My 90G Planted

Jim Miller

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Need some feedback on this drain/fill plan

I need some feedback on this. I already have the "TB PVC/hose special" and use it without dripping but both wife and daughter are complaining about it. I really don't like it either. An integral system could allow daily changes if needed without hassles.

After giving the drain/fill system more thought here's my current plan. The tank sits next to a 2ftx2ft column in the family room. I'll pull up the carpet a bit from the baseboard there and drill a 5/8" hole for the drain line and a 3/8" hole for the fill line. This will be a mostly manual system. The only "automation" will be a mechanical float fill valve to fill the reservoir.

Drain: not much to say here. I'll put a 1/2" barb tee in one of the drain lines, a ball valve in the line and run a 1/2" reinforced vinyl line down into the basement and into a drain to the sump pit.

Fill: In the basement nearly directly under the tank will be a new, unused Rubbermaid Brute trashcan with lid fed by a 1/4" feedline and mechanical float valve. Near the top will be a hole fitted with a 3/4" bulkhead to act as an overflow drain (stuff happens...) and fed to the same sump pit. I've got an Eheim 1260 submersible pump which will be placed in the bottom of the can and used to pump through a 1/4" line to the tank. The line will be equipped with a check valve and fed through a ball valve to a barb tee in the return line.

Draining will simply be opening the valve under the tank. Filling will be opening the valve and going downstairs to turn on the pump. When filled the valve will be closed then back downstairs to turn off the pump.

The reservoir will allow ground water to be tempered to basement temperature and I can also add some gH booster and dolomite to the water to boost pH and kH from well water source 6.2pH and near zero kH rather than doing it in the tank. Total cost for this will be about $60, $30 of which is for the trashcan.

Jim
 

Gerryd

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Jim,

Sounds good as usual. Just a couple of things...

1). Can you have the pump on/off switch UPSTAIRS proximate to the valve? Would eliminate the trip up and down the stairs..

2). How about an overflow alarm in the reservoir in addition to the overflow bulkhead? Overkill?

3). How about mixing ferts into the big trashcan with a small pump to 'mix'?

Keep us posted as always.....
 

Jim Miller

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Is it necessary to run an airstone in this reservoir? I ask because the depth will be a bit over 36" and the ratio of surface area to depth is much less than the fish tank.

I picked up the trashcan today and the fittings for the Eheim 1260 pump to see how it will work given the 15ft of head it will be working against. I'm using 1/2" instead of 5/8" so the absolute weight of the water column will be less.

I really should be working on taxes...

jim
 

Jim Miller

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Algae war begins. Some before engagement pix on blog. Some new plants randomly stuck in the tank.

Details on the blog.

Jim
 

Jim Miller

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Good progress on the algae wars. Fish doing very well.

I'll do some pics and video sometime this coming week.

Details on blog.

Jim
 

Jim Miller

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I've been slacking on both tank and blogging. Well, actually busting my butt taking care of some other things. In the past few days I've been rearranging some plants and today I replaced my Eheim 1250 flow pump with a 1260 which has 600gph vs 300 for the former. Combined with the 150gph out of the canister filter and pushed into 3 and soon 4 outlets the flow is quite nice. I had previously tried it with just two 3/4" locline outlets and hated the effect. Currently I have the 1.5" return split with a Tee fitting. One end of the tee feeds a locline Wye that feeds a fan nozzle to sweep the back glass and a nozzle which points mostly upwards to ripple the surface. The other end of the Tee currently only has a fan nozzle sweeping the front glass. I'll make it the same as the rear setup as soon as my wye comes in the mail.

I had previously tried this pump but with only two outlets and hated the tornado effect. Adding more outlets really helped distribute the flow.

Fish are loving the additional flow. They're playing like mad right in the outlet for minutes at a time before moving to a slower area to hang out for a while. Then they all group up for another run at the rapids!

Very entertaining!

I'm hoping the addional flow will keep crud in suspension longer so that it gets picked up by the filter more effectively. I think I'll be able to dispense with the nightly airstone which I've been using to breakup the protein layer now that the surface is more turbulent.

So far, so good.

Jim
 
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Jim Miller

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Pix and video updates at the blog.

I added another 3/4" locline output for a total now of four: a fan on front and rear faces and two jets pointing upward to provide ripple.

Moved a lot of plants around, added a lot of new plants, trimmed a ton off the existing ones. Got the drain fill system working nicely; no more dragging hoses around.

Not much left to do but tweaking plants and waiting for growth for the effect I vaguely have in mind. Getting there...

Fertz non-limiting, CO2 ~30ppm, 2 T5NO 24" above MTS/FBS substrate.

jim
 

Gerryd

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Jim,

Looks good. I like the anubias growth in the front. Many new leaves....I see some BBA on the wood?

Fish look happy as do the plants and tank as a whole...
 

Jim Miller

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I'm surprised you could identify it as wood! Yup major BBA raging. Excel has already turned about half of it red in a day of treatment. I got busy working in the house and let it get out of hand before tackling it again. Past experience says it should be all white and falling apart by the end of the weekend.

Bad pix/vids fail to show the stauro in the foreground that has just been trimmed to 1". Everything is growing very well with 2x T5NO in the Catalina fixture.

Jim
 

Jim Miller

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Blog updated again with some stills and an embedded YouTube link. Finally figured out how to do that.

Here's a sample

DSC2878-1024x680.jpg


Jim
 

Jim Miller

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Finally got my 20lb tank hooked up which is nicer than refilling the PB cylinder each month. Moved the PB setup to the 10g dutch attempt.

Received my little Eheim powerhead today. It's a bit comical in that it's so tiny compared to the huge power cord and plug. Same cord and plug that's used on the 1260. I'll try to rig up something to put it at an appropriate height to skim the surface scum.

Recommendations welcomed...

Details on blog

Jim
 

Jim Miller

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Just thought I post on my latest boneheaded move.

I did a water change and a major trim reducing plant stem tonnage by a bit more than a third to get some bushing out. Then I went out to my favorite fish supplier to get some espei rasboras and more amanos.

I came back and did my usual careful intro of the fish into the tank that has served me well. To my surprise the espeis began gasping at the surface!

I scrambled around looking for causes. I quickly added some Prime just in case there was a water problem. And as I was checking my digital thermometer around back I noticed the drop checker was yellow, as in pure LED yellow!!

I turns out that the lack of plant matter combined with forgetting to turn my lamps to full from 1/2 intensity (night time viewing setting) had drastically reduced the CO2 uptake. The result is that the same injection rate was now not being offset by comsumption and the PPM skyrocketted.

I immediately turned off the CO2, began a 50% water change and turned the lights to full power. The espeis gradually began swimming around with their tankmates and by midnight the DC was back to between lime and blue (a bit low) everyone was OK. Including me...

Left the CO2 off until noon today and the DC was solid blue. I dialed up the CO2 to about 70% of normal and by the end of the photoperiod today the DC was a nice lime green.

Won't pull that stunt again!

NB: the existing critter load was fine with the elevated CO2 level. Either they were acclimated to that level or they were species more tolerant.

None the less, from now on when I trim I'll dial back the CO2 accordingly...and make damn sure the lights are full power.

Jim
 

Biollante

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You Call That Boneheaded; You Don’t Know From Boneheaded…


Hi Jim,


The newer critters are just stressed for a while, so anything amiss can cause serious problems.:gw


At least you know your CO2 injection method is efficient and can correlate CO2 uptake with light intensity. :cool::rolleyes:


Biollante