Planted 20H Updated

thinair421

thinair421

Optimus Swine
Oct 15, 2007
21
0
0
Chicago
www.myspace.com
Hey whats going on. Just wanted to say that I upgraded my 20 gallon over the weekend a little bit. I was a bit short in the fundage department, so I did the lighting myself. Below are some pics with descriptions of what each is.

1 - My new CO2 diffuser...doesn't really seem to be working that well. I followed the instructions but there aren't that many bubbles coming out...

2 and 3 - My new lighting (DIY 10$ style). I just gutted my old fluorescent lighting (15w) and replaced it with 2 CFL's (Daylight) from Home Depot and now I'm kicking out about 80w.

4 and 5 - The first one is the new setup the second is the old...no real difference really in the pics but I can definitely tell here...MUCH brighter and clearer light (you can notice less shadows) and a new plant that looks like seaweed kinda.

So just lemme know if you have any thoughts on the diffuser, the new lighting, and the new look of the tank (if you can see any). Much appreciation. Cheers.

-Butters-

CO2 Diffuser.jpg light top.JPG light inside.jpg tank after.JPG tank before.JPG
 
looking good.

on the co2: sometimes it takes a while to get up to speed, give it a few hours before you judge the rate... even then, don't expect anything like an air pump... we're talking between 1 and 4 bubbles at any one time on the ladder, not a steady stream.

also, you should do yourself a favor now, and make a quick gas seperator. I've seen a diagram here before, but it's easy to make: take an empty 16 oz soda bottle. drill 2 small holes in the cap. fill 2/3 with water. run a hose from the hagen bottle into the cap, into the water. run the other hose from the cap to the ladder. this will keep yeast out of your tank, and tank water out of your yeast.
 
Hey thanks for the lighting pics. I was going to order from AH Supply but have had an unexpected expense here but still want to get going with plants. Am going to see if i can redo my light the way you did. Any tips? Going to order java moss next week after I return from a trip I now have to make.
 
2 suggestions
- add a little mylar or other reflective material (other than Al foil) to the inside of your hood just above the bulbs
- lower your heater to get it out of sight

Looking very good!
 
as far as the lighting goes, like I said I did it all for a little under 10$. I just unscrewed the fluorescent fixture and drilled a 1" hole in the center of the gutted hood. Then I bought the 2 main pieces: First piece is a 2 prong male end with a lightbulb screwin on the other side. The second piece was a "Y" fitting that had a single male light socket (looks like the end of a light bulb) and two female sockets which I screwed the two bulbs into. Screwing the Y and the first piece together caused the hood to become sandwiched between, so I didnt have to use glue there. I however did hot glue the open gap where I screwed the lightbulbs into to prevent moisture from getting in there and shorting it out.

Also, thanks for all the tips, and if you guys have any more lemme know, because I wanna make this tank real successful. Also, any ideas as to what I can do about my diffuser only kickin out like a bubble every 15 minutes? The instructions told me to blend white table sugar (coffee sugar is what I used) with the two packets included witht the diffuser, and then add luke warm water, and stir gently for faster activation. I followed all of the measurements, I'm sure of it, but I'm not getting very many bubbles (its been about three days since I set it up)...thanks again everyone. Cheers

-Butters-
 
the hagen instructions don't say to blend, if I remember correctly... you want to pour the sugar in the bottom, top it off slowly with water, and pour the yeast on top. if there is too much sugar already disolved, the yeast may not start up well. also, check the expiration date on the yeast. the yeast that came with my kit was over a year past expired... hagen sent me new yeast for free, but you can use bakers yeast as well.

other things to keep in mind... water temp for the yeast should not be cold or hot, but luke warm. you may get better results from dechlorinated water, and from taking about half a cup of the water and rehydrating the yeast first for about 5 minutes before pouring it into the sugar water. if after a day you're only getting a bubble every 15 minutes, you probably have very little live yeast, and can add a little more to the canister. room temperature will also affect the co2 production. if the room is really cold, it will slow it down. during summer months I had faster production.
 
also, you only want to add one packet to per bottle... if I read your post right it sounds like you may have used 2. if by 2, you actually meant 1 yeast and 1 baking soda (thats essentially what's in the non-yeast packets they send) then maybe you don't need the baking soda. my understanding is the baking soda is to buffer the water... and it slows down production.
 
mellowvision said:
the hagen instructions don't say to blend, if I remember correctly...
Click to expand...

I'll dig my instructions out tonight to be sure. But I'm pretty sure mine mentioned stirring gently also.

As for the packets being expired, mine were expired by 3 months. I used them anyway. They took between 2 and 3 days go really get going, which might be caused by them being expired. But after 2 or 3 days, it started producing normally.
 
so what is considered "producing normal"...how many bubbles for minute?...oh and by the way, my molly gave birth while i was at school today, and there is no fry left :( oh well.
 
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