Planted 10 gal RCS journal

[andresdeo]

Do you have a clear water container between the mix bottle and the tank? Because that build up makes me think the mix might be going up into your tank.

 

[Fresh2o]

Yes, the third bottle from the left is filled with a concentrated salt solution. Hopefully any yeast escaping from the generators would perish a briny death before getting to the tube that leads to the tank. I wonder if vegetable oil could be used (not sure if yeast are hydrophilic or phobic). About 3-4 weeks ago I flushed that tube with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect it. It apparently grew back.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Looking great! What lighting do you have?

 

[andresdeo]

Looking great! What lighting do you have?

Thanks man! DIY Hood with CFL bulbs and even getting reds to pop up on the ludwigia. The only issue I have is with the carpeting which is new to the tank, if it does not spread with the current setup I might change the right most bulb to a vertical configuration, which is supposed to give a better PAR at the bottom of the tank.

Yes, the third bottle from the left is filled with a concentrated salt solution. Hopefully any yeast escaping from the generators would perish a briny death before getting to the tube that leads to the tank. I wonder if vegetable oil could be used (not sure if yeast are hydrophilic or phobic). About 3-4 weeks ago I flushed that tube with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect it. It apparently grew back.

Wow didn't know they could get past that water seal, could it be something coming up from the tank?

 

[Fresh2o]

If you mount them vertically, would it be possible to provide separate reflectors such as the lamps in this link? http://www.edmwi.com/home/edm/page_2942_311/8.5_inch_clamp_light_-_photography_garage_shop_spo.html I am thinking that a lot of the light can get redirected downward as opposed to filling the hood.
The only "problem" might be the height; depends on the size of the hood.

 

[andresdeo]

Definately no, if I went vertical, it would have to be with a smaller bulb, the hood is not high enough to get a prebuild CFL bulb reflector in there. I have considered changing it, but how the carpeting reacts to the current setup, will determine any changes.

 

[Fresh2o]

Then if you stay with the horizontal alignment, you could still fabricate individual reflectors for each bulb (I suppose any non-corrosive, highly reflective or polished material would work).
Of course, let's see how the carpet does first.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

That's a smart idea for the bulbs, this might sound dumb, but how did you get the bulbs to work? I man, how did you manage to put them there, or with better words how did you screw them in?

 

[andresdeo]

Just got some cheap bulb sockets with wood screws and wired it myself. Nothing fancy.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Oh ok I see, that's nice, think I might try something like that, it's because, well my tank SUCKS! Like my 10 gallon looks very bad, and I wanted to add higher light and co2
BTW, do you run a filter?

 

[andresdeo]

Yes of course, an internal filter with a nylon stocking, to protect shrimplets. If you do go DIY on the hood, be sure to leave enough space for the CFL bulbs to be vertical instead of horizontal.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Ok, gotcha
And do you have anything separating the hood? Like a top?

 

[andresdeo]

Used to have a glass top, but I dont use it any more, you can if you want to reduce evaporation.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Oh ok, but the water or evaporation won't hurt the bulbs right?

 

[andresdeo]

The sockets I got said they could be used outside, but I'm not an electritian so I can't tell you 100% for sure, I've had this sort of setups for over 2 years without any problems. Go ahead and do your research before you get the products for your build and research DIY use of CFLs on aquariums. If it is a big concern for you there is always the clip on lights which you can out CFL bulbs in.

 

[Fresh2o]

Here is a pic of the clip on lights. One is clamped to the window frame and the other clamped to the first lamp. These are 5.5" inches across with 13w 6500k bulbs. The next size up is the 8.5" dome and 26w bulbs. The 26w bulbs might have fit in the 5.5" dome but I was afraid it would protrude past the bottom (might cast unwanted light away from the tank). These are mounted several inches from the 6.6g tank to allow for more light spread. I had them directly on the plastic tank lid but it created shadowy dark areas.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

That looks nice, luckily I have a little like thing where I can clamp lamps like that, I think I'll get 2 of them for my 10 gallon
Do you get nice growth with them?

 

[andresdeo]

For sure, go for 32 watt bulbs though.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Ok thanks for everything, now lets go back to the thread so no more interruptions are made

 

[andresdeo]

Photo update time!

Lots of growth and clippings, most of them to friends tanks. Who would have though that a 10 gal could produce so much plants! Carpeting plants are growing and spreading nicely for the time they have in the tank.

Lots of baby and juvenile shrimp swimming around too!