neilanh
Sliced Bread
For puffers I believe the recommended is 1 per 3-5 gallons. You could probably get away with 3 in there without any issues, but you'll really want a heavy snail population to feed them with.
I've Jumped Over the Planted Tank fence!
- Thread starter pitt420dude
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pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Oh darn! I'm almost positive I used type II.
I'm kind of irritated. Why the heck would they say 100% silicone if it's not? On other forums people have said that they used type II with no problems at all. If it had said 99% silicone I wouldn't have used it. 100% my ***.
The gist is that there is a small amount of arsenic in the silicone to prevent mildew from growing, but that it may be so minute that it is completley negligible. One poster even said that there is naturally a small amount of arsenic in tap water.
It's a risk but perhaps I'll just give it an extra day to cure and roll the dice. With 50% weekly water changes I think I should be fine. What would you do?
It is MOSTly on the outside, out of the water column. I do know for a fact though that some silicone will come in contact with the water, b/c I'm sure some seeped out when I inserted the tubing onto the reactor end.
Could the waters contact with one fully cured bead the width of a quarter poison my fish?
Ugh! Very frustrating night last night.
I'm kind of irritated. Why the heck would they say 100% silicone if it's not? On other forums people have said that they used type II with no problems at all. If it had said 99% silicone I wouldn't have used it. 100% my ***.
The gist is that there is a small amount of arsenic in the silicone to prevent mildew from growing, but that it may be so minute that it is completley negligible. One poster even said that there is naturally a small amount of arsenic in tap water.
It's a risk but perhaps I'll just give it an extra day to cure and roll the dice. With 50% weekly water changes I think I should be fine. What would you do?
It is MOSTly on the outside, out of the water column. I do know for a fact though that some silicone will come in contact with the water, b/c I'm sure some seeped out when I inserted the tubing onto the reactor end.
Could the waters contact with one fully cured bead the width of a quarter poison my fish?
Ugh! Very frustrating night last night.
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JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
I know you've already used the silicon, but it is the kind for windows and doors, GE Silicon I that is mostly used for aquariums. It has no additives and is 100% silicone. The types for kitchen and bath have the anti-mildew stuff in it, which isn't recommended for aquariums. 
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pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah Kristin you're right. What a crappy night! I have to start completely over. Ugh!
I've looked a lot, and the posts seem to all agree: GE Silicon I for Doors and Windows is what to use. They say even type II can work, so long as it does not have anti-mildew stuff on it. OTOH, I really don't think that, once fully cured, an O-ring sized dab of it could do much harm; but I don't intend to find out. Looks like even more hose cutting and siliconing is in order for tonight.
I'm really worried about my tank being under filtered for so long (minimum of 3 days now b/c of this setback). A good solid chunk of the biological filtration has been removed and left in the 10gal sump to keep it cycled. Eh, I guess a few days of under-filtration shouldn't hurt things, especially since I've heard heavily planted tanks can get away with being under filtered.
Today I'll leave the lights and CO2 completley off. A similated natural "cloudy day" if you will. You think I should stop dosing ferts as well until I get the CO2 back on?
And Neil, I don't have an airstone so can't add CO2 to the tank. Maybe Ill rubber band the co2 tubing to the intake of the magnum and use the H.O.T. Magnum cannister as a sort of reactor.
FYI, I would never consider using a DIY reactor again. I mean I have it so I'll use it, but if I had any idea of how difficult (and how expensive) it would be to incorporate a DIY reactor into sump or cannister filtration, I would have never done it. I've easily spent more than a pre-fab one would cost, in just attempting to plumb it into my filtration. Some of it is my fault for not just getting a cannister filter right from the get-go. plumbing the reactor into the downflow of the sump was a nightmare, now the same is true with getting it into the downflow of the cannister: Massive PITA.
I've looked a lot, and the posts seem to all agree: GE Silicon I for Doors and Windows is what to use. They say even type II can work, so long as it does not have anti-mildew stuff on it. OTOH, I really don't think that, once fully cured, an O-ring sized dab of it could do much harm; but I don't intend to find out. Looks like even more hose cutting and siliconing is in order for tonight.
I'm really worried about my tank being under filtered for so long (minimum of 3 days now b/c of this setback). A good solid chunk of the biological filtration has been removed and left in the 10gal sump to keep it cycled. Eh, I guess a few days of under-filtration shouldn't hurt things, especially since I've heard heavily planted tanks can get away with being under filtered.
Today I'll leave the lights and CO2 completley off. A similated natural "cloudy day" if you will. You think I should stop dosing ferts as well until I get the CO2 back on?
And Neil, I don't have an airstone so can't add CO2 to the tank. Maybe Ill rubber band the co2 tubing to the intake of the magnum and use the H.O.T. Magnum cannister as a sort of reactor.
FYI, I would never consider using a DIY reactor again. I mean I have it so I'll use it, but if I had any idea of how difficult (and how expensive) it would be to incorporate a DIY reactor into sump or cannister filtration, I would have never done it. I've easily spent more than a pre-fab one would cost, in just attempting to plumb it into my filtration. Some of it is my fault for not just getting a cannister filter right from the get-go. plumbing the reactor into the downflow of the sump was a nightmare, now the same is true with getting it into the downflow of the cannister: Massive PITA.
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OP
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Since this thread moved onto the second page of the planted forum I got a little scared, and am using an update as a pretext to bump it, lol.
CO2:
It's been over a week now and my CO2 situation has settled. The BBA is almost completley gone, and ALL of my plants made it through the peroxide dip and reactor relocation phase.
My drop checker is showing blue when the lights come on, but is a nice greenish-yellow towards lights out.
The fluval 304 w/ the reactor hooked up to the intake is doing a nice job of 100% diffusion early in thephotoperiod, but towards lights out it is spitting out a VERY fine mist of CO2 into the tank. I can only assume this is because the water column is getting saturated with CO2 and O2.
Everything seems to be in order and after a thorough wall scraping a few days ago, I'm not seeing any new algae showing up, nor is it appearing on leaves. It had to have been the inconsistent CO2 levels. I'd love to have it kick on earlier but my timer can only turn EVERYTHING on or off and the same time. I'd need to either buy a new timer or shell out the bucks for one of the coralife ones that are able to have different outlets kick on at different times.
Plants and Aquascaping:
They've gotten greedier too. My "moss wall" is filling in nicely, and is almost ready for a trimming so I can get another (oh darn, I know it's not crochet b/c someone corrected me, is it needle point or needle stich netting?) net planted with it. I was hoping that my "moss/carpet wall" would fill in quicker, but I hope it won't take more than a few months. I worry that the green backround might make the tank look too much like a jungle though, so I'm not 100% convinced that I'll (1) be able to and (2) want to create a back wall full of plants. I'm still kickin the idea around and want to see how it looks when the plants are filled in nicely.
My ludwigia is exploding and turned VERY red as it approached the surface.
I definitely see some plants pearling, but with others it is hard to tell what is being expelled from the plant, and what are just bubbles caught beneath/on leaves.
The anacharis is going crazy and I already trimmed it. Boy was that fun! I was dancing around my apartment telling my fiance "I have to trim my plants because they're growing too fast! I have to trim my plants because they're growing too fast!" She looked at me like I was nuts.
Maybe it's like the little kid who thinks mowing the lawn is fun, and enjoys it his first time and first time only; but hey I'm not going to argue with it. For a long time I really wanted my plants to be growing well enough that they'd actually needed trimming and I'm finally there.
So things are going great with the planted tank and it is filling out nicely. The only thing left to do is for me to let the plants get healthy and settled before one more "final" (<--like it's ever final, lol) re-scaping. I would like more red, and a carpet, but really don't have room for a carpet anywhere. I need to re-arrange some stuff, and put some java ferns and anubias up on driftwood (One piece has already attached itself to my new manzanita and is growing nicely) to create some floor space for my carpet. One concern is that there are only so many sq. inches of footprint for the light to shine down, so some plants (greedy ludwig) are really sucking up what I feel to be more than their fair share of the light.
Livestock:
I also added two more SAE's so now I have three.
Supermazz was kind enough to send me a batch of MTS all the way from Vancouver (to pittsburgh). Many made it but I don't see any now. Is it impossible for me to keep a population up with a yo-yo botia loach about 2-2.5" long? I also saw a gold gourami suck up a snail and spit out a shell. I really want a sustainable pop. so I can supplement my Dwarf Puffer's diet with them. FYI, my dwarf puffers would like to respectfully disagree with anyone who feels they don't eat MTS.
Fertilization:
I'm happy I decided to go with EI, I have peace of mind. For water changes I took out 10 buckets (30 gals) and made a mark on the back of the tank to show me where 50% was. They only take me about 45 minutes to an hour to do, and this includes measuring out ferts for the week. I bet with a python it would be faster but I can handlethe buckets for now.
Lighting:
I started running all 196 watts for a few hours in the middle of the photoperiod, maybe usually for around 3 or 4 hours or so. Do you think I should bump this up as time goes on to eventually run around 4wpg for 8-9 hours? I bet my future carpet plants would like the higher light better.
CO2:
It's been over a week now and my CO2 situation has settled. The BBA is almost completley gone, and ALL of my plants made it through the peroxide dip and reactor relocation phase.
My drop checker is showing blue when the lights come on, but is a nice greenish-yellow towards lights out.
The fluval 304 w/ the reactor hooked up to the intake is doing a nice job of 100% diffusion early in thephotoperiod, but towards lights out it is spitting out a VERY fine mist of CO2 into the tank. I can only assume this is because the water column is getting saturated with CO2 and O2.
Everything seems to be in order and after a thorough wall scraping a few days ago, I'm not seeing any new algae showing up, nor is it appearing on leaves. It had to have been the inconsistent CO2 levels. I'd love to have it kick on earlier but my timer can only turn EVERYTHING on or off and the same time. I'd need to either buy a new timer or shell out the bucks for one of the coralife ones that are able to have different outlets kick on at different times.
Plants and Aquascaping:
They've gotten greedier too. My "moss wall" is filling in nicely, and is almost ready for a trimming so I can get another (oh darn, I know it's not crochet b/c someone corrected me, is it needle point or needle stich netting?) net planted with it. I was hoping that my "moss/carpet wall" would fill in quicker, but I hope it won't take more than a few months. I worry that the green backround might make the tank look too much like a jungle though, so I'm not 100% convinced that I'll (1) be able to and (2) want to create a back wall full of plants. I'm still kickin the idea around and want to see how it looks when the plants are filled in nicely.
My ludwigia is exploding and turned VERY red as it approached the surface.
I definitely see some plants pearling, but with others it is hard to tell what is being expelled from the plant, and what are just bubbles caught beneath/on leaves.
The anacharis is going crazy and I already trimmed it. Boy was that fun! I was dancing around my apartment telling my fiance "I have to trim my plants because they're growing too fast! I have to trim my plants because they're growing too fast!" She looked at me like I was nuts.
Maybe it's like the little kid who thinks mowing the lawn is fun, and enjoys it his first time and first time only; but hey I'm not going to argue with it. For a long time I really wanted my plants to be growing well enough that they'd actually needed trimming and I'm finally there.
So things are going great with the planted tank and it is filling out nicely. The only thing left to do is for me to let the plants get healthy and settled before one more "final" (<--like it's ever final, lol) re-scaping. I would like more red, and a carpet, but really don't have room for a carpet anywhere. I need to re-arrange some stuff, and put some java ferns and anubias up on driftwood (One piece has already attached itself to my new manzanita and is growing nicely) to create some floor space for my carpet. One concern is that there are only so many sq. inches of footprint for the light to shine down, so some plants (greedy ludwig) are really sucking up what I feel to be more than their fair share of the light.
Livestock:
I also added two more SAE's so now I have three.
Supermazz was kind enough to send me a batch of MTS all the way from Vancouver (to pittsburgh). Many made it but I don't see any now. Is it impossible for me to keep a population up with a yo-yo botia loach about 2-2.5" long? I also saw a gold gourami suck up a snail and spit out a shell. I really want a sustainable pop. so I can supplement my Dwarf Puffer's diet with them. FYI, my dwarf puffers would like to respectfully disagree with anyone who feels they don't eat MTS.
Fertilization:
I'm happy I decided to go with EI, I have peace of mind. For water changes I took out 10 buckets (30 gals) and made a mark on the back of the tank to show me where 50% was. They only take me about 45 minutes to an hour to do, and this includes measuring out ferts for the week. I bet with a python it would be faster but I can handlethe buckets for now.
Lighting:
I started running all 196 watts for a few hours in the middle of the photoperiod, maybe usually for around 3 or 4 hours or so. Do you think I should bump this up as time goes on to eventually run around 4wpg for 8-9 hours? I bet my future carpet plants would like the higher light better.
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spilzer
Aquarium Advice Activist
Yay, thanks for the update. I was beginning to wonder how everything was going. I've really enjoyed following your tank through this thread. I can assume that we'll get pics when you get a chance, right? 
OP
OP
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Okay, I'll show you more pics of my planted 55 gal this weekend hopefully, but for now tell me what you think of my sump tank (which is obviously no longer a sump tank):
I love my new dwarf puffers, and they've been "home" almost a month now and are eating well.
I knew getting that Fluval didn't bode well for my MTS prognosis.
Anyway, I have those that suggested getting a cannister to thank for my new dwarf puffer tank, so here is a thank you!
I'm not sure if I want to leave the books there, but I sort of like the way it looks and makes it look more like a "desk tank" which is the loook I was going for. Sort of...regal...you know? What do you think of the books? Suggestions for a background?
I love my new dwarf puffers, and they've been "home" almost a month now and are eating well.
I knew getting that Fluval didn't bode well for my MTS prognosis.
Anyway, I have those that suggested getting a cannister to thank for my new dwarf puffer tank, so here is a thank you!
I'm not sure if I want to leave the books there, but I sort of like the way it looks and makes it look more like a "desk tank" which is the loook I was going for. Sort of...regal...you know? What do you think of the books? Suggestions for a background?
FishEggs
Aquarium Advice Addict
See, i told you to take some paint to that tank so you didnt get MTS. lol
The books look good but like Joy says as long as you don't care about them getting wet.
As for the background how about painting it a dark maroon/burgundy to match the desk top and make it part of the desk
The books look good but like Joy says as long as you don't care about them getting wet.
As for the background how about painting it a dark maroon/burgundy to match the desk top and make it part of the desk
OP
OP
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
For reference, here is a before pic of the sump tank for ya:
Do you think it was better before or after?
I'm careful around the books, and will never need to read them again. They're pretty much just for decoration so as long as the binding stays nice, I'm A-okay with getting a drop or two here or there.
Great suggestion w/ the maroon/burgundy color. I really think it will complement the color of the substrate, puffers, and DW nicely. Moreover, I still have some maroon paint left over from a bookcase I painted.
Yes, purrbox, plastic canvass; that's it.
To be honest, I'll make an admission: I'm not ready to take pics of my 55 gal planted tank yet. It's sort of out of whack and I'm not completely happy sharing the way it looks now with you. Everything is fine it just needs cleaned up and pruned a bit. Too many plants and roots are all over the place; and I don't share anything but my best with you fine folks of AA!
Do you think it was better before or after?
Yep, you did! Good thing I didn't listen, lol.
I'm careful around the books, and will never need to read them again. They're pretty much just for decoration so as long as the binding stays nice, I'm A-okay with getting a drop or two here or there.
Great suggestion w/ the maroon/burgundy color. I really think it will complement the color of the substrate, puffers, and DW nicely. Moreover, I still have some maroon paint left over from a bookcase I painted.
Yes, purrbox, plastic canvass; that's it.
To be honest, I'll make an admission: I'm not ready to take pics of my 55 gal planted tank yet. It's sort of out of whack and I'm not completely happy sharing the way it looks now with you. Everything is fine it just needs cleaned up and pruned a bit. Too many plants and roots are all over the place; and I don't share anything but my best with you fine folks of AA!
OP
OP
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
FYI, I sold this tank to a friend of mine and he put it in his law office. In exchange for getting rid of the tank, I now have a house of my own and a daughter!!!
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