherwise, everything else is growing fine, and the fish are doing well.

By the way, one of my RCS has green eggs. I think that it's unique.


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The Vals would look nice in the rear left where the Vesuvius are. As they get taller they may get pushed forward by the current produced by the spray bar.
I usually see yellow but on occasion green eggs on the RCS.


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