What Are These? (name The Algeas)

[Underwurlde]

Oh, another question: What diffusor are you using for the CO2?

 

[garuf]

Oh, another question: What diffusor are you using for the CO2?

im using one of these. its a rhinnox 2000 I believehttp/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250094258619aquaticmagic are really good I paid even less than £5 for the drop checker they've even got lilly pipes for £20!and no I dont know anyone with some weighing scales that accurate, I guess I could try at college once I'm back but that's a week away

 

[SuperColey1]

DI water can be bought cheaply at Wilkos or Boyes, a little more expensive at B&Q and even more expensive at Halfords.

Also buy a set of weighing scales from ebay that are accurate to .1 or .01. (£10 max) You can use these for EI measuring as well.

buy 1 x 5Ltr bottle and 1 x 1Ltr bottle of DI (or 6 x 1Ltr bottles)

mix with the 5 Litres 6g Bicarb (This is 40dKH)

Then after shaking this to mix it. Take 10ml of this and mix with 90ml of fresh DI water. You now have 4dKH

Use 3-4ml in your drop checker with 3-4 drops of bromo blue (some ph test kits will work)

If you buy the flo pipes then set them up so the lily output is slightly out of the water and getting plenty of oxygen into the tank and then up the CO2.

I waste a lot of CO2 through this method but it seems to give better circulation and the fish are very happy. a 600g bottles has lasted 2 months though on 4bps and the surface film has not been existent since. Water clarity is awesome. highly recommend doing this.

Andy

 

[Underwurlde]

I've lost track of the DIY mix for droppers; is it still recommended that the bicarb is baked @ Gas Mark 6 for 30 mins first (to expell residual moisture & CO2)?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[JamesC]

Nope as the bicarbonate breaks down to carbonate, carbon dioxide and water. Best to use a fresh unopened container.

James

 

[SuperColey1]

Yeah from my reading before I made mine it was originally suggested to up it to remove the moisture in the bicarb, then later in the threads it was suggested that it changed the composition so to just allow for the water. I think the end figure was 5.99g or something but I just measure 6g.

Must be right because when it went yellow whilst at work in May my fish and shrimp died then when I started off again (very tentatively over 2 weeks) I got algae due to the length of time I took to adjust slightly.

I gave in and decided to ramp it up and permanently raise the Lily Pipe which is when I discovered that the water suddenly went beautifully clear, the circulation improved and the fish started to become a lot brighter.

Andy

 

[garuf]

right I'm with you, I've just ripped out as much algae as I could and added some kno3 and im about to start a black out, to kill off the blue green algae,in the mean time the drop checker is on my side until I get some bicarbonate of soda and DI water and scales. then its just a matter of clearing out the last of the algae doing a replant and sorting out the co2 and ferts? am I right in thinking this will make it algae 0 Gareth 1? ps. id love to the the lilly pipes but my filter and my tank are both too small

 

[nry]

If you buy the flo pipes then set them up so the lily output is slightly out of the water and getting plenty of oxygen into the tank and then up the CO2.....Water clarity is awesome. highly recommend doing this.

Andy

This seems an interesting side effect which I only discovered from an eBay sales listing which mentioned this exact thing - the (big word alert!) hydrodynamic movement of the water flowing out of/past the lily output creates a tiny whirlpool effect which I assume drags the surface film into the water and mixes it all together so the film is no longer seen.

 

[SuperColey1]

id love to the the lilly pipes but my filter and my tank are both too small

Keep on removing the algae once you get the CO2 right and dont disturb the substrate whilst doing it, or do large water changes immediately after disturbing.I will be using a set of flo pipes on my 35Ltr project in March. I will probably be using a larger filter though. either a smaller eheim or EX600 or similar and overfilter but maybe close the flo valves a little.I think I might start a thread in hardware before I decide.Andy

This seems an interesting side effect which I only discovered from an eBay sales listing which mentioned this exact thing - the (big word alert!) hydrodynamic movement of the water flowing out of/past the lily output creates a tiny whirlpool effect which I assume drags the surface film into the water and mixes it all together so the film is no longer seen.

This happens when the whole Lily Pipe is set just under the water level where it creates a vortex just in front of the outlet which sucks in everything then it spins round and round the lily pipe before getting blasted out again.The way I have now set it up so the top lip of the Lily Pipe is above the water line it is one fifth open to the air and 4 fifths submerged it is drawing the oxygen in through the 1 fifthe and blasting oxygen into the tank in the same way as it would do water if submerged.This does of course let CO2 exit the tank but I prefer the clear water and colourful fish and as said the bottle has lasted 2 months and is still going.Andy

 

[garuf]

that makes sense, the only thing is the last of the algae is across the substrate and if you try and remove it it tears up the hc and the substrate at the same time regardless of how gentle or what technique you employ.

my filter is an eden501 and im led to believe the pipes are 10mm could I possibly get t lilly to fit?

 

[SuperColey1]

Only if the make and adaptor for it to turn a 10mm into a 12/13mm

Hozelock are quite good at this. I use a lot of hozelock joins which keeps my hoses in 1½ ft sections and is then easier to clean.

Will the 10mm fit inside a 12mm tightly and then you could slicon it in??

Get 1m of 12/13mm clear hosing from B+Q or maidenhead etc and see.

Andy

 

[garuf]

hmm ill see what I can do, I cant imagine it would be too difficult

does anyone have any rapid growing stem plants of floaters they could donate to help me rid this algae problem I've barely any substrate space but I should have enough to get some stuff growing.

 

[SuperColey1]

You can have all my Hygrophylia Rosanervig, Ludwigia Repens and Rotal Rosefolia when I rescape this week or next (waiting on the gear to arrive once I get back from hols)

pm me your addy and Ill tell you how much the postage cost. you can paypal me it (+ the paypal receiving fee of course. lol)

Andy

 

[garuf]

would they help eradicate algae? are they fast growers?
pm sent

 

[Underwurlde]

Just looking at my notes (a necessity due to an embarrassingly poor memory)...

4.9923 grams of Bicarbonate of Soda (aka Baking Soda) to 5 Litres of distilled / deionized water yeilds 40KH.
take 10ml of this and add it to 90ml of de-ionized water gives 4.0KH for the reference solution.

Not then 5.99g (6g approx)?

Andy