Barr's Behemoth giant plant tank

Hell had an ice storm too, more pics from old days:








Regards,
Tom Barr

 

More pics:









Regards,
Tom Barr

 

Some have suggested that high CO2 is detrimental to Discus and other fish, yet with the calibrated meter, we can sit about 45ppm with no adverse effects of any sort on color, behavior and based on the general notion of the larger the fish, the more susceptible they are to high CO2, these are massive fish.

So this suggest, and verified such claims as false for these large fish.
Other fish like Cards, shrimp etc are less of an issue.

The accuracy is not dependent on pH or KH, nor does the method consume CO2.
Partial pressures/IR.

Both highly accurate methods.

Place the meter in an area with high flow and move it around to see if there are any low/high spots etc, take that averaged weighted.

Then you get a good measure.

Problem is, many do not have this.
pH and pH control is a poor estimator of CO2, KH moves and changes, particularly if you mess with RO water(this client does). It's fine to monitor pH.........etc, but not to control CO2 directly unless you measure the KH often as well and know where it goes etc.

So some will promote pH controllers, others will not and rail against them.
Without looking at the trade offs within their system and those of others who have issues and what those issues are.

I got a PM saying the CO2 was low in this tank, that's not true.
It's quite high and the method used is far superior to the one claimed and use by the PM claim's.

The CO2 meter here is calibrated, just like a pH meter, however, the poor resolution of the KH in drop checker, and the KH factor in the pH meter, even if you calibrate is suspect, there's no CO2 reference.

So you are still guessing unless you specifically use a CO2 reference to calibrate.

This leads to bad assumptions, myths and errors.

Careful what you assume.
Verify and make sure specifically the parameter of interest.

Science works, and we know what the tolerances are with CO2 for this system. My own tanks had an even higher range.

Same type of comparison BS with light vs estimating vs measuring with a PAR meter etc. everyone claimed ADA had all this light etc, but when measured on real ADA scaped tanks, they all where fairly low light.

If you measure things, do it right.
If not, use practical methods to get around it, eyeball the Riccia for CO2, count bubble rates etc, slowly raise or reduce the light etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

Yes, I've sat and looked at this tank some time myself.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

Dowoni is the Thai name from where is was found.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

Hell froze over.........or we got snow in LA.








Sorry for the blurred pics, did not have much time and light was poor.

Looks much better than the pics do justice.

White sand my original idea, but a planted foreground was the goal initially.
After a few years, the client has becoem a much much better landscaper, even with a bad case of collectoritus.

CO2 was too low in the tank, but most all SA fish now.

The Angels are going to be removed and more wild Discus will be added, about 30 or so.
Later, these will be removed and smaller schooling species will likely be the main theme.

The CO2 system was off by 20ppm, and that is why I came down to fix it and rewire it into the controller functioning with different electric currents(mA and mV) and different connectors Coaxil to regular wires and different capacitors).
PITA. But......once have done it, then it's not bad after.

The calibration method suggested by the CO2 company was off, but we had a reference and then did the pure water + KH calibration tritration.
This agreed with the new probe I calibrated with ref gas, and the tritration with pure bicarb solution.
So a PITA, but nailed it within 1-2ppm.