Post Blackout Algae problems

chlorine and yeast

That's just from my own experience, the co2 starts up much faster when I use aquarium water vs tap water. I don't think the chlorine kills all the yeast, but it seems to get most of it, especially if you are relying on the previous culture to start the new one.
 
Joey, if you bore a small hole through the bottom of the intake sponge and bore a hole just big enough to get the air line tubing into the intake tube you can push it about 1/2 way up the tube and it'll feed the bubbles through your cannister and chop them up and run them back into the tank so fine you'll hardly be able to see them.
There are also reactors made specifically for cannisters that attach directly to the return tube coming out of the cannister and going into the tank. Or, you can attach these reactors to the line that goes into your cannister, thereby chopping up the bubbles as they pass through the cannister as described above.
You'll have much better growth and less algae issues with a better CO2 ppm.
If you do this, all you'll probably need is a 2liter soda bottle to get the desired ppm in a 20 gal. tank. Or you might even see much better results with the system you're now using if you disperse through the cannister. I just have little confidence in those over-the-counter CO2 makers, however.
You will need at least a bubble every 2 seconds to get the kind of saturation I'm talking about. If your present system is not giving you that, you need another system.

Len
 
sponge holes

I like to cut a slit the width of the tube with a knife. You can strech it open to shove the tube in, and when you pull the tube out, it'll close again and work as it did before.
 
Hi,

You have a very high light tank at three plus CF watts per gallon with quite limited CO2. It is relatively lightly planted and is fertilized. It would seem to me that this is a prescription for algae growth.

My suggestion would be to reduce the amount of light to around two wpg, add more fast growing plants, and stop dosing.

Alternatively, if you want to stay in a high light environent, then you will need more CO2 than the Hagen units can provide. You would still need more plants.

Good luck.

Bill
 
i'm still somewhat unsure how to stick the CO2 tube into the intake of the cannister filter. I suppose i can pull off the cone at the end of the cannister intake (that has slits on it all the way around, and like Len said, drill a hole at the bottom (the tip of the cone) and shove the CO2 line up that.

I DO want to go pressurized if possible in the near future, so perhaps I should look into one of those diffusers that attach to the intake/output tubes of the cannister filter? Are there any specific models you guys would recommend? I know Tom Barr designed a DIY one, but I'm not sure I have the time and confidence to do that right.

I went to 3 LFS yesterday, and none sold decent plants. Hopefully today I'll run out and get some riccia or water sprite, or the other you folks listed.

(BTW, the bleach dip i did on the annubias seems to have hurt one or two of them, because there have been some dead leaves and yellowing on a few other leaves :( oh well )

Also, I have to reorder my Nitrate and P test kits from big als, so i hope that maybe theyll arrive by next weekend.

thanks everybody
 
For the time being, running the gas into the intake siphon tube is a viable option, until you decide what kind of reactor you want to use.
Take off the bottom of the siphon tube and right where you said, on the end(cone tip), there may be a small hole there already.
Drill it out GENTLY so as not to break the fragile end were the vents are. Just big enough to force GENTLY the tubing through and far enough so that the end is above the vents. This will be made easier if you cut the end of the tubing on an angle(sort of 45°) and then insert.
My cannister's tube is black, but if yours is clear, once you have done the above, you will be able to see the bubbles coming out and up in to the filter return. By turning off the filter, you can count bubbles per min.

Len
 
Hello again.

You seem to gave a strong desire to have a high energy (CO2. lotsa light, ferts) planted tank setup. That is fine; some folks can do wonderous things in such an environment.

But it takes a lot of work just to keep things stable, and there isn't a large margin for error. If you want to have a good looking, healthy, low maintenance planted aquariium, you don't need to go that way. In a lower energy approach you wouldn't be able to grow every plant in the book but you would be able to maintain about 80 percent of them, and you wouldn't have the problems that you are having now.

Good luck!

Bill
 
thanks len! ill see if i can try that out.

aquabillpers: part of the reason i am so invested in this approach is because I spent quite a lot on my light (65W CF) and dont want to throw $150 down the drain....maybe i should invest in a 55W bulb? (although $45 is a lot for me right now)

any ideas?
 
Hi,

"Have Light, Will Travel"? LOL If you are going to continue with that high light fixture you are just going to have to accept the fact that your aquarium will require a lot of attention
and probably cause you a lot of headache and expense.

The alternative would be to go to a low energy environment. Here is a link to a presentation given by Tom Barr, who is extremely knowledgeable about most things having to do with the culturing of aquatic plants.

http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/stories/chat/chat_2-27- 04.html

You might also read Diane Walsted's book, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, and Tom's, whenever he gets around to writing it.

Bill
 
"you are going to have to accept the fact that your aquarium will require a lot of attention and probably cause you a lot of headache and expense".

I think people who invest in medium to high lighting in their tanks realize that additional lighting will aid plant growth. Therefore more pruning etc. will be involved. If you like the hobby, this is a labor of love. Not a headache, and IMO, not much more expensive than a low to medium lit tank.
If a balance is found and maintained, little extra work should be required. One of the joys of the hobby is in the satisfaction of finding that balance.
Lighting is, in many cases, the biggest challenge to the aquarist.
I think most of us enjoy the challenge or I wouldn't be into the hobby.


Len
 
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