some help needed

[mambobo]

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 3ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft
Tank Volume (litres or gallons): should b abt 180lts
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 169watts
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : 4x36wpL,1x25wfL
No. of Hours your light is on : 8hrs
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 1bps on for 24hrs
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : tank
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): diffusor
Substrate Used : cant remember
How Thick is your base fert : abt 3cm
How thick is your gravel : abt 8cm
Liquid Fertilizers Used : jbl liquid fert,gold7
Frequency of fertilization : once a week
Tank Temperature : 27-29
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : canister
Filter media used : bio rings ,active carbon,substract
How long has your tank been set up :1yr
Other equipment :

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------
Carbonate Hardness (KH): 4
Total Hardness (gH):
pH : 6.8
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------
50x cardinal
5xoto
2x sae
8xyamatos
50 malaya scrimp
2x bleeding heart
2x puffer fish
<State what fishes and plants you have to the best of your ability>


Describe your problem : my red plants always end up green and is 1bps co2 is it enough for my tank and is it ok to on my co2 for 24hrs....i always have green spot on my glass and some hair like algae how to get rid of them??
[:]

[tetranewbee]

I know it is not necessary or maybe harmful even to ON the CO2 for 24hrs, in the plant photosynthesis process, plant takes in O2 at night instead of CO2 or when the lights goes out. So this may suffocate your fishes if your plant start to flourish with excess CO2 and no O2. It should be alright if there are no fishes, the CO2 just goes to waste.

Hope this help. [:]

[mambobo]

thanks but so far my fishes r ok nonoe of them goes to the surface at night

[David]

you could increase your KH to 5 and keep your 1bps injection amount. What kind of plants do you have? More stemmed plants or rosette plants. You may want to reduce your liquid fert by half the amount.

As for your red plants, do get iron tablets and insert it near the plants.

Measure your NO3 level as your bio-load is rather high for a tank of your dimension. If NO3 reading is high, you may want to consider K2SO4 for your tank.

[lorba]

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On 5/4/2003 9:14:29 PM

I know it is not necessary or maybe harmful even to ON the CO2 for 24hrs, in the plant photosynthesis process, plant takes in O2 at night instead of CO2 or when the lights goes out. So this may suffocate your fishes if your plant start to flourish with excess CO2 and no O2. It should be alright if there are no fishes, the CO2 just goes to waste.

Hope this help. [:]
----------------

I on my CO2 24hrs for the past month+ due to malfunctioning solenoid. Plants doing as fine and fishes appear normal.

CO2 and O2 can exist independantly. So if the plants saturate the tank with o2 during lighting period, then it shouldnt be a problem lasting through the night. That's nature.

In fact, i am starting to think that with CO2 24hr, we get a slightly more stable ph throughout. Just adjust amount of injection according to ph/kh reading and you wont be wasting co2.

[tetranewbee]

I have experience having my CO2 ON 24hrs during my in-camp....I am on manual valve...waiting to upgrade to soleniod.

Almost wipe out my shrimp population. I think you are right if chemistry & setting are right. I consider it a risk not a nono...[:]

[lorba]

unless u r still injecting the same amount as u do for 12hr photo period. Amount should certainly be reduced if on 24hr.

[Simon]

tetra, have to check yr No3 levels?

[tetranewbee]

Hi Simon,
I am not familiar with the water chemistry stuff. I have another topic on water chemistry....trying to learn more. That may answer some of my problem that I am facing e.g. outbreak of algae [:]

So what is NO3????

[bclee]

Most aspect of your tank is perfect.

Probably you might want to start testing for Nitrates (NO3) and Phosphates (PO4). These 2 test values give you valuable insights to the health of your tank and the reason for algae growth.

After which, you can start trying to dose macronutrients like K, N, P, Ca & Mg. These are nutrients not provided by JBL liquid fertilisers or most other liquid fertilisers. You will be pleasantly surprised at the difference that dosing of the macros bring.

BC

[mambobo]

thanks for ur help just one more question i think i saw bba on my leaves how to get rid of them ??

[mambobo]

thanks but i m pretty lost at no3 and wats k2so4???please tell me more???iand i think i got some bba on some of my plants

[PeterGwee]

BBA is related to low CO2 levels...what is your pH and KH level? Get it up to 20-30ppm during the entire lighting period, not just the start.

[bclee]

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On 5/5/2003 7:55:28 PM

thanks for ur help just one more question i think i saw bba on my leaves how to get rid of them ??
----------------

BBA usually affect weak leaves/plants. It may be your are low on Nitrates (NO3) or Potassium (K). These and phosphates (PO4) are 3 important macronutrients for plants (N-P-K). Probably you can start by getting a NO3 and PO4 test kits.

You can refer to this for more information on plant nutrients.

Usually, we dose Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) for NO3 and Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4) for K. You can refer to this and this for more information on dosing.

CO2 level in your tank is ok. But if you can push it slightly higher to 30ppm (drop the pH to about 6.6 with KH 4) will help with combating BBA. You can refer to this for CO2 charts for determining CO2 level by pH and KH.

Here is a good article by Tom Barr that you can refer to.

BC

[tetranewbee]

----------------
On 5/5/2003 11:01:28 PM

----------------
On 5/5/2003 7:55:28 PM

thanks for ur help just one more question i think i saw bba on my leaves how to get rid of them ??
----------------

BBA usually affect weak leaves/plants. It may be your are low on Nitrates (NO3) or Potassium (K). These and phosphates (PO4) are 3 important macronutrients for plants (N-P-K). Probably you can start by getting a NO3 and PO4 test kits.

You can refer to this for more information on plant nutrients.

Usually, we dose Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) for NO3 and Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4) for K. You can refer to this and this for more information on dosing.

CO2 level in your tank is ok. But if you can push it slightly higher to 30ppm (drop the pH to about 6.6 with KH 4) will help with combating BBA. You can refer to this for CO2 charts for determining CO2 level by pH and KH.

Here is a good article by Tom Barr that you can refer to.

BC
----------------

Hi BC,
You have attached couple of nice article on this chemistry stuff...its helpful...thanks.[:]