My freshwater planted nano tank project
Discussion
Once everything was thriving, I got lazy, just doing the weekly 50% change with a dose of the fertilizer mix and a dose of Ferropol. And that's now slipped to less than weekly. I think you have to do it properly to get it established, or the algae take over, but you can be a bit less strict once you have the growth you want.
otolith said:
Once everything was thriving, I got lazy, just doing the weekly 50% change with a dose of the fertilizer mix and a dose of Ferropol. And that's now slipped to less than weekly. I think you have to do it properly to get it established, or the algae take over, but you can be a bit less strict once you have the growth you want.
I've struggled with Algae in my tank. I've got dwarf hairgrass that is nice and green and has put out a few runners but is isn't exactly thriving. I keep getting algae which I have to remove with a toothbrush.I'm using a DIY CO2 system. It isn't pumping out much at the moment but I could add more yeast to up the flowrate.
The tank is a 46L Fluval Edge. I'm not sure about the lighting, I ditched the standard unit and got a marine lighting system from eBay. Unfortunately the link is long dead so I don't know what the output is. It seems pretty bright though.
The tank is a 46L Fluval Edge. I'm not sure about the lighting, I ditched the standard unit and got a marine lighting system from eBay. Unfortunately the link is long dead so I don't know what the output is. It seems pretty bright though.
Ah, OK - I've never tried the yeast option. I've got an end-of-life CO2 fire extinguisher and a commercial CO2 kit with solenoid so that it comes on and off with the lights. The lighting is three of these Interpet LED light bars;
http://www.aquatic-giant.co.uk/shop/tropical/ipet-...
http://www.aquatic-giant.co.uk/shop/tropical/ipet-...
Might be worth having a look here. http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/
Been to the shop several times, I could spend hours & ££££££ there! Good look with the projects.
Been to the shop several times, I could spend hours & ££££££ there! Good look with the projects.
ducgas said:
Might be worth having a look here. http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/
Bloody hell - they've got fish tanks similar size to mine for about £1600 (and that's a sale price!). Admittedly they're join-free tanks and do sound rather fantastic, but blimey! I have now ordered a piece of 0.5mm, A3-sized Perspex from Amazon, out of which I will make a lid. Perhaps I'll silicone some kind of plastic runners to the inside ends of the tank so that I can make a two-piece sliding lid.
Look forward to seeing this set up and running. I've currently got a planted tank on the back burner as I've got to get some DIY finished before I invest too much time+money in more fish stuff. Got an empty 125l tank which I have converted the light unit to T5 (the odd length Juwel tubes mean it's easy to convert T8 fixtures to T5 by changing the ballast and plugs). Got most of the Co2 system just need the gas bottle, and have two spare external filters ready to go. Just need the contents and ferts!
Was thinking of going down the water filter housing Co2 reactor route rather than an in-tank diffuser, to get as much equipment out of the tank as possible. I use external heaters for the same reason.
Once the plants are all established I was going to get a nice group of corydoras and some small rainbowfish, maybe some cherry shrimp. Nice contrast to my rocky Tangayikan cichlid tank.
Was thinking of going down the water filter housing Co2 reactor route rather than an in-tank diffuser, to get as much equipment out of the tank as possible. I use external heaters for the same reason.
Once the plants are all established I was going to get a nice group of corydoras and some small rainbowfish, maybe some cherry shrimp. Nice contrast to my rocky Tangayikan cichlid tank.
Edited by lufbramatt on Friday 30th October 12:07
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Bloody hell - they've got fish tanks similar size to mine for about £1600 (and that's a sale price!). Admittedly they're join-free tanks and do sound rather fantastic, but blimey!
I have now ordered a piece of 0.5mm, A3-sized Perspex from Amazon, out of which I will make a lid. Perhaps I'll silicone some kind of plastic runners to the inside ends of the tank so that I can make a two-piece sliding lid.
These mesh covers are pretty good. Take about ten minutes to fit exactly, don't affect light much, and are easily removed when you want to see what your tank originally looked like before you discovered crispy carpet surfers.I have now ordered a piece of 0.5mm, A3-sized Perspex from Amazon, out of which I will make a lid. Perhaps I'll silicone some kind of plastic runners to the inside ends of the tank so that I can make a two-piece sliding lid.
The cabinet is nearing completion. Quite pleased with the double-hinged doors, which fold back giving full access.
I've connected up the filter and the heater, and filled it up to test the equipment. I have had to buy a better inline heater - the cheap one I bought online was crap and the hose connections were simply not watertight. The Hydor one I've now bought was a lot more expensive but seems very good.
I will obviously cut the hoses to more sensible sizes to get rid of the coils of excess hose. And I'll mount the heater and the socket strip on the wall as well.
The water is a little green, because I used rainwater from the water butt. Hopefully any single-celled algae will be out-competed once there are plants in the equation.
I did connect up the CO2 kit, but I think I must have had a leak because the cylinder emptied itself after only a week or so. I've got a refill, and will play with that once I've tidied up the plumbing.
Slightly surprised that the heater is cycling on and off so rapidly. It is on for about 30 seconds, then off for about 2 minutes. By my reckoning, that's a total of 40W - which surprises me. Also, the heater must be incredibly sensitive - by my calculations, a 200W heater operating for 30 seconds on a 25 litre tank would raise the temperature by about 0.06 degrees, which appears to be enough for the heater to decide to switch off again. It is certainly holding a very tight temperature.
I saw some Phoenix rasboras in the shop yesterday, and they are now a strong contender for a little shoal of fish. Quite similar to the Chili rasboras that I'm also considering, but maybe even smaller. I'm now thinking about having more than one Otocinclus because a single specimen might not be happy on its own - if I can keep them fed then do you think two will be okay in a tank 40x25x25 (25 litres)? I'll be having some little shrimps as well - possibly these blue ones.
Edited to add: At the moment, the lily pipe is pointing in the wrong direction and the water is possibly reaching the outflow siphon tube before mixing properly. This might mean that the heater is sensing its own output heat almost as soon as it switches on. Perhaps once I've got the plumbing sorted out properly and the lily pipe is pointing where I want it, then the heater might not cycle quite so rapidly.
I've connected up the filter and the heater, and filled it up to test the equipment. I have had to buy a better inline heater - the cheap one I bought online was crap and the hose connections were simply not watertight. The Hydor one I've now bought was a lot more expensive but seems very good.
I will obviously cut the hoses to more sensible sizes to get rid of the coils of excess hose. And I'll mount the heater and the socket strip on the wall as well.
The water is a little green, because I used rainwater from the water butt. Hopefully any single-celled algae will be out-competed once there are plants in the equation.
I did connect up the CO2 kit, but I think I must have had a leak because the cylinder emptied itself after only a week or so. I've got a refill, and will play with that once I've tidied up the plumbing.
Slightly surprised that the heater is cycling on and off so rapidly. It is on for about 30 seconds, then off for about 2 minutes. By my reckoning, that's a total of 40W - which surprises me. Also, the heater must be incredibly sensitive - by my calculations, a 200W heater operating for 30 seconds on a 25 litre tank would raise the temperature by about 0.06 degrees, which appears to be enough for the heater to decide to switch off again. It is certainly holding a very tight temperature.
I saw some Phoenix rasboras in the shop yesterday, and they are now a strong contender for a little shoal of fish. Quite similar to the Chili rasboras that I'm also considering, but maybe even smaller. I'm now thinking about having more than one Otocinclus because a single specimen might not be happy on its own - if I can keep them fed then do you think two will be okay in a tank 40x25x25 (25 litres)? I'll be having some little shrimps as well - possibly these blue ones.
Edited to add: At the moment, the lily pipe is pointing in the wrong direction and the water is possibly reaching the outflow siphon tube before mixing properly. This might mean that the heater is sensing its own output heat almost as soon as it switches on. Perhaps once I've got the plumbing sorted out properly and the lily pipe is pointing where I want it, then the heater might not cycle quite so rapidly.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Thursday 12th November 11:15
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