First Ever Planted Tank - Need Advice and comment

[eddie]

Hi expert,

Can I know whether I had done anythings wrong with my first ever planted tanks, been trying very hard to follow whatever I can to this setup and have been buying until very poor liao.................One thing to take note is that I am so eagle to see my riccia bubbles but ever than like not bubbling a lot , can only see small bubble on top of riccia only around light off time..

Following is my INFO and thanks in advance for your kind advise, sorry that the tanks is a bit messy as this is the first try so whatever I like only just wack .... Fish is a bit more but some are from my friend farms (foc)

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 4 x 1.5 x 1.5FT
Tank Volume (litres or gallons): 200 litre or more
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 4 x 36W (2x36W x 2sets from NA)
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : PL
No. of Hours your light is on : 10 hours (1500hrs to 0100hrs)
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 3 BPS
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : 5L Tank (automatics )
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Reactor
Substrate Used : JBL (Holland River Sand ) Given by friend about 2 big red pails
How Thick is your base fert : 1.2inch (3 container from Taiwan brought from petmark – about 15kg)
How thick is your gravel : 3 inch
Liquid Fertilizers Used : TMG
Frequency of fertilization : 15 ml after 30% water change
Seachem – Flourish Potassium : 1 capful = 5mL after every water change
Sera – Aqutan – VBC – stress protection = 5mL after every water change
Sera Nitrives – 10mL 1 hrs after stress protection added
Tank Temperature : 26.5 to 28.5
Cooling Fan : Switch on 1 hours before light on and 2 hours off after light off
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : canister
Filter media used : Eheim 2226
How long has your tank been set up : 08.03.2003
Other equipment : Surface Skimmer (Bottom level suckion)

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------
Carbonate Hardness (KH): 6
Total Hardness (gH):
pH : 7.6
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------
80x Cardinal Tetra
10x Neon Tetra
29x Rummy Nose Tetra
20x Rainbow
8x Marble (Holland phoeix)
10x Oto
25x Yamato
100x Malayan Shrimp (I think left less than 20x – eaten or suck into canister liao)
8x SAE
2x Golden Sucker
4x Blue Eye

Plants
Hairgrass (not very successful, very slow), Glosso (not very successful, very slow), Riccia (OK) ,Big and small nana (OK)and don’t know what plants see only and than just wack and plants whatever cheap and those that I like it

following links for your kind advices and comments , thanks


http://www.arofanatics.com/members/e...tplantedtanks/

[PeterGwee]

Eddie..looking at the info provided, something is pretty wrong with your CO2 injection. If your pH and KH values are what it seems to be, you have no CO2 injected at all..it is at equilibrium? May I know what test kit you are using for your pH? Personally, I would recommend a pH test pen..(I know..its going to burn another hole in your pocket.. )..If you are sure it is accurate, then check the connection for leakage as no CO2 is injected. Correct that first and then we'll talk about nutrient control. Oh, one more thing..your light seems kinda low..might need to add more light for high light plants like riccia.

[CK Yeo]

Tilt your fan to blow along the surface of the water instead of directly against it. That way, you minimise surface agitation and help keep the CO2 in. Up your CO2 also.

ck

[eddie]

OK thanks PeterGwee for your replie,

I m using a PH pen , I think is HANA brought around 45 butts, it measure around 7.3 to 7.8 PH....

The KH mesuring kit is SERA test kit which indentified by the no of drops into the 5ml water, which normally count around 5 to 6 drops...

I did dissolved some powder form KH up tyoe ( 1 tea spoon every water change) brought from NA at 5 butts to bring the kh up

So far this is the 2 type of test kit of I know...

[Goondoo]

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On 4/15/2003 9:57:30 AM

OK thanks PeterGwee for your replie,

I m using a PH pen , I think is HANA brought around 45 butts, it measure around 7.3 to 7.8 PH....

The KH mesuring kit is SERA test kit which indentified by the no of drops into the 5ml water, which normally count around 5 to 6 drops...

I did dissolved some powder form KH up tyoe ( 1 tea spoon every water change) brought from NA at 5 butts to bring the kh up

So far this is the 2 type of test kit of I know...
----------------

Do purchase those PH buffers solution meant for callibrating you PH pen. Many pen, like mine was way off accuracy since delivery to them. You will need at least two of those solutions, 7 and 4 I think and it cost just few dollars each.

BTW, I seriously doubts you buy things with your "butt", I think you meant "bucks" instead, right??
[] [] []

[eddie]

Yes it's bucks la. english no good la, so broken also come out liao....

Ph beffer, U mean to calibrate my ph pen is it ??

Where to buy the solution from ?? My friend ask me to buy a small bottle of mineral water from us one and then calibrate to ph7. were it help with this method ???

Can anyone advice that PH level is normal or it's a bit high ?? at which level should I maintain ??? Should I put some black water to bring down the ph level which I usually did to my aro tanks ????

[bclee]

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On 4/15/2003 2:27:35 PM

Yes it's bucks la. english no good la, so broken also come out liao....

Ph beffer, U mean to calibrate my ph pen is it ??

Where to buy the solution from ?? My friend ask me to buy a small bottle of mineral water from us one and then calibrate to ph7. were it help with this method ???

Can anyone advice that PH level is normal or it's a bit high ?? at which level should I maintain ??? Should I put some black water to bring down the ph level which I usually did to my aro tanks ????
----------------

No, you cannot calibrate with mineral water!

You can buy the 7.0 buffer from LFS that sell pH pens. Read the instruction manual for the correct calibration.

BC

[Goondoo]

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On 4/15/2003 2:27:35 PM

Yes it's bucks la. english no good la, so broken also come out liao....

Ph beffer, U mean to calibrate my ph pen is it ??

Where to buy the solution from ?? My friend ask me to buy a small bottle of mineral water from us one and then calibrate to ph7. were it help with this method ???

Can anyone advice that PH level is normal or it's a bit high ?? at which level should I maintain ??? Should I put some black water to bring down the ph level which I usually did to my aro tanks ????
----------------

Reducing PH thru means like adding peat moss, will restrain your effort to find out the correct CO2 dissolved in you tank. I got a feeling its your KH up that brings up your PH. Try to do few water change and add baking soda instead.
BTW, you using external or internal reactor?

[eddie]

OK had brough an PH 7 buffer and re-calibrate the ph pen and did another test of KH

Confirm PH Level : 7.0 to 7.3 second test

KH level at KH6 - after retest

any advice brothers. ?????

[PeterGwee]

Eddie..

1)Try to increase the bubble rate slowly to drop the pH down to 6.9...(22ppm of CO2 and try to keep it there during lights on period)

2)Your lighting is slightly more than 2W/G...riccia needs high light which means you would probably need to add more lights.(Your tank looks a bit dim to me...maybe you could off the room light when taking the pic).

3)For a complete fertilization regime, you would need info on your NO3 and PO4 level in your tank. Get test kits for it...drop these stuff as they are not really needed...---> Sera – Aqutan – VBC – stress protection and Sera Nitrives. Save the money for more useful stuff...[]

[theodore]

I second Peter's suggestion to get the testkits.

I finally bought a PO4 testkit today having resisted getting 1 for long while. In a short span of 3 weeks, the brown and hair algae managed to ruin my moss beyond recognition. Just as I suspected (after reading some recent posts), my PO4 is ZERO! To make sure that the testkit is working fine, I did the test on my low-light cory tank and i got 2ppm (this tank doesn't have much algae cos it has a mere 1.5W/Gal vs 4.8W/Gal for my high-light 2ft).

[eddie]

Thanks for the advice, tomorrow will get these 2 test kit ..
and try to burn further my pockets..

Luckily lately have EPL to sponser if not don't ever think of planted tanks, and now I believe it's really high costs stuffs... jokeing...but at least I enjoy very much and happy to see my plant grow..

BTW after the test of these 2 , at which level is the most approiate level should I maintain ???

EG.. how many PPM

Carbonate Hardness (KH): 6
Total Hardness (gH): what is this ??? important
pH : 7.0
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

I hope I would not need to buy all test kit ..!!!!!!!

[FC]

eddie,

You mentioned that your CO2 is "automatic", I guess you meant it comes with solenoid and you control it via timer. If it is so, before you increase your bps (3 bps is about right in my opinion) you should first try turning on the solenoid 1~1.5 hr earlier than your light. Then, just before/after light on, check your PH. You should get about PH 7.0 vs KH 5 at this point of time. Check PH again just before light off, it should be 6.7~7.0.

Peter,

How well this method has worked for you?

[PeterGwee]

Haha...GH of singapore water is about 3dGH. It is made up of Magnesium and Calcium..(What proportion...unkown???). For me..it is good enough...I get those crampy new leaves due to slow uptake of nutrients as they are unbalance at that time. Oh..you might need to burn some more dough for KNO3 and KH2PO4 just in case you need to dose.

[eddie]

OK OK will updated you guys on the test results and really appriciate all your reply and suggestion..

Might need to trouble you all again before I buy any stuffs again... not going to listen to those LFS agains and they normally don't give U clear indications , what they want is to sell only;;;;;;;;;;

Hopefully this weekend my EPL can help me a bit and seem like the buying is not enoygh yet !!!!! [] []

[zulnaldo]

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On 4/15/2003 11:28:26 PM

Haha...GH of singapore water is about 3dGH. It is made up of Magnesium and Calcium..(What proportion...unkown???). For me..it is good enough...I get those crampy new leaves due to slow uptake of nutrients as they are unbalance at that time. Oh..you might need to burn some more dough for KNO3 and KH2PO4 just in case you need to dose.
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Guys, sure or not SG tap water GH is 3, in Tampines measured 0 leh!

[PeterGwee]

Hopefully, you did not mix KH with GH? Carbonate hardness vs General Hardness.....KH for me is less than 1 but should be more than zero. Lime is added to bring up the pH so as to minimize corrosion in pipelines.

[eddie]

Wa very the (deep) le ????????

maybe peter, I may need to buy U coffee to learn more !!!!

How about meet up ???? PM me ....

In order to pay school fees maybe coffee not enough ,
tiger also can !!!!!!!!

Thanks

Eddie

[PeterGwee]

Eddie...not me lah..look for ppl like Jacian or Juggler..they won competitions man..I'm a nobody... []

[leafhorn]

Me also new to plants but I think maybe the ph rise is because you have a piece of coral rock in the centre of the tank. Maybe remove it, looks outta place anyway.