Experts get in here! Some questions

[RAUDIE]

Hi friends, I'm resurrecting my planted non-CO2 tank, want to start afresh with new plants and CO2. Would appreciate help with a couple of things :

1) Best orientation and location for rainbar? I have 1x Eheim 2215 and 1x 2217 currently connected to VERTICAL rainbars.
Top blowing down?
At side (vertical) blowing sideways?
Bottom blowing back to front?

2) Regarding CO2 canister, what is the optimum size of canister? I have a fairly large 400litre tank

3) Do you think I should supplement my lighting at all? I do have a very tall tank. I want to have a slow-medium growth setup, I cannot afford to spend too much time on the tank as I have young kids.

If I supplement,
- how much more in Watts?
- what type? LED, PL, T5, MH?

4) What is NA? Seems like a fairly popular acronym and I know it stands for a shop.

Info on my current setup:

- Tank is custom made 180cm long x 70cm high x 35cm deep, approx 400 litres.
- Lights are 2x 55W and 3x40W Osram Dulux daylight (total 230W) mounted 30cm above the water surface.
- Filtration is 1x Eheim 2215 and 1x Eheim 2217

Planted with mature Amazon swordplants (about 4-5yrs old).

Substrate is Deponit Mix 120 with 4" of black planting gravel.

No CO2, lights are on 10 hours a day.


I would like to have a natural planted tank that is sustainable over the next 5 years, with regular but not too much work.

[aquaticlover]

- For Co2 canister, >= 5L tank will be econominical. (15$ for <5L and 16$>=5L refill cost)
- "NA" stands for the shop called "Nature Aquarium"

[torque6]

[quote=RAUDIE;419960]Hi friends, I'm resurrecting my planted non-CO2 tank, want to start afresh with new plants and CO2. Would appreciate help with a couple of things :

1) Best orientation and location for rainbar? I have 1x Eheim 2215 and 1x 2217 currently connected to VERTICAL rainbars.
Top blowing down?
At side (vertical) blowing sideways?
Bottom blowing back to front?

I personally prefer rainbar "blowing" towards the inlet.

2) Regarding CO2 canister, what is the optimum size of canister? I have a fairly large 400litre tank

I have a nano 1FT but am using a 5L tank from April. 1bps and jbj gauge still shows full....

3) Do you think I should supplement my lighting at all? I do have a very tall tank. I want to have a slow-medium growth setup, I cannot afford to spend too much time on the tank as I have young kids.

General expenses in this hobby usually grows exponentially with tank size....


4) What is NA? Seems like a fairly popular acronym and I know it stands for a shop.

Nature Aquarium.