Questions on DIY cfl lighting and C02!

[sCeRaXn]

Im fairly new to planted tanks, but im wanting to turn my 55gal into a moderate to heavy planted tank. I work out of town and can only work on this on the weekends, so i decided ill do it in steps. Today i did the DIY cfl bulbs on my hoods. It looks great but i did the math wrong in the store and ended up with 160watts(4x40w 6500k bulbs). Thats 2.8-2.9wpg...way more than i wanted, but the 40w bulbs were the lowest wattage cfl bulbs i could find. I just went to HD and a few local places and couldnt find anything lower than 40w.

So my options are to keep looking for lower wattage bulbs or start injecting c02 so that i dont get alot of algae. Finding new bulbs would be cheaper, but ill probably need c02 eventually so i might go ahead and get it. My next purchase was going to be a Rena Canister filter, but ill probably have to put that on hold for a few weeks so i can get c02. Which one do you guys think is more important? How long will it take the algae to take over the tank?

And two random questions:
1) When buying cfl replacement bulbs do you go by the wattage of the bulbs they replace or the wattage that the actually use? I bought 40w replacement bulbs but they only use 10w...so do i have 40w in my tank or 160w?

2) Are the Marineland HOB canister filters any good? Theyre 30% off at my local Petsmart and that would allow me to get a new filter and C02 at the same time. Im currently running a Top Fin 60 and a powersweep powerhead.

Thanks in advance.

[Riiz]

1. You go by the actual wattage they use, so you really have 40 watt total. I would replace them with the 23 watt bulbs instead, and you're pretty set for low/medium plants.

2. Are we talking about the Magnum HOT filters, if so you can use them on a planted tank, but you need to get the out-take as low as possible under the water line. So that you're not out-gassing Co2 too fast.

[customdrum]

you need alot of those bulbs on a 55g to get any light.
i use 6 100watt( 26 watts each) on a 29g tank to get medium high light nad i have a reflector.
i had some on a 55g, 8 total and it was still not medium lighting,. they lose alot of reflection because of there shape.
i would use 10 of the 26 watt bulbs on a 55 to get decent lighting. as much as the bulbs are now you could buy a fixture cheaper.
the 10w you bought are great for the 10g screwin type hoods.
have a pic of the hood?

[sCeRaXn]

Im no expert, but that seems like WAY too much light. I have polished metal reflectors behind each bulb as well as foil covering the whole underside of the hood. My plants were surviving with the 30w(total) strip lights, so it seems like adding 9 times that amount would be too much light. Ill try the 4 23w bulbs and see how that does and if if i need more ill add more.

Riiz-Yea im talking about the Magnum HOT filters. Im still not sold on them because a large canister filter isnt much more, so ill just have to do more research to see which one ill need. The Tank has a Large Pacu, High Fin Pleco, 7 BA Tetras, and its about to get 5 Boesemi Rainbows. The Pacu gets a wide range of foods that cause a mess, so my little Top Fin 60 is struggling to keep up.

Thanks for all the help. Ill try to get some pics posted today or tomorrow.

[dundadundun]

you need alot of those bulbs on a 55g to get any light.
i use 6 100watt( 26 watts each) on a 29g tank to get medium high light nad i have a reflector.
i had some on a 55g, 8 total and it was still not medium lighting,. they lose alot of reflection because of there shape.
i would use 10 of the 26 watt bulbs on a 55 to get decent lighting. as much as the bulbs are now you could buy a fixture cheaper.
the 10w you bought are great for the 10g screwin type hoods.
have a pic of the hood?
sounds like a lot of light imo. this thread seems more realistic to me:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147012

[thrak76]

I've been using an HOT pro system (w/ BioWheel) for quite awhile now with very little to complain about. It's a great, quiet, versatile filter. The media cartridge is not huge, but you can put just about anything in it.
I think it would be a little underpowered for a 55g tank though. I've had it on a 29g, and i felt that it was just barely adequate. Now 2 of them on a 55 would be awesome; one running bio media, and the other with the polishing cartridge.

[midmichman80]

I have six 29 watt bulbs over my 55g and get good growth and minimal algae.

[sCeRaXn]

I just went and exchanged the 10w bulbs for 4 26w. Ive gotta modify some things in the hood to get the larger bulbs to fit but it shouldnt take too long. Im also gonna have to make new reflectors because the other ones wont fit on these bulbs. With the new bulbs ill have around 1.95wpg which im hoping will be enough for what i want to do.

thrak76- So one HOT is barely enough for your 29gal? If thats the case then im gonna get a larger canister filter because using two Magnums will be over $100 more than running a single large filter.

Im about to order a regulator for a pressurized c02 system. Im not sure if im gonna use Paintball tanks(ive got 4 large carbon tanks) or my 20lb welding tank. Id like to use the paintball tanks if i can since i dont really have the room for the large tank...i guess ill just leave that decision until i can see if the reg fits on the paintball tanks. A good friend of mine owns a paintball store so ill probably get the c02 for free!

[Riiz]

As for your stocking, is that Pacu in your 55gal, soon to be planted tank?

And as for the HOT Magnum, they are not good solo filters, they are one of the best water polishers, which is why I like them.

[sCeRaXn]

Yea the Pacu is in the 55g thats gonna be planted. Hes basically the centerpiece of the tank, and all the aquascaping/decorations will be based around him. Im going for a South American Mangrove theme so ill mostly have various swords and other Native plants with a few that arent native just for a little contrast. The Rainbows will be the only fish that isnt native to SA, but theyre free so i cant pass them up.

[thrak76]

thrak76- So one HOT is barely enough for your 29gal? If thats the case then im gonna get a larger canister filter because using two Magnums will be over $100 more than running a single large filter.



I ended up ditching the HOT as a solo for the 29g and going with a Marineland c-220, with the HOT as a backup/polisher, on the same tank. The HOT was sufficient for awhile, until i added more fish, and then plants.
The c-220 is performing very well though, and has even more options for customization, due to the 4 stacking media trays.

[sCeRaXn]

Cool deal, thanks for the help man. Im going to Petsmart in a few minutes and im gonna look at their filters. They had Marineland and Rena's on sale for a good price so i might pick one up. Is there anything special i need to look for when buying a new filter? Should i get one thats much larger than the aquarium its going on? The one i was looking at the other day was a Rena made for a 70gal...will that be enough?

Thanks again for the help everyone!

[Bonne46]

I love my Rena xp3 canister filter. Runs so quiet and keeps my water crystal clear. I currently have one XP3 on my 127g turtle tank with fish and it's perfectly clear. I'm going be ordering 2 more XP3's soon, one for a 75g tank and then the other for the 127g just so I don't have to clean it as much.

But I highly recommend the Rena canister filters.

[sCeRaXn]

Well thanks to everyones input ive started my new filter setup. I went with the Rena XP2 and a Magnum HOT for polishing. I bought the xp2 today and just got it set up. So far im loving how quiet and simple it is. Im still running the Top Fin 60 until im sure the biofilter has been established in the new canister. I turned it off for a second and without that loud ******* the tank is completely silent. Its only been up and running for about 30min and i can already tell a difference.

Hopefully i can have the c02 up and running in a few weeks. Ive read that its possible to inject it into a canister filter, but i havent found any detailed descriptions/how-to's on how to do it. Does anyone have any tips or links on this subject? Also, would it be best to run it through the xp2 or the HOT?

[thrak76]

I believe that for canister co2 diffusion, you just need to stick the output airline tube of the co2 generator near or in the intake for the canister. You can force the tube between the screen of the intake, or use suction cups and place the end near the intake screen, or however you come up with to keep it there.
I've no experience with the xp2, but i wouldn't try direct co2 injection with the HOT. I tried that, and within minutes the HOT was gurgling and spurting, as if there were huge air bubbles in the canister. I reset and tried it again with the same results. Try the xp2 injection, and skip the HOT!

[SMinNC]

I think your Pacu is going to love the plants.
In a bad way.

[sCeRaXn]

I believe that for canister co2 diffusion, you just need to stick the output airline tube of the co2 generator near or in the intake for the canister. You can force the tube between the screen of the intake, or use suction cups and place the end near the intake screen, or however you come up with to keep it there.
I've no experience with the xp2, but i wouldn't try direct co2 injection with the HOT. I tried that, and within minutes the HOT was gurgling and spurting, as if there were huge air bubbles in the canister. I reset and tried it again with the same results. Try the xp2 injection, and skip the HOT!

Thanks for the input. Im thinking about slash cutting the tubing and inserting it into one of the spare extender tubes for the intake, that way ill get a venturi effect. The only thing im worried about is the xp series filters supposedly evacuate any air/gasses that get into the filter so that it wont burn up the motor.

Has anyone tried c02 injection through an xp series filter? If so, have you had problems with the filter seperating the c02 and not allowing it to dissolve properly inside the canister? I guess the only way to find out is to try it. Im getting an adapter machined that will allow me to use the standard regulator on a paintball tank, so i wont have it up and running for a few weeks. Im also getting a bubble counter machined from aluminum...im gonna use a threaded glass tube from a water seperator for a compressor as the viewable portion of the bc. Im pretty excited about it.

[sCeRaXn]

I think your Pacu is going to love the plants.
In a bad way.

Ive purposely raised this Pacu on a mixture of live food and blanched zuchinni. So far he hasnt paid any attention to any of my plants. He gets fed well at the exact same time everyday which helps too.

[gt1009]

Uh Pacu+55 gallon tank=Death Scentance

[sCeRaXn]

What do you mean? Hell thrive happily in that tank for years, and when he outgrows it hell be transfered to my dads 125gal. Trust me, his health comes before the tank. Hes extremely healthy and happy right now and hes one of the most vibrantly colored Pacu ive ever seen. Usually at his size most of the red on his belly and sides wouldve faded a little, but hes actually more red now than when he was young. 1/3rd of his body is bright red. Everyone comments on his colors...even my dad who has 20yrs experience with Pacu.

Or did you mean the plants have a death sentence?

[customdrum]

i use 6 100watt( 26 watts each) on a 29g tank to get medium high light and i have a reflector.

its alot of light but i wanted higer lighting, if you want low light the 4- 26 watt bulbs will be fine. youll be gettin around 1.5 watts per gallon with the 4 bulbs on a 55g.
these bulbs arent actual 26 watts because of there shape, you loose alot of light with there shape. there more like 20 watts each bulb

[sCeRaXn]

Thanks for the input. Im about to make a hanging fixture for the 55 so ill take that into consideration. Right now im using some HIGHLY polished metal reflectors on the 4 26w bulbs and they seem to be doing the job.

The guy that i bought my c02 reg from on Ebay emailed me the other day and said itd be a few weeks to a month before hell have more in stock. There were a few others on ebay but the sellers ratings and responses seemed shady, so i decided to go to a reputable store. I found one at BigAls but the pic is different from the one on ebay. Is this the reg i need?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18478/si3675053/cl0/milwaukeeinstrumentsco2regulatorwithsolenoid

BTW-Ive been dosing with Flourish and Excel for the past few days and all but one of my plants have really taken off. My Anacharis pretty much hates it but i dont really care because that stuff is a dime a dozen.

[sCeRaXn]

Well i did some research and im pretty sure thats the right reg so i just ordered one. I guess ill just trade in one of my welding tanks for a straight c02 tank and keep it in the closet. The guy that was gonna machine an adapter for me was a friend and doing it in his spare time, but they just got a HUGE contract so he wont be able to do it for a while. I think a big bottle will fit in the closet so it wont be an eye sore.

I also ordered some good check valves and good tubing. What else am i gonna need to do this? That reg has a good needle valve and bubble counter so im good there. That should be it, right?

Also, does anyone have any input on injecting the c02 straight into the intake of an xp2? Ive read that Eheims do good with it, but Fluvals are prove to making weird noises and burping when doing it that way. I havent really found anything about Renas xp series though.

BTW-I love this filter. It cleared the water up in a day and its been crystal clear since then...and thats with the minimal media that they include with it. Im about to put in another 20ppi and 30ppi, more bio stars and a better polishing pad. Cant wait to see the results!