Hey all,
Over the last 2-6 weeks I have done the following:
1. Gone to daily EI dosing. Well, almost daily
Much better than before...
2. Added a Rio 1k for surface agitation. This is on almost 24/7 except for feeding basically.
3. Increased the flow from the MP40 now that fish are larger and the twin Rio 1k nw are out of the tank to replace that flow. This was at the lowest setting possible. It is MUCH higher than that. I like the lagoon modes and such as they vary speeds, slow, fast, etc. I like the swaying effect on the plants. The plants seem to like it as well based on their response!
4. Increasing c02 SLOWLY now that much surface ripple/agitation exists. Much more 02 entering the water. And now more c02 and better distributed.
Since that time I have observed the following:
1. Fish no longer show ANY signs of heavy breathing or c02 stress. This was an issue at times. They seem happier as well.
2. The surface now 'sparkles' more and less film on the surface. Not really an issue before but just 'looks' better.
3. Plant growth is much improved for those species, notably a.coffeefolia, that were lagging for me. They have added 30-40 leaves easy over the last two weeks alone. I am trimming all of the older stuff that doesn't look as good as the new leaves form, so it stays pristine going forward..Leaves are larger as well.
4. Fish seem more active esp in the am and during peak c02 times. The am was an issue as the canisters kept the c02 high..
So, now that I again have good flow and 02, I am able to bump c02 up as well. I had peaked before due to fish stress which caused me to dial it down...
This is making things even better although the ripple and increased mp40 flow did a lot by themselves. I watched for 2 weeks before starting to increase c02, and I saw visible improvement in the anubias w/o any c02 increase.
So, just getting back to basics. I was so focused on aesthetics, that I removed some vital components. Looking back at my archives, my best growth always had EXTRA flow and such, and was not what I was doing here. The twin eheims alone cannot support the FLOW requirements for this tank, but filter it very nicely indeed.
I can live with a PH and one cord
So, it 'SEEMS' so far that a single Eheim 1103 NW pump can service my 220 c02 requirements.
I removed all of the clover visible from a FTS POV and I like the look of the ADA bare...I am going to recarpet but use e.tiandra from Tom. I will leave the clover in the back FTS POV for now and see how the new carpet does. I can always replant with clover and just wait...
The removal of the clover now causes 'erosion' in that the flow from the mp40 causes a depression in the substrate where the bottom of the tank is visible! The clover 'sod' kept this in place. I remember this being an issue when the clover carpet was first forming.
Pics and vids later in the week.
Go anubias!