Questions, questions, questions. Beginner at work...

[grey_fox]

Hey |squee|, just upped my CO2, yeah they're really hard to rub off and its really unsightly. I don't know what my PPM now though...

I would really love to learn more about Barr's EI method, been reading a lot about it but as we Singaporeans like to put it "catch no ball", I'm more of a computer person and not a 'sciencey' person.

I believe that if you do it the EI way, there's a better understanding at the end of the day in using/dosing ferts (in a way) you'll know what you are actually doing

Also, another question, how long does a driftwood take a sink? 1 week or less?

[grey_fox]

Btw, I am using 2 x Jebao 918 flowrate @ 1200l/hr so that makes 2400l/hr. Is this too strong for my tank?

[|squee|]

It takes driftwood about a month to sink properly. Have to be patient... for darker coloured wood, usually sinks immediately.

No idea on the flowrate. Watch the plants... if they're swaying it's a little too strong.

I'll answer your questions about EI in a seperate thread later on

[grey_fox]

Woah one month to let it sink? That's a really long long time... anyway to speed the process up?

Thanks, would really appreciate the seperate thread on the EI

[valice]

Tie a rock which is heavy enough to the wood so that your wood will stay at the bottom. After the month, remove it...

[grey_fox]

Read up further and now I'm soaking the driftwood in a rather large bucket. I wanted to use hot water but haha I have tied the moss, etc on the driftwood. (stupid of me to do so...) Now I am Just going to pray that it will be a quickie for it to absorb all the water and be water logged.

[grey_fox]

Also, just to check if my KH is 4 and PH is 6.7 and after using the calculator here, it shows 19PPM, would that be my rate of CO2 in my tank?

[|squee|]

It'll be the concentration of CO2 in your tank. 19ppm is too low... get it up to 35ppm at least.

Also, I found a rather good thread to read, about EI fertilisation for dummies here. However, if it's daunting, please do consider investing a bit of money into commercial ferts. ADA, Dennerle work well and are easy to find in Singapore's LFSes.

[grey_fox]

So I really got to UP the CO2 all the way huh? Will read the dummy guide Thanks again |squee|. Will post my views once I finish reading it too

Btw, Oto can help remove BBA too yah?

[|squee|]

Do it slowly... you don't want your fish to die from pH shock Do it over a number of days... like today tweak the knob just a little, observe... next day same thing and so on.

Otocinclus sp. cannot consume BBA

[grey_fox]

Ok, hehe actually which helpful critter can consume? Also where can I get the appropriate chemicals for the dosing for EI?

[StanChung]

hi greyfox,
surprised that bba can grow in your low light tank.
160W in ~320+ liters of water
methinks something has bottomed out in your tank. meaning some fert/trace needed by your plants has run out. i found out in early years using some not so expensive ferts was good enough.
although buying the more expensive ones is in one's inherent curiosity. me included. when you've understood the cause of EI then you can make your own. not everybody likes, can or have time to do WC for a medium large tank. there are other options but EI is a good one.

i doubt upping the co2 will help. you still have 19ppm in there. this isn't the limiting factor. it becomes a limiting factor if it's near zero.

your filter flow rate is too high. 2400lhr means you have ~8x per hour. you should aim for 2-3x. i suggest you decommision one and add a dedicated powerhead for the co2 reactor. 4X is ok as most manufacturers overrate their filters. filter material, height of tank in relation to canister, clogging over time, the curves of the tubes and connectors[spray bar etc] all affect the flow rate.

about your dw, boiling the wood can speed up it's sinking. heat forces the air trapped innit. is it the heavy type in the first place? if it's not don't bother, it will never sink! just tie it to a rock.

wood i figure is a trigger for bba.
i have pieces of wood in water storage tank that has window light that has bba growing on it. clear of bba on glass etc. no fish or fert in the tank, just municipal water. some say rotting wood can cause it. i concur since i see it first hand.
also it is noted the pieces of wood away from the window does not have bba.
my simplistic conclusion is light+ decaying wood+1 month or so is a factor. other factor er... other experts can tell you more convincingly. HTH.

[grey_fox]

Hey Standoyo, I'm recently upgraded my lights to T5 4x54Ws I think the DW is quite light to me (it's those light colored ones).... So basically I gotta tie it to a rock?

Looks like I will decom one of my filters. =\ Anyways gonna leave the office now will update this post once I'm home. Thanks again!!!!

[ranmasatome]

IF you have BBA..check you Co2 FIRST.. everything else is pale in comparison to this factor. check and re-check.. make sure its high at ALL times of the day...between 25-35 ppm. If you can attain this CONSTANT leve of Co2 you can start to remove your BBA manually.. they wont re-appear.

[PeterGwee]

i doubt upping the co2 will help. you still have 19ppm in there. this isn't the limiting factor. it becomes a limiting factor if it's near zero.

You need to factor in measurement errors and how consistent is the 19ppm. He might get away with it if its truly stable but then its difficult. The algae doesn't lie, the test kits do though.

wood i figure is a trigger for bba.
i have pieces of wood in water storage tank that has window light that has bba growing on it. clear of bba on glass etc. no fish or fert in the tank, just municipal water. some say rotting wood can cause it. i concur since i see it first hand.
also it is noted the pieces of wood away from the window does not have bba.
my simplistic conclusion is light+ decaying wood+1 month or so is a factor. other factor er... other experts can tell you more convincingly. HTH.

Wood, stones and etc get BBA first and then finally the plants if the CO2 goes down hill. The algae and plants makes the best test kits since they are great indicators of a tank's health as does DO and pearling. Don't trust the measurements too much if the algae is growing great. They lie...

Regards
Peter Gwee

[grey_fox]

IF you have BBA..check you Co2 FIRST.. everything else is pale in comparison to this factor. check and re-check.. make sure its high at ALL times of the day...between 25-35 ppm. If you can attain this CONSTANT leve of Co2 you can start to remove your BBA manually.. they wont re-appear

Hi ranmasatome, for me to attain 25-30PPM I would need to raise my KH level by a notch (1.0) should I add baking soda into the water to raise this?

Wood, stones and etc get BBA first and then finally the plants if the CO2 goes down hill. The algae and plants makes the best test kits since they are great indicators of a tank's health as does DO and pearling. Don't trust the measurements too much if the algae is growing great. They lie...

Hi Peter, my plants aren't really pearling (like 7up) yet, although I do see stomata in action (bubbles forming on the Java Moss). Just to check, what is DO? My bogwood & rocks have not succumbed to BBA yet but its just the leaves on some of my plants.

Also I would be decommisioning one of my canister filters (currently using 2 x Jebao 918 @ 1200l/hr for each individual filter (2 x 1200l/hr) however I am using a 4.8~5.0ft tank. Would that one filter be sufficient.

Also, my other question that I have is when is the right time to clean the filter and how does one go about doing so without killing the good bacteria?

Seeking further advise as always

[ranmasatome]

plspls pls dont go raise your kh.. it will not solve ANYTHING in terms of how much co2 that is dissolved in the water.. go for a lower ph... do it by raising the rate at which the co2 is being pumped into the tank...and only that way.

[grey_fox]

Hi ranmasatome,

Noted, will not raise the KH at all and will raise the CO2 to have the PH lowered.

[grey_fox]

Should I split up my 1 x canister filter to have two intakes and 1 output and decom the other canister filter?

[StanChung]

hi greyfox,
sounds like you only have minor problem for now.
i agree with peter that test kits lie, perhaps are not all highly accurate or downright faulty!
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on the controversial discussion of BBA i shall thread lightly and give you all my observation/deductions...not necessarily the truth but so far it's what i see and believe.

i for one don't believe raising co2 will kill bba.
i've raised it till the fish gasp for a week and it does not kill/rid/lessen growth of bba. this is in a 2x2x1 liter tank with 72 W of new ADA pl bulbs. it previously had just one bulb with little bba but poor glosso growth. it always starts from area that's closest to the light and the becoming an unsightly charcoal grey pelt. raising co2 high at all times during the day perhaps may work if the other needed nutrients are available as ranmasatome suggests.

What i'd like to say is it's simplistic to say crank up the co2 when bba appears. [though terence and everybody here says carefully.] i'd venture to say the high flowrate is dissipating whatever co2 you're putting in. decommission one filter first before you crank up the co2. observe for a week. stem plants you have will be the first to show good growth. the larger echinodorus will fizz.[you have T5- 54W x4-congrats. nice lights]

my observations are this, i've started tanks with high co2[4-5 bubbles in a 2x2x1] that still get bba! so i think there's more to it than just raising the co2. i run on one to two bubbles a sec in a 280l tank[considered low] and i occasionally get some hair algae, spot algae and little bba on the top leaves. the bba only appears in extreme cases of neglect. [when i'm out of town for two-three weeks and the co2 run out]

mind you this 3x2x2 tank has been running since june without a single WC! only top up water. 8 months already. http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...0&d=1132680777 [6months-november pix]
the tank has it's ups and downs due to owner neglect[sometimes i don't realise that the co2 tank is empty due to mechanical leak, but looking at the plants gives me a clue] but otherwise does well when i'm around. this tank is truly low maintenance. clipping and scraping spot algae once awhile,l dosing whenever there's stunted growth or lack of pearling.

i have to wonder if terence you mean to up the co2 to 35ppm as a means to treat the tank?
IMO thinking of ways to keep it in the water and spread out all around the tank without creating a tsunami is more important than the numbers 20 or 35. IMO if the plants are growing then the numbers are irrelevant.

For eg co2 reactor outlet lower. spraybar pointed downward at co2 reactor outlet or two reactors/diffusors etc. that to me is more important, especially when you want to hide all the equipment. that's a challenge for a 4.8 footer.
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Lastly, i don't presume to unlock the mystery of BBA.
As peter wisely said, don't trust the kits, trust your plants, algae and i'd like to add fish[to see if you overdid the co2].
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my earlier remark about light weight wood and light coloured wood is untrue. i have two pieces i brought back from bkk that's colour of pinewood, light weight and sinks[realise it duh!]. methinks you need to tie your wood to a stone or boil it. i have some darkwood pieces that are in a tank collecting bba that still floats after 4 months[it’s too big to boil]! lightwood or darkwood...no diff. boil or tie down if it floats!

ok too much talking ...