Newby Questions : )

[Fishingdood]

well not a newby persay but anyway ..love the site..I tryed doing a couple searches and have a couple questions I still did not get.

I want my tank to be filled with plants but I am sure exactly what kits to get to test and what should I even be testing for??? and what products can I get to insure healthy growth of my current plants...

also I keep hearing CO2....now does anyone have a example what this exactly is so I can read about it more...and is this device neccesary for a heathly amount of plants?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I think the sticky at the top of this forum is a good place to start, it seems to have lots of information about starting with plants, and what's required.

Co2 is something you put in with higher light levels, but I'ld give that thread a look through.

 

[Fishingdood]

I have read the sticky...I still do no understand what a CO2 device is ...if someone could give me a link or somthign or a place that sells them I would be ever so gratefull

 

[Jchillin]

Here's the actual thread that mentions the CO2:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=41

Good luck and...

Welcome to AA!

 

[Fishingdood]

awsome thead thanks!!

 

[Jchillin]

No problem GTH!

 

[Fishingdood]

Does anyone here have a c02 setup they have bought?? I still have some more questions after reading those two threads

 

[malkore]

Go here and click on CO2 systems in the left hand menu.
http://aquabotanic.com/abstore/index.html

The first 2 products on the page are complete CO2 systems.
The first one is cheap, but uses sugar, water and yeast to produce CO2. This is 'DIY CO2', and works well up to about 20gallon tanks. After that it gets harder to maintain 'good' CO2 levels in larger tanks.

The second isn't cheap, but it's a full pressurized system (minus a CO2 cylinder, which may run you another $80). This is pure CO2, and you pretty much set the levels you want, and forget about it until your CO2 cylinder runs dry.

 

[TankGirl]

You do not need CO2 if your light is under about 2.5wpg, and if you are new to plants and their care then I'd get experienced with the lower light group of plants first.

What kind of light do you have on your tank? Describe your setup, including fish, bulbs, substrate, etc. and it will help us tailor a plant selection to your tank conditions.

 

[Fishingdood]

You do not need CO2 if your light is under about 2.5wpg, and if you are new to plants and their care then I'd get experienced with the lower light group of plants first.

What kind of light do you have on your tank? Describe your setup, including fish, bulbs, substrate, etc. and it will help us tailor a plant selection to your tank conditions.

30 gallon tank

6 - Sunset
5 - Zebra Danio
10 - Ghost Shrip
1 - Ghost fish
2 - Gold Snails
1 - Dojo

just had the water test was good all around...

The light I have sucks...no doubt need a real light for plant life.

here is what I am looking at getting

http://www.hellolights.com/361xcofraq1x.html

I am not sure if it even comes with a bulb...and really I do not even know what kind of bulb to get : / ...that link has a bunch of options but I really am still kind of lost here

as for the plants I have ....I really do not know..just some standard ones that I got at a fish store lol...but I want to get more advanced over time....I have also been researching getting c02 as well, but that is a couple months away..

Thanks everyone for the replies!

 

[shawmutt]

...or you could go to my page and see my setup

 

[Fishingdood]

will do

edit: alright I read it ....have you tested your PH levels and stuff to see what is happening with that??

 

[Fishingdood]

I looked at that website I could not find the bubble ladder..help want to get that..totally going to give your DIY a wirl!

 

[TankGirl]

This is the DIY system that includes a bubble ladder:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19237&category_id=3349&pcid1=

Thatfishplace.com has it cheaper, but they were out of stock last I checked.

Do not try to use the canister for CO2 for a 30-gal tank - it is way too small, but the bubble ladder is a nifty device. Sometimes on Aquabid or Ebay you will find people selling just the ladder by itself. You can use a 2 liter pop bottle for your mixture.

 

[malkore]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8981&N=2004+113219

CD-12825 Bubble Counter/Diffuser - $9.99

 

[Fishingdood]

I have learned so much in just two days from this website ...the friendly factor here has blown me away!! thank yall so much again

I will be doing the 2 litter bottle method once all the proper equipment arrives

- I order the Bubble Diffuser
-The 96 watter which = out to be 3 wpg
-The Stand for the light to hover above the tank

 

[shawmutt]

I looked at that website I could not find the bubble ladder

I got mine from the fostersmith.com site listed by malkore.

have you tested your PH levels and stuff to see what is happening with that??

PH levels stay around 6.8, I haven't measured hardness to see the ppm lately though. The only drawback with DIY CO2 is that it's not really adjustable (the bubble ladder helps a bit, you'll see how when you get it), so I just haven't bothered to check.

 

[malkore]

Its hard to over do CO2 on a DIY setup...but it IS possible. After a week of DIY, you'll have a pretty good idea of waht your upper limit is on production. Regular water changes will keep your Kh consistent.

 

[Fishingdood]

I figure a good way to test out the DIY would to test the amount of yeast/sugar you use...mabye cut it in half or fourth ...also another method I might use is take a large very well sealed container and hook up a valve up to it and make a 3rd unit and vary my pressure this way ...I have alot of ideas cause I have worked alot with air pressure systems in other aspects of my life...so I am confident I can rig a very useable system!

 

[malkore]

just be careful about using valves with DIY CO2. with pressurized, if you close a valve, you reduce the rate at which liquid CO2 can turn into gas form, and that's fine.
If you restrict the flow of DIY, the yeast is still going to produce the same amount of CO2...and it has no where to go, so you can literally make the DIY canister explode.
If its made of plastic you'll just have a nasty mess...but if you use a glass juice jug...you'll have a very dangerous explosion of glass shards.