Here is a first draft of an article I am writing for the article section in the "gregwatson.com" website. I am looking for the following feedback:
1. Is it understandable from a newbie's perspective?
2. Is it technically accurate?
3. I don't want to pretend that any of the theory in this article is mine because it's not. Therefore does it appropriately credit Tom's work?
4. Any and all other feedback welcome.
INTRO TO NON CO2 EXCEL TANKS
Having a planted tank does not have to be very complicated or very expensive. After a couple years in the hobby I have settled on a system which I enjoy very much both for it’s ease and for it’s simplicity. I am a fan of medium light planted tanks which use Excel as a carbon source. I currently have five of them. I have tried pressurized CO2, DIY CO2 and I have tried not using any carbon source at all but this is the system I enjoy the best. The primary source of the technical knowledge behind the system I use is Tom Barr’s article “Non CO2 Methods” at the “barrreport.com”. Please check it out if you want more detailed information.
Always start with the lighting. There is a generally accepted maximum amount of lighting which you can use on this type of a system. Anything over this seems to be asking for an algae bloom unless you add CO2. That maximum is 2 wpg of twin tube type compact fluorescents in the 5k to 10k Kelvin range with good quality reflectors. Now if the reflectors are not very good or if the bulbs are regular fluorescents then you could get away with more wattage because the effective light output is going to be lower anyway. The rule also tends to break down on tanks below 10 gallons because the size of the tank skews the formula allowing a higher watt per gallon ratio without CO2.
All my tanks are right at this maximum level. I like this level because it allows me to grow almost anything anyone else is growing - just more slooowly. The main limitation I have seen is getting the kind of red colors out of the plants that you see in the aquascaping contests. So I can grow Limnophila aromatica, Ludwigia repens and brevipes, Rotala indica etc. but I don’t get the intense reds and purples that some other can. I do still get some color just much less intense and sometimes it’s even only a touch of red. I have accepted this limitation and aquascape my tanks accordingly. There are some plants like Alternathera reinecki aka red temple and Myriophyllum heterophyllum aka red foxtail that do produce beautiful colors for me and there may be others out there that I have not tried.
You can use less light than 2wpg but then you do start to develop more limitations in your plant choices. If you do have lower light levels then you can use the “Plantfinder” at “aquaticplantcentral.com” which can be sorted by light levels so you can choose your plants accordingly. Remember that many of the plants can be grown at lower light levels than stated. They will just grow slower and without the intense reds.
The simplest way to dose is to base your plan on Tom Barr’s recommendations. Here is a sample dosing plan for a tank with a light fish load. This is from a thread on the “barrreport.com”:
So a 20 gal using excel would get:
2 w/gal light
Dose 1/8 teaspoon KNO3 1-2x a week
KH2PO4, 1/16th, 1-2x a week
Traces, 2mls 2x a week
SeaChem EQ 1/8th once a week
50% weekly water change
Dose 1.5-2x the rec dosing for Excel.
The KNO3 and KH2PO4 cover the macrunutrients of Nitrogen, Phosphates and Potassium. The traces and Seachem EQ cover your trace nutrients. The Excel gives you a liquid source of carbon. All of these are available at “gregwatson.com”. You can adjust these amounts based on the size of your tank. So a ten gallon would get half as much, my 37 gallon would get twice as much and my 75 gallon would get four times as much. Yes I know the math is not exact but it doesn’t have to be.
The 50% weekly water changes keep the dosage from adding up to more than twice what you are dosing. This frees you from having to do any testing.
Personally I currently use the regular dosage of Excel and do once a month water changes. Because of this I test once or twice a month for NO3 with a Hach test kit which I have tested against a fixed solution to check for accuracy. I adjust my dosing plan up or down based on those test results and my observation of the aquarium.
For substrate I have used Seachem Flourite and Seachem Onyx Sand. Both products have worked well for me but I definitely prefer the Onyx Sand. I like the color and the smaller size is a little easier to plant in. Whatever you use make sure you rinse it well. My initial use of fluorite was marred by massive cloudiness that required extensive filtration to clear up.
For filtration you can use whatever you like because you don’t have to worry about off gassing CO2 because you are not adding any. I like the hang on tank power filters for their ease of use and minimal expense. I use them with a sponge filter on the inlet and sponge material as media in the units. The initial sponge provides mechanical filtration and I clean it of debris every couple weeks. It also prevents baby fish or shrimp being sucked up by my filters. The other sponge media provides biological filtration. I like to size them so that I get plenty of circulation in the tank which keeps debris from building up and becoming a breeding area for algae. I find the HOT Magnum does well for this in my 37 gallon and my 2 55’s. I also have used this filter with diatom powder when needed to clear up green water or cloudy water.
While I wouldn’t guarantee that your tank will be algae free this system does safeguard you in several ways. The lower light limits and slows algae growth. The fertilizers encourage the plants to grow fast enough to outcompete algae. Excel seems to be able to limit and sometimes eliminate algae particularly at higher doses.
Thanks,
Bill
1. Is it understandable from a newbie's perspective?
2. Is it technically accurate?
3. I don't want to pretend that any of the theory in this article is mine because it's not. Therefore does it appropriately credit Tom's work?
4. Any and all other feedback welcome.
INTRO TO NON CO2 EXCEL TANKS
Having a planted tank does not have to be very complicated or very expensive. After a couple years in the hobby I have settled on a system which I enjoy very much both for it’s ease and for it’s simplicity. I am a fan of medium light planted tanks which use Excel as a carbon source. I currently have five of them. I have tried pressurized CO2, DIY CO2 and I have tried not using any carbon source at all but this is the system I enjoy the best. The primary source of the technical knowledge behind the system I use is Tom Barr’s article “Non CO2 Methods” at the “barrreport.com”. Please check it out if you want more detailed information.
Always start with the lighting. There is a generally accepted maximum amount of lighting which you can use on this type of a system. Anything over this seems to be asking for an algae bloom unless you add CO2. That maximum is 2 wpg of twin tube type compact fluorescents in the 5k to 10k Kelvin range with good quality reflectors. Now if the reflectors are not very good or if the bulbs are regular fluorescents then you could get away with more wattage because the effective light output is going to be lower anyway. The rule also tends to break down on tanks below 10 gallons because the size of the tank skews the formula allowing a higher watt per gallon ratio without CO2.
All my tanks are right at this maximum level. I like this level because it allows me to grow almost anything anyone else is growing - just more slooowly. The main limitation I have seen is getting the kind of red colors out of the plants that you see in the aquascaping contests. So I can grow Limnophila aromatica, Ludwigia repens and brevipes, Rotala indica etc. but I don’t get the intense reds and purples that some other can. I do still get some color just much less intense and sometimes it’s even only a touch of red. I have accepted this limitation and aquascape my tanks accordingly. There are some plants like Alternathera reinecki aka red temple and Myriophyllum heterophyllum aka red foxtail that do produce beautiful colors for me and there may be others out there that I have not tried.
You can use less light than 2wpg but then you do start to develop more limitations in your plant choices. If you do have lower light levels then you can use the “Plantfinder” at “aquaticplantcentral.com” which can be sorted by light levels so you can choose your plants accordingly. Remember that many of the plants can be grown at lower light levels than stated. They will just grow slower and without the intense reds.
The simplest way to dose is to base your plan on Tom Barr’s recommendations. Here is a sample dosing plan for a tank with a light fish load. This is from a thread on the “barrreport.com”:
So a 20 gal using excel would get:
2 w/gal light
Dose 1/8 teaspoon KNO3 1-2x a week
KH2PO4, 1/16th, 1-2x a week
Traces, 2mls 2x a week
SeaChem EQ 1/8th once a week
50% weekly water change
Dose 1.5-2x the rec dosing for Excel.
The KNO3 and KH2PO4 cover the macrunutrients of Nitrogen, Phosphates and Potassium. The traces and Seachem EQ cover your trace nutrients. The Excel gives you a liquid source of carbon. All of these are available at “gregwatson.com”. You can adjust these amounts based on the size of your tank. So a ten gallon would get half as much, my 37 gallon would get twice as much and my 75 gallon would get four times as much. Yes I know the math is not exact but it doesn’t have to be.
The 50% weekly water changes keep the dosage from adding up to more than twice what you are dosing. This frees you from having to do any testing.
Personally I currently use the regular dosage of Excel and do once a month water changes. Because of this I test once or twice a month for NO3 with a Hach test kit which I have tested against a fixed solution to check for accuracy. I adjust my dosing plan up or down based on those test results and my observation of the aquarium.
For substrate I have used Seachem Flourite and Seachem Onyx Sand. Both products have worked well for me but I definitely prefer the Onyx Sand. I like the color and the smaller size is a little easier to plant in. Whatever you use make sure you rinse it well. My initial use of fluorite was marred by massive cloudiness that required extensive filtration to clear up.
For filtration you can use whatever you like because you don’t have to worry about off gassing CO2 because you are not adding any. I like the hang on tank power filters for their ease of use and minimal expense. I use them with a sponge filter on the inlet and sponge material as media in the units. The initial sponge provides mechanical filtration and I clean it of debris every couple weeks. It also prevents baby fish or shrimp being sucked up by my filters. The other sponge media provides biological filtration. I like to size them so that I get plenty of circulation in the tank which keeps debris from building up and becoming a breeding area for algae. I find the HOT Magnum does well for this in my 37 gallon and my 2 55’s. I also have used this filter with diatom powder when needed to clear up green water or cloudy water.
While I wouldn’t guarantee that your tank will be algae free this system does safeguard you in several ways. The lower light limits and slows algae growth. The fertilizers encourage the plants to grow fast enough to outcompete algae. Excel seems to be able to limit and sometimes eliminate algae particularly at higher doses.
Thanks,
Bill
