Nano Tank Going A Little More Tech

[snowflake311]

Looking good hows the HC now? I had to change my substrate when I first tried it, didn't like my sand so bought some oliver knott substrate and I was great.

Thanks guys.
Most of the HC has rooted and is looking heathy there is some new growth. When I bought it was in a mat form and I should have just laid the mat down and not have ripped it apart. The sand I have is only a dusting on the top the real substrate in the plant stuff. I al most want to by another mat of HC and try again. But I will just wait this batch out and see how it goes.

I just went out and collected some great sticks they are soaking. I was thinking of a stick bruise the rock . Or maye one to put more on the bottom like a branch that fell in? I don't know I have not played with the sticks in the tank yet.

I will get some photos when I start to play with the sticks.

 

[snowflake311]

Ok beside the carpet looking really weak I have the lay out how I want it. I need to move my CO2 tube it looks really bad in the back in plain view.

I found the perfect sick.

 

[lljdma06]

How are you measuring CO2, you using the pH kh method? Sheesh, haven't used that for over 5 years, since I first started in Planted. Do yourself a favor and invest in a dropchecker. It's better. They're like $5 US in the place I cannot mention but we all know the name, rhymes with "say"...

Then you grab an old pH test kit (has the bromithol blue you'll need) and then make your own 4dkh solution (distilled water and baking soda) for the dropchecker and it's a much better way to measure that CO2 and get it stable using Yeast injection, and you save yourself math problems everyday. We'll walk you through how to install a dropchecker, though there is an article in PARC.

Liz

 

[snowflake311]

I have a drop checker now its on the right near the top its in that photo. Its a dark green in that photo because I had just switch over my Yeast mix and just did a WC. Yes I was useing the old way of KH and PH. It gave me a ball park figure I know it is not accurate but it give you an idea of what is going on. When I did it I saw a changes in my number from when I first added co2 and then I big drop off when my bubbles were really slow.

The only thing I don't get about the drop checker is the 4dkh solution. how do I make that. The checker worked fine with aquarium want and i once used tap water. I got a good color chage with both. But I understand that the 4dkh solution give you a more accurate reading because it like a control.

 

[snowflake311]

My tap water takes 3 drops to change color when doing the KH test. My Tank water takes 4 drops. I just did this tonight. I changed the Mix at 10:30am this morning after a 80% Water change. These are the readings I am getting now at 9:30pm.

So to make this magical 4dkh solution I need distilled water and add baking soda to it so that the KH only takes 4 drops to change color right



on the left is my PH out of the tap. The right is my ph in the tank.

This is my Drop checker photo taken at the same time i took these readings. the water I used was aquarium water from after the wc.

I will post again all this tomorrow. I will also do a before and after photo of the difference the 4dkh solution shows. and see what you guys think my Co2 is at.

thanks.

 

[lljdma06]

OK, didn't know you're using a dropchecker I see it in the picture now. I'd use 4dkh though, not aquarium water. The aquarium water has other things in it that could effect the reading (waste, minerals, stuff like that) and tap water is the same. If you do the 4dkh right, it's more accurate, at least IMO.

I purchased a jeweler's scale on the place that cannot be mentioned for less than 10$ US and it measures a very fine amount, I think three decimal places, which is extremely good. In the dropchecker article in PARC, the first part of it is a discussion on how to make your own 4dkh. With a jeweler's scale, you can easily measure the right amount so you're not making gallons of 4dkh. I got mine down to about 100ml that I could use. Still lasted forever. Still much cheaper than buying the reference solution, which I think is ridiculously priced.

 

[snowflake311]

Ok I got some distilled water. With a little tweaking I made it so that is took 4 drops to change the color on the KH test. I used a few different glasses and a medicine syring to add drops of harder water mix to the distilled.

I just changed the yest mix again after a water change done the same way as the last one. We will see if I get better results with my drop checker now. In 2 hours I will take a photo of the drop checker.

 

[snowflake311]

Well I never saw much of a difference in color when I did the drop check water different. Any ways here are some photos I took of my fish in this planted tank.

I love these guys.

A ramshorn snail came with some plants. I like him.

My neons and 2 cardinals. Then there are my newest fish the galaxy danions. I have wanted some of these for ever.

 

[snowflake311]

I also got some wine and champagne yeast to try out. I just mixed up a new batch.

 

[snowflake311]

I have the halgen co2 canister for DIY mix. What I do is fill the same amount of sugar they say to with the same amount of water they say to. I was using bread yeast and for 2 days it would make crazy amounts of bubbles and I was getting a good amount of co2 then it would die down on the 3rd day and by the end of the week it was done.

Now I bought a few types of wine and champagne yeast. I am using a champagne yeast now I added a little more then 1/4tsp. The bubbles never went crazy it just seems to be very stead and constant it's only been 2 days but thus yeast seems more stable. I think I need to add more yeast because I get maybe 1 bubble a second and my drop checker is green not light green like it would get when the bread yeast was cranking.

But I think the fact the yeast is so consistent that might be more important then a blast of co2 that dies off quick. Right?

It's an interesting experiment trying to find the perfect yeast.

 

[lljdma06]

Feed those galaxies, they are not in the best shape. Bellies look real shrunken to me. I know they are new, so make sure that they get food. Your neons will bully them for food, typical tetras, so make sure the galaxies eat. Sorry, me wearing my "fish" hat.

 

[snowflake311]

Feed those galaxies, they are not in the best shape. Bellies look real shrunken to me. I know they are new, so make sure that they get food. Your neons will bully them for food, typical tetras, so make sure the galaxies eat. Sorry, me wearing my "fish" hat.

Yes I just got them. They had just been shipped to the store the day I got them.. They are eating and pooping. These guys are tiny but have colored up nicely. One had a missing part of his tail it's healing fast. They are doing great. I have taken in way worst off fish before these guys will be fine.

I am moving the tetras to another tank and getting more galaxy. The galaxies danios are way more fun and entertaining then the neons. The tetras don't bully them but they are very fast and are first to get the food. If you want to see bully fish check out my uarus at feeding time.

 

[snowflake311]

Well besides the fact I have a new kind of algea in the tank every thing is well. I am tgfixing the problem so it will be ok in time. So I bought 5 Cherry shrimp and 4 more galaxy danios.

I moved the betta and neons to a 5 gal I just set up. I added some clippings from my 10 gal because those plants grow like weeds. I also ordered weeping moss, flame moss, and Fissidens fontanus . The weeping moss will be tied to the branch the flame moss with be on a rock to be like a bush. The Fissidens fontanus since it is so slow to grow will go in the 10 gal to replace the java moss rock. The java moss rock will go in the 5 gal because that's going to become a moss tank kind of. I might even get some riccia and make a carpet in the 5gal or just cover a few rocks with it.

Here is a photo of my shrimp and my drop checker that has the 4dkh water in it. So you can see the color it is. I'm thinking for doing a DIY co2 tank for the 5 gal but not sure. That tank has 1 20watt cfl. Not sure I need it I will just does excel.

 

[snowflake311]

Here is a crappy photo of the 5 gal work in progress

 

[snowflake311]

Up date my HC has taken over. The tank is very green. I added a bit of moss to the branch and My shrimp had baby shrimp I am very excited about that.

before and after.
HC then when i first planted it.

Same shot and look at it now.

This was April 27 2011

Full tank shot of it now today. I cut the plants back a lot a few days ago so its not looking as full.

My baby shrimp