Hi all,
Thanks in advance for any help. If I can return the favor, please ask! Am new to forums, but am computer literate!
I would like to hear from others on their fish, plants, and experiences!
I have a few questions on c02 and large tanks with trickle filters. I have a 180 gallon with a large trickle filter as my only filter. My water ph is 7.9 out of the tap. Using various diffusers and methods to introduce the c02 to the water, I can get the ph to drop to 7.0, but this is by introducing c02 at such a rate that bps or bpm are irrelevant. I would go thru a 5 gal c02 bottle in about 4 weeks to give you an idea.
Questions:
1. What should the expectation be in this type of setup for the ph to stay at 7.0? It takes several hours for the ph to drop from 7.9 to 7.0. Do others experience the same time frames, or does your ph drop faster?
2. Does anyone else have this type of setup? Every thread I have ever read on the net seems to indicate the a few to 10 bps is fine for their setups, but I see that by and large they use canitster filters and their tanks are smaller.
3. I feel that my kelvin rating is too high for freshwater. Plants all do very well, but I notice a bluish tint. Any reccommendations? I feel that I should be using about a 6500k bulb instead but am unsure.
Unrelated:
1. Any idea where I can purchase some laetacara curviceps or dorsigeri? Wonderful fish that I cannot get locally.
Tank details (I apologize for the amount od detail, but analysis is impossible without data):
180 gallon tank 72 x 24 x 24 inches 684 litres
Dual corner overflow with 220 gallon Sealife model 200 trickle filter powered by twin Mag drive 500 gph pumps.
Head height is 52 inches from bottom of sump to top of tank. only 250 gph at that height.
Water measurements
GH 140-160 MG/l CaC03 moderately hard
KH 90-100 mg/L Excellent buffer capacity
Temp 79.8-80.2 F
Ammonia 0 mg/L
Nitrate 105 mg/l
Nitrite 0 mg/l
C02
PH 7.3 via SMS 122 meter. New calibrated sensor as well!
C02 via MA 957 regulator with 5 or 10 lb bottle
Reactor 200 with RIO 50 diffuser (Plantguild)
No surface ripple
Currently experimenting with flow rates, but am about 20-25 bps at present. If I crank up the pbs, I get a drop in ph, I can get it to 7.0 but the pbs is irrelevant as the agitation in the bubble counter is too great to count.
Lighting
3 150 watt 14,000k HQI Current Sunpod suspended 11.5 inches above the surface.
Lights and C02 attached to timer on the following schedule:
On: 9:00 am
Off: 3:00 pm
On: 6:00 pm
Off: 12:00 midnight
Total Photoperiod: 12.5 hours
Thanks in advance for any help. If I can return the favor, please ask! Am new to forums, but am computer literate!
I would like to hear from others on their fish, plants, and experiences!
I have a few questions on c02 and large tanks with trickle filters. I have a 180 gallon with a large trickle filter as my only filter. My water ph is 7.9 out of the tap. Using various diffusers and methods to introduce the c02 to the water, I can get the ph to drop to 7.0, but this is by introducing c02 at such a rate that bps or bpm are irrelevant. I would go thru a 5 gal c02 bottle in about 4 weeks to give you an idea.
Questions:
1. What should the expectation be in this type of setup for the ph to stay at 7.0? It takes several hours for the ph to drop from 7.9 to 7.0. Do others experience the same time frames, or does your ph drop faster?
2. Does anyone else have this type of setup? Every thread I have ever read on the net seems to indicate the a few to 10 bps is fine for their setups, but I see that by and large they use canitster filters and their tanks are smaller.
3. I feel that my kelvin rating is too high for freshwater. Plants all do very well, but I notice a bluish tint. Any reccommendations? I feel that I should be using about a 6500k bulb instead but am unsure.
Unrelated:
1. Any idea where I can purchase some laetacara curviceps or dorsigeri? Wonderful fish that I cannot get locally.
Tank details (I apologize for the amount od detail, but analysis is impossible without data):
180 gallon tank 72 x 24 x 24 inches 684 litres
Dual corner overflow with 220 gallon Sealife model 200 trickle filter powered by twin Mag drive 500 gph pumps.
Head height is 52 inches from bottom of sump to top of tank. only 250 gph at that height.
Water measurements
GH 140-160 MG/l CaC03 moderately hard
KH 90-100 mg/L Excellent buffer capacity
Temp 79.8-80.2 F
Ammonia 0 mg/L
Nitrate 105 mg/l
Nitrite 0 mg/l
C02
PH 7.3 via SMS 122 meter. New calibrated sensor as well!
C02 via MA 957 regulator with 5 or 10 lb bottle
Reactor 200 with RIO 50 diffuser (Plantguild)
No surface ripple
Currently experimenting with flow rates, but am about 20-25 bps at present. If I crank up the pbs, I get a drop in ph, I can get it to 7.0 but the pbs is irrelevant as the agitation in the bubble counter is too great to count.
Lighting
3 150 watt 14,000k HQI Current Sunpod suspended 11.5 inches above the surface.
Lights and C02 attached to timer on the following schedule:
On: 9:00 am
Off: 3:00 pm
On: 6:00 pm
Off: 12:00 midnight
Total Photoperiod: 12.5 hours