I want to avoid having snails in this tank if I can help it, but is that even realistic? To have a really nice, mostly algae free, and most detritus free tank, should I get snails now? If so, which kinds do you recommend. Please only reply if you have actual experience with said snails.
75 gallon Planted Office Tank Journal
- Thread starter geekpryde
- Start date
Okay, another question about hardware.
Here you see pictured a Hamilton Tech Dual Timer. It actually did come with instructions, and I managed to program the current time, and the custom on/off schedule I want for the lights and co2. Build quality seems very good. I am charging it up now for two hours before use, per the instructions. The timer has a right and left female power receptacle and a male grounded plug on the back.
Here's the question: The timer was sold to me as a “dual” timer and it’s called a “dual” time, but from what I can gather from the instructions you cannot set up independent on/off schedules for the left and right receptacles, which I what I thought was meant by dual. Meaning, if you want your co2 to come on an hour before the lights, and have it plugged into the right side, can the right be independently come on before power is applied to the left receptacle? I guess “dual” in this case means I can hook up things to the time, but that they must come on and off at the same time?
No big deal is they are not independently controlled, but if you have one of these little guys and KNOW I am being stupid, please tell me how to do it.
Here you see pictured a Hamilton Tech Dual Timer. It actually did come with instructions, and I managed to program the current time, and the custom on/off schedule I want for the lights and co2. Build quality seems very good. I am charging it up now for two hours before use, per the instructions. The timer has a right and left female power receptacle and a male grounded plug on the back.
Here's the question: The timer was sold to me as a “dual” timer and it’s called a “dual” time, but from what I can gather from the instructions you cannot set up independent on/off schedules for the left and right receptacles, which I what I thought was meant by dual. Meaning, if you want your co2 to come on an hour before the lights, and have it plugged into the right side, can the right be independently come on before power is applied to the left receptacle? I guess “dual” in this case means I can hook up things to the time, but that they must come on and off at the same time?
No big deal is they are not independently controlled, but if you have one of these little guys and KNOW I am being stupid, please tell me how to do it.
I think the sixth bullet on the front of the package answers your question. 
Kidding aside, I think most multiple outlet timers turn on/off all of their outlets together. Individually timed outlets is a very nice thing to have.
Kidding aside, I think most multiple outlet timers turn on/off all of their outlets together. Individually timed outlets is a very nice thing to have.
I think the sixth bullet on the front of the package answers your question.
Kidding aside, I think most multiple outlet timers turn on/off all of their outlets together. Individually timed outlets is a very nice thing to have.
:raspberry: Yeah, I guess had I read that 6th bullet point before I bought, I would not have had unrealistic expectations. I dont think I will bother to buy another one, lights and co2 on/off at the same time should be fine, but I hear really anal people turn on co2 several hours prior to lights. I guess I am only slightly anal. :lol2:
regarding my post about snails, I have found a variety of links about the benefits of snails, it would seem MTS are a good option. All the posts and off-site links seem to suggest I will get snail one way or the other. I guess my question becomes, should I actively get (purchase) a certain kind of snail, or just wait the months it may take to get an unknown snail population in the tank by accident?
Incidentally, as far as I can tell, my plants were 100% snail free on arrival yesturday.
Here is just one of the links I found.
Incidentally, as far as I can tell, my plants were 100% snail free on arrival yesturday.
Here is just one of the links I found.
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Quick double check on CO2 levels... toward the end of the photoperiod (after CO2 has been on for several hours - shortly before you leave work), pull a cup of water from the tank. Do a pH test on it, note reading, retest another sample from the same cup the next morning. If you *had* about 30ppm CO2 in the water at the end of the day and this has dropped overnight to the 3ppm that is typical of standing water at atmospheric equilibrium, your morning pH should be up about 1 full unit. If it only goes up 0.5 unit, you only had about 15ppm CO2 before. If it doesn't move, it doesn't mean you have no CO2 variation, it means your tank's buffering capacity if high (high GH and/or KH) and that this test won't work for your tank.
If you're going to have CO2 dosage problems, it's best to deliver too little as too much can kill your fish. Drop checkers need to be very clean as the 4dKH solution used in them has pretty low buffering capacity. Any soap or other residue can result in unwanted buffering capacity within the test chamber thus rendering results inaccurate. When in doubt, clean it out thoroughly, rinse it w/ lots of DI or RO water, rinse it a time or three w/ a little of your 4dKH solution, then fill it and add your pH indicator drops.
You need not repeat this procedure unless your reagent fades (place drop checker low or in a shaded region of the tank to prolong reagent life as it is photosensitive) or gets contaminated (yes, snails may investigate the interior of your dropchecker and yes, they do get overturned now and then).
If you're going to have CO2 dosage problems, it's best to deliver too little as too much can kill your fish. Drop checkers need to be very clean as the 4dKH solution used in them has pretty low buffering capacity. Any soap or other residue can result in unwanted buffering capacity within the test chamber thus rendering results inaccurate. When in doubt, clean it out thoroughly, rinse it w/ lots of DI or RO water, rinse it a time or three w/ a little of your 4dKH solution, then fill it and add your pH indicator drops.
You need not repeat this procedure unless your reagent fades (place drop checker low or in a shaded region of the tank to prolong reagent life as it is photosensitive) or gets contaminated (yes, snails may investigate the interior of your dropchecker and yes, they do get overturned now and then).
The tank looks GRRREEEAT!! Can’t wait to see it grown in. You really did a good job recording all your trial and errors and I can say that I have learned quite a bit from your journey. Thanks…
I couldn't tell from the FTS - but you know that Anubias has to be tied to something - that you don't want to have the rhizome in the substrate, right (roots coming out of the rhizome-OK, but the rhizome itself has to be in water, not substrate)?
Thanks you very much. I really wanted to document as much as I could, not just the good, but the bad too. Thanks for looking and check back often. :thumbsup:
