High Tech Planted Questions

[skywhitney]

Right before your lights come on, but I don't think it's really a big deal.

Ok i do it right as i turn the lights on so no big difference. I can't seem to get any new growth from the L. Glandulosa, no die off or melting but no new growth so far. Any ideas?

Is the Glandulosa pretty needy of iron? Could this be a factor or would that mainly effect the red coloration?

 

[aqua_chem]

It's moderately needy. The lack of red might be a sign of it needing something else in its diet. Mg and Fe are likely suspects.

 

[skywhitney]

It's moderately needy. The lack of red might be a sign of it needing something else in its diet. Mg and Fe are likely suspects.

Its a really nice deep red still but i havent seen any new growth and from the info i found on it it's supposed to be a fast grower.

 

[Coursair]

Its a really nice deep red still but i havent seen any new growth and from the info i found on it it's supposed to be a fast grower.

But any plant may need time to adjust to your tank's specifics. Once it adjusts it should take off.

 

[skywhitney]

But any plant may need time to adjust to your tank's specifics. Once it adjusts it should take off.

Its been in the tank for about a month. Should it take this long to adjust?

 

[skywhitney]

Is it possible to have too much CO2 in the water? I know that there is the point where it becomes harmful to the fish and i'm not talking about that. Last night i unplugged the solenoid when i went to bed (which i've forgotten to do a number of nights) and today the tank looks like it just got added CO2 for the first time. I guess "too much CO2" is a bad way to put it but is there a point where you have enough in the system that it loses some of its effectiveness? I'm not entirely positive that this question makes sense anywhere other than my head so if it doesn't let me know and i'll try to rephrase it.

 

[misterc007]

Hey Sky, I was wondering if you would post some pics of your plumbing job there. I have the same filter and I want to build a reactor and I'm trying to figure out what you did with your hoses entering the tank. Also do you remember what size hose that is?

 

[skywhitney]

Hey Sky, I was wondering if you would post some pics of your plumbing job there. I have the same filter and I want to build a reactor and I'm trying to figure out what you did with your hoses entering the tank. Also do you remember what size hose that is?

sure, give me just a few and i'll get those pics up for you. I want to say that the hosing i used was 5/16 PVC braided but i could be wrong. I'll see if i can find the receipt and know for sure.

 

[skywhitney]

Hey Sky, I was wondering if you would post some pics of your plumbing job there. I have the same filter and I want to build a reactor and I'm trying to figure out what you did with your hoses entering the tank. Also do you remember what size hose that is?

The hose size is 5/8" PVC braided.

so the flow of the water in my system is
intake=>filter=>reactor=>heater=>output into tank

Do these pics help you out?

 

[misterc007]

Yes, Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. Sorry but I think I'm going to have to copy your setup! Where can I find a heater like that? My Ehiem can't keep up in the winter and I have to have 2 in there.

 

[skywhitney]

Amazon. Thats where I got mine. Its a Hydor ETH 300

If you copy the setup be aware that the flow rate back into your tank is significantly impacted. I had to buy a powerhead a couple weeks ago. Just a heads up.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I just installed my Hydor inline heater an hour ago (also from amazon). Be sure to get a model that fits your hose. They come in 1/2" & 5/8" models. I also use it with an inline reactor but I split the output to have one run to my co2 reactor and the other to my heater. Only did that because I kept having to back-off the flow through the reactor or bubbles would shoot out. This way the flow can be adjusted juuust right for the reactor and the rest of the water flow can still be used for tank circulation. I only had to do this because of my particular reactor. Probably should've gone with a DIY one. Still, works great!

 

[skywhitney]

Be sure to get a model that fits your hose. They come in 1/2" & 5/8" models.

+1 good catch, i forgot about that. Thanks! These heaters aren't very forgiving of the hose sizes so if you get the wrong one you will have to do some interesting plumbing to get it to work (or just change out all your hoses).

 

[skywhitney]

Yes, Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. Sorry but I think I'm going to have to copy your setup! Where can I find a heater like that? My Ehiem can't keep up in the winter and I have to have 2 in there.

Just a heads up, I'm going to rebuilding my reactor so i wouldn't copy the current one if i were you.

 

[aqua_chem]

Just a heads up, I'm going to rebuilding my reactor so i wouldn't copy the current one if i were you.

What are you thinking about doing?

 

[skywhitney]

What are you thinking about doing?

I'm pretty sure one of the killers of my flow is the 90 degree turn on the output of the reactor. With that thought i was going to do the output straight out the bottom on a 45 degree elbow. I was also going to include some media (probably bio balls) inside to help trap the CO2 for better diffusion.

Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[skywhitney]

I am blowing tiny bubbles out of my reactor constantly. This probably isn't helping me much...

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I am blowing tiny bubbles out of my reactor constantly. This probably isn't helping me much...

I had the same issue with my reactor. To much flow through it caused lots of fine CO2 mist to blow into the tank. My solution was to "T" the output hose on the canister filter and have one go to the reactor connected to a spraybar and the other hose (with my inline heater) went to a regular return nozzle. That way I can back off my flow (with a ball valve) to the reactor and stop the mist while still keeping great water flow going in the tank. I decided to use a quick disconnect for my ball valve so that anytime I need to service my reactor I can do it without even having to shut-off the canister filter.

 

[skywhitney]

I had the same issue with my reactor. To much flow through it caused lots of fine CO2 mist to blow into the tank. My solution was to "T" the output hose on the canister filter and have one go to the reactor connected to a spraybar and the other hose (with my inline heater) went to a regular return nozzle. That way I can back off my flow (with a ball valve) to the reactor and stop the mist while still keeping great water flow going in the tank. I decided to use a quick disconnect for my ball valve so that anytime I need to service my reactor I can do it without even having to shut-off the canister filter.

What kind of filter are you using?

Hmm i wonder if i could use a "Y" connector before the reactor then a "Y" connector after to bring the flow back into one output? I'm thinkng this could have a negative effect on the water temp though...

 

[aqua_chem]

I was just talking to mfdrookie about this the other day. We figured that there might be issues with backpressure in the reactor due to different flow rates at the Y.