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  1. geekboy

    plants against the heater

    The only reason a heater should get hot enough to harm plants is if you let the water level fall while it's operating (which is bad news for the heater anyways). I forgot to unplug mine once during a water change, and ended up with a few vals that dried and stuck to the heater tube. Definitely...
  2. geekboy

    Odyssea T5 Aquarium light

    My pick is with all four bulbs running. I like tanks like yours, because they remind me of how clean everything was before I got the "jungle" effect. Very high contrast, modern yet peaceful. Great for viewing and enjoying the fish. I threw every plant into my tank that I could get my hands...
  3. geekboy

    Odyssea T5 Aquarium light

    I won't argue that the WPG I'm running can cause some headaches. I've experimented a bit with reduced light timing (I run about 8 hour days) and running at half-power (2 bulbs), but still come up with the best overall results under the high light. This is my tank below:
  4. geekboy

    Odyssea T5 Aquarium light

    I run an Odyssea 4x54W T5HO fixture on a 60 Gallon tank, but: - The fixture is cheap, and I've modified it with extra-large cooling fans - The tank is constantly battling algae, which I keep in check ONLY because of CO2 and a herd of SAEs. That said, I see some amazing plant growth when it all...
  5. geekboy

    Post Pictures of your Plants 2.0

    A year since my last post (on the previous page of this thread), and an entirely different balance of plants. Who says Nesaea Crassicaulis are difficult to grow? :)
  6. geekboy

    Show us YOUR goldfish! (A photo thread)

    You have to go back quite a ways in this thread to see my last post, so I figured an update was due. I'm still running a planted goldfish tank. All the little guys have become big guys. There are four in this picture -- two are vying for food at the bottom. Unfortunately I lost one of my...
  7. geekboy

    Kelvin rating ??

    I think the OP might be thinking that a higher kelvin number is a brighter bulb. This is not true -- the kelvin rating is about the color of light. Under 5000k tends toward yellow, and over 10,000K tends toward blue. Between those is a blend in between. Most "plant" bulbs are in the 6000-7000 range.
  8. geekboy

    Soldier Fish

    I'm not against using goldfish, if only I could believe this was the most practical approach. I know canaries were used in mines. They were replaced by technology, and a better understanding of ventilation and mining risks. Goldfish die for reasons other than tainted water, and they might not...
  9. geekboy

    eco complete

    Certainly the opposite of my experience, but I didn't rinse mine either. The sandstorm settled after about 12 hours.
  10. geekboy

    Fluval fx5 would you buy it again?

    I love my FX5 in a 60 gallon tank heavily stocked with goldfish. Some might call it overkill, but it's handled it like a trooper. I was amazed at how quiet it can be for its size. More recently, I began piping pressurized C02 into it directly for live plants. This causes some noise as it chews...
  11. geekboy

    pressurized questions

    You'd pay more for food-grade, given the choice, because in theory it is more refined and suitable for use with things that might lead to human consumption. That sounds like a plus for a fish tank, but I have yet to hear of any problems from using industrial grade.
  12. geekboy

    Really need some input . . .

    I have yet to find a "magic bullet" against BBA, but you may be able to reduce its impact. Your chemistry looks fine. It might help to know what plants you have and what your fertilizing schedule is like. BBA unfortunately seems to like a lot of the same things that healthy plants like. I...
  13. geekboy

    Important News about Transporting CO2 Tanks

    I guess one rationale would be that WITHOUT the regulator, you KNOW that the tank is either closed at the main valve or empty. A properly manufactured tank is engineered and pressure tested, including the main valve. If the tank is transported with a regulator, that regulator becomes a new...
  14. geekboy

    Need a good plant to reduce ammo + nitrite

    I think we need a quick clarification on your readings -- you mention ammo + nitrite in your subject title, but nitrates of under 5 ppm in your description. Ammonia and nitrite would suggest an incomplete or overwhelmed cycle of biological bacteria. Plants aren't likely to be much help in this...
  15. geekboy

    High ph and home depot gravel

    Odds are that the increased PH is going hand-in-hand with an increase in hardness. If minerals in the pea stone are leeching into the water, the effect will probably last a long time. You can control it to some extent with water changes. I wouldn't suggest using any products to "fight" the...
  16. geekboy

    Most Complete Liquid Fert

    My mistake. It's been long enough since I've used the Flourish line that I thought regular Flourish dosed macro nutrients (it does not). I though that Trace was a bit more useful for covering the micros, and from the looks of the ingredients, it's only got a few very obscure things Flourish is...
  17. geekboy

    Most Complete Liquid Fert

    For me, it would be some Flourish Trace and Flourish Potassium mixed together. I get more than enough Nitrogen and Phosphorus from fish waste and food. A balanced macro and micro combined fertilizer would be troublesome in my setup.
  18. geekboy

    Now what? Goldfish turning red all over?

    I really meant less than 0.25 ppm, which is to say it looks like a toss-up between the "nil" and "0.25" readings on the test kit. I've never seen a higher or lower reading. My theory is that some combination of lighting/test kit/faulty reading makes it impossible for me to recognize a zero...
  19. geekboy

    Tanks with Fake Plants

    I've since switched to real plants, but this was about the best mine ever looked with artificial ones:
  20. geekboy

    Now what? Goldfish turning red all over?

    I just remembered that I never finalized this thread -- the fish returned to normal, no worse for wear. She is one of my oldest goldies (around 5 years) and has been more prone to infection and injury, yet always seems to rebound.
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