29 Gallon planted tank starting!!

[Pescado Guy]

Hi everyone!

Ok i have been wanting to get a planted tank for a long time but just never got around to it. At last I have either ordered or have recieved most of the supplies I will need to get started. I will tell you my basic plans including filtration, lighting and fertilizers. Any advice would be great! Thanks

The tank is a 29 gallon (30" by 12" by 18")

I have 6 18 watt T8 overdriven bulbs in a custom canopy powered by a workhorse 8 ballast. All of the bulbs are made by ZooMed and I have three Flora-Sun and three Tropic-Sun bulbs. I plan on making my photoperiod about 12 hours.

I am using one Fluval 204 along with a HOB Penguin 125 Bio-Wheel. Do I need the Penguin 125 or is the FLuval enough? The Penguin does make a decent amount of surface movement but it also keeps the surface sludge from building up.

I have a 100 Watt heater

I just ordered 30lbs of flourite and I hope to have a bit left over for my 10 gallon tank.

I am building a DIY Co2 reactor and diffusing it via the intake of the canister filter. I was told that this is a good way of diffusion. I hope within the next month or two to get a pressurizer canister with regulator and solenoid along with a milwaukee pH controller but for now my DIY one will have to be good. I do plan on shutting it off each night. Is this a good idea?

For fertilization I am using all of the following:
Flourish, Flourish Excel, Flourish Iron, Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Phosphorous, Flourish Potassium, and Flourish Trace. I have Seachem test kits to monitor all of the additives except for the potassium and the trace elements. Since both of these are non-harmful to fish within reasonable limits I think this will be alright. In case you didn't notice I am particularly fond of Seachem

I will be maintaining the water soft and slightly acidic to suit the needs of a few small tetras. I don't have any fish right now and plan to tweak the fertilizer amounts and stabilize the pH before I even add the first fish. I will be filling up the tank with half RO water and half tap water partly because it takes forever to get even 15 gallons of RO water from my tiny RO filter, and partly because my tap water isn't that bad. It has 0 nitrates and a very low phosphate level. The KH is 5dKH and the GH is 8dKH with a nuetral pH. I will add apropriate additives to balance everything.

I probably forgot to mention something so if you need to know anything else please ask. If anyone has any suggestions please tell me. I need all of the help I can get. Thanks for your help!

Kevin

 

[Discomafia]

Looks like ya planned everything out. Good job. If I were you I wouldn't off the CO2 during the night, I was advised against doing so as I was told it could affect the ph when it's turned back on in the morning, and vice versa.

 

[George Farmer]

Sounds excellent mate. My only slight concern would be the use of a bio-wheel (if it's the type I'm thinking) as it may drive off your co2.

Edit... The Fluval 204 should be fine on its own (don't forget to remove the supplied carbon if you didn't know already). I have one in my 34G, they're designed for 200 litre (55G) and as you're lightly stocking you'll be more than ok IMO. I cut off my output nozzle as they're designed to agitate the water causing more oxyenation (less co2). My hose is fully submerged, points down at about 45 degress and toward the back glass to ensure there's virtually no surface movement.

Keep us posted with your project, it sounds exciting!!

 

[Pescado Guy]

Thanks so much you guys! Yeah if I use the penguin I'll definatly take out the biowheel. I absolutly hate surface sludge so I would even consider dealing with the tiny bit of surface movement and keep the penguin running without the bio-wheel. I'll do some testing and make a decision based on the results. As for the carbon I'll be definatly taking it out. Doesn't it remove some of the fertilizers or something like that? If I were not to shut off the Co2 at night wouldn't there be enough Co2 to make it dangerous for the fish? If the plants are producing it at night and the fish are and the co2 reactor is I would think this could be too much. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll keep you all posted on the results once it actually starts running. Any more advice or pointers would be helpful! Thanks!

Kevin

 

[George Farmer]

Personally my co2 runs all the time. I use 2 Nutrafins units and find the levels never goes above 25 mg/l and my pH never below 6.5 (my KH is 3 degrees).

You're right about carbon, it strips the water of a lot of useful trace elements too. You'll never need it unless you want to remove medications you may use (hopefully not). I haven't used it in two years.

 

[Da_Oz]

If there is NO surface movement you will not have O2 or CO2. Most inporttant thing is to make sure hood is tight that way the CO2 stays in the tank area and can get into the water.

 

[Pescado Guy]

Yeah good point about the tight hood. I never thought of that. Thanks!

Kevin

 

[Discomafia]

If there is NO surface movement you will not have O2 or CO2. Most inporttant thing is to make sure hood is tight that way the CO2 stays in the tank area and can get into the water.

No O2 without any surface movement I can understand, but no CO2? How come? You're adding the CO2 into your tank by yourself, as opposed to the O2 that needs surface agitation. Why does the hood need to be tight? Won't all the CO2 get dissolved in the canister filter already? There's a chance some of it will escape?

 

[Pescado Guy]

I think what Da Oz means is that all of the CO2 should disolve into the canister filter, but it is always being released into the air from the surface of the water. Right?

Kevin

 

[Discomafia]

How will keeping a tight lid help?

 

[Pescado Guy]

I am only guessing, but I think it is because any of the CO2 that leaves the water from the surface will all build up above the water if the hood seals it off. Otherwise it will just leave into the room.
b

 

[George Farmer]

If there is NO surface movement you will not have O2 or CO2. Most inporttant thing is to make sure hood is tight that way the CO2 stays in the tank area and can get into the water.

Hmmm. If this was true then my fish and plants would be dead long ago!! O2 is released by the plants. CO2 by the reactor.

 

[Pescado Guy]

Ok now I'm confused. lol

 

[George Farmer]

An unplanted tank gets its oxygen via the air above the water, the greater the surface movement the more oxygen dissolves into the water. CO2 can also be absorbed from the air but is very unstable in water and is easily lost if agitated i.e. too much surface movement or air bubbles etc. (like shaking a fizzy drink, the gas (co2) escapes).

In a (heavily) planted tank enough oxygen is produced if there's enough light, co2 and nutrients. Obviously you don't want to lose the co2 as this will impare your oxygen production. This is why I have virtually no surface movement, my tank looks like a champagne glass after a few hours with all the plants producing oxygen bubbles, enough oxygen to last the night with the co2 still running.

Hope this helps more than confuses!!

 

[Pescado Guy]

Ok I think I get it! Thanks gf225. You had said that your tank has NO surface movement. Do you get a lot of surface sludge because of this? Are there any ways to avoid getting this? Thanks

Kevin