Am I High Light Or Low Light?

[alanchown]

I have a 20 UK gallon/100 litre 36 inch longX15 inch deep x 12 inch width tank. It is lit by 2 x 39w 34inch Arcadia T5 Pro tubes. Is this considered high lighting, low lighting or what. I am using reflectors-seems pretty bright to me!

I am also using the Tetra Optimat CO2 thingy with the bell chamber-whilst accepting that this is not the best system, it is a cheap startup system-is it of any use at all?

Alan

 

[George Farmer]

Welcome to the forum Alan!

You have 2.7 WPG (US Gallon). This is considered high light and you should have success with pretty much any plant, especially with T5.

Ensure you keep your CO2 levels stable and fert regularly. Read the pinned topics for more info. I highly recommend the algae article as it has some useful practical advice for starting out with plants.

I have no experience with the Tetra CO2 system. Ideally you need a stable 20-35ppm CO2.

 

[zig]

I would imagine the tetra system is pretty useless, what CO2 readings are you getting? I would imagine much better results would be achieved with a DIY setup using sugar and yeast.

I would have a look at the pinned article on carbon dioxide at the top of this section, that should give you a good idea as to whats involved with a highlight tank and the CO2 levels you should aim for.

 

[alanchown]

I would imagine the tetra system is pretty useless, what CO2 readings are you getting? I would imagine much better results would be achieved with a DIY setup using sugar and yeast.

I would have a look at the pinned article on carbon dioxide at the top of this section, that should give you a good idea as to whats involved with a highlight tank and the CO2 levels you should aim for.

I don't dispute what you are saying, but why?

Current budget doesn't run to a full monty system. So one of these Hagen things, or similar, with my own yeast as I have seem somewhere on these forums is a better bet? They are only £16.

Don't know what my CO2 levels are at the moment-need to get a test kit. LFS didn't have one.

Alan

 

[zig]

>>Why>>

Because any CO2 system where you have to squirt the CO2 into a bell type chamber several times per day is not going to be very stable, what happens if you have to go out for a day or so? you are practically going to have to babysit a system like this.

Also the passive type diffusion that bell type chambers use is probably not the most efficient, i would be amazed if it got you anywhere near the amount of CO2 you require to avoid problems with algae.

Definatly a DIY system would be better, you could make your own tetra system, just use an old plastic pop bottle and some tubing, mix some sugar and yeast, let it brew, cut the bottom off another pop bottle, let the CO2 gather in the upturned part of the bottle underwater, hey presto, the exact same CO2 system, although using the upturned bell will not be efficient, but with my system you wont have to keep squirting the CO2 in, the yeast mix will keep generating the CO2, whether you are present or not.

 

[alanchown]

>>Why>>

Because any CO2 system where you have to squirt the CO2 into a bell type chamber several times per day is not going to be very stable, what happens if you have to go out for a day or so? you are practically going to have to babysit a system like this.

Also the passive type diffusion that bell type chambers use is probably not the most efficient, i would be amazed if it got you anywhere near the amount of CO2 you require to avoid problems with algae.

Definatly a DIY system would be better, you could make your own tetra system, just use an old plastic pop bottle and some tubing, mix some sugar and yeast, let it brew, cut the bottom off another pop bottle, let the CO2 gather in the upturned part of the bottle underwater, hey presto, the exact same CO2 system, although using the upturned bell will not be efficient, but with my system you wont have to keep squirting the CO2 in, the yeast mix will keep generating the CO2, whether you are present or not.

OK-I'm convinced! I'm a sucker for a gizmo! Wholesale Tropicals in Bethnal Green have the Nutrafin sytem, so I'll get one on the way home and give it a whirl. I'll also follow the DIY recipes on the forums for the yeast mixture. I had my doubts if the Tetra system was putting much CO2 into the water, my PH has hung around the 8 mark without any discernable sign of a shift.
Now what can I do with the 2 spare co2 Tetra bottles that came thru the post today?

Alan

 

[dazcoops]

aim for a co2 level of about 6.0 to 7.0, and light is probably best at about 2 wpg. and use fert.

 

[Themuleous]

Now what can I do with the 2 spare co2 Tetra bottles that came thru the post today?

Alan

Ebay, managed to get back over half what I paid for my nutrafin refills that I got before I realised how crap they are.

aim for a co2 level of about 6.0 to 7.0, and light is probably best at about 2 wpg. and use fert.

Do you mean pH of 6 to 7?

I would be careful when aiming for this because a pH of 6 with added CO2 will have a vast amount more CO2 than a pH of 7. Use the calculator to work out what pH you need to aim at to get 25-30ppm CO2. This thread should explain how things work re CO2.

Hope this helps

Sam

 

[mantis147]

What brand ferts do you people use? my plants are doing crap at the moment.

 

[alanchown]

>>Why>>

Because any CO2 system where you have to squirt the CO2 into a bell type chamber several times per day is not going to be very stable, what happens if you have to go out for a day or so? you are practically going to have to babysit a system like this.

Also the passive type diffusion that bell type chambers use is probably not the most efficient, i would be amazed if it got you anywhere near the amount of CO2 you require to avoid problems with algae.

Definatly a DIY system would be better, you could make your own tetra system, just use an old plastic pop bottle and some tubing, mix some sugar and yeast, let it brew, cut the bottom off another pop bottle, let the CO2 gather in the upturned part of the bottle underwater, hey presto, the exact same CO2 system, although using the upturned bell will not be efficient, but with my system you wont have to keep squirting the CO2 in, the yeast mix will keep generating the CO2, whether you are present or not.

OK-I'm convinced! I'm a sucker for a gizmo! Wholesale Tropicals in Bethnal Green have the Nutrafin sytem, so I'll get one on the way home and give it a whirl. I'll also follow the DIY recipes on the forums for the yeast mixture. I had my doubts if the Tetra system was putting much CO2 into the water, my PH has hung around the 8 mark without any discernable sign of a shift.
Now what can I do with the 2 spare co2 Tetra bottles that came thru the post today?

Alan

Bought the Nutrafin thingy-all connected up-now waiting in eager anticipation of a bubble or 2-

Alan

 

[George Farmer]

There's a link to a good Nutrafin thread in the pinned CO2 article.

I'd recommend 2 x Nutrafins in your tank. Using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (no bi-carb unless you have v.soft water) and swapping each unit alternately every week or so should give you an approx stable 30ppm CO2.

Probably the next best thing to pressurized. It worked well for me for almost 2 years anyway.

 

[alanchown]

There's a link to a good Nutrafin thread in the pinned CO2 article.

I'd recommend 2 x Nutrafins in your tank. Using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (no bi-carb unless you have v.soft water) and swapping each unit alternately every week or so should give you an approx stable 30ppm CO2.

Probably the next best thing to pressurized. It worked well for me for almost 2 years anyway.

I will get a second Nutrafin, but may have to slip it in when the financial controller is not looking! This new aquarium has gone way over budget!

Alan

 

[George Farmer]

There's a link to a good Nutrafin thread in the pinned CO2 article.

I'd recommend 2 x Nutrafins in your tank. Using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (no bi-carb unless you have v.soft water) and swapping each unit alternately every week or so should give you an approx stable 30ppm CO2.

Probably the next best thing to pressurized. It worked well for me for almost 2 years anyway.

I will get a second Nutrafin, but may have to slip it in when the financial controller is not looking! This new aquarium has gone way over budget!

Alan

Know that road well! It will probably get worse too I'm afraid.

 

[alanchown]

There's a link to a good Nutrafin thread in the pinned CO2 article.

I'd recommend 2 x Nutrafins in your tank. Using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (no bi-carb unless you have v.soft water) and swapping each unit alternately every week or so should give you an approx stable 30ppm CO2.

Probably the next best thing to pressurized. It worked well for me for almost 2 years anyway.

Is it possible to tee 2 bottles together feeding into 1 diffuser?

Alan

 

[George Farmer]

There's a link to a good Nutrafin thread in the pinned CO2 article.

I'd recommend 2 x Nutrafins in your tank. Using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (no bi-carb unless you have v.soft water) and swapping each unit alternately every week or so should give you an approx stable 30ppm CO2.

Probably the next best thing to pressurized. It worked well for me for almost 2 years anyway.

Is it possible to tee 2 bottles together feeding into 1 diffuser?

Alan

I should think so. It may be worth using a one-way valve on each line though to prevent any backwash.