Some new pics of a 350 gal tank

[Tom Barr]

This tank is still not yet done. I have some foreground plant changes I need to add that the large plecos keep mauling. The Lobelia is taking so I'll work that in there. The A adonis (Black satan plecos, there's 4 of them in here) are about 6-8" now and uproot the plants. The Lobeia in a test spot have remained.
I have some more grouping changes planned and some different rock work planed later.

Have to work some more on a few sections, but it's coming along, note, this is after a big trim and a large water change, so it's a bit murky actually.

Standard full EI, 50-60% weekly water changes, plain flourite that's distrubed often, lots if current and filtration, wet dry etc.

 

[Tom Barr]

More pics:

Lots of fish in this tank and the system is very well balanced, standa EI and there are many fish you cannot see in the pic, the ball of Rummy's is a fast moving horde, the Cardinals do their own schooling.

I'll get a mpeg soon, a picture will never do the justice of such large high fish densities in planted tanks.




Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

More pictures:

Side view, the vermin feeding frenzy,


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Here's an older view

Note the Hygro leaf holes, they are not present on the new leaves, nor the older lower leaves.

This is directly due to low CO2, the tank ran out on the client's tank.
You will note that it cause the leaves closest to the the meristem to suffer, while the rest of the plant was fine.

The expression of the holes took several days after the treatment of low CO2 occured.

Often there are developmental delays in nutrient expression treatments, generally a week or so.

If this where some other nutrients issue, such as K+ or NO3, the tips would be stunted or the lower leaves would have the patterning.

Such specifric and closely related nutrient deficiency issues are common in aquatic plants. Blackened Java fern occurs after slightly low chronic CO2 after about 2-4 weeks time. Mosty of the other plants did fine during this time. Adjusting the CO2 back up and waiting a couple of weeks restored nice new leaf growth with new leaves appearing and filling in about 4-8 weeks later.

 

[rusticitas]

What is the species...

Is that a Farowella(sp?) in the first post's middle picture, resting on the rock?

 

[Tom Barr]

No, Sturistoma aureum.

About 12" long.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[2wheelsx2]

There's a wet/dry filtration system in that tank? How are you able to manage to retain enough CO2 in that tank? How is it provided? Misting, or a reactor, or both?

 

[Tom Barr]

You raise the overflow box water levels to about 2-3" below the surface.
Then seal the dry section of the wet/dry filter with tape or plug vent holes.

What goes in and degasses, also degasses right back in.
The deal is that it still works well because there's rapid exchange in the gas phase for the bacteria to use the O2, which is also degassed and used by bacteria in that chamber, and then the bacteria give off?

CO2, so the net use is less O2 and more CO2.
But if you vent the dry section, you will lose the CO2 quickly.
CO2 is fed directly into the return via 2 reactors and running about 800 gph through both of them.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[2wheelsx2]

That's a great solution. Thanks for the details. I hadn't thought about sealing off the "dry" section. I guess since solubility of the CO2 is so good, it makes it work quite well.

 

[Tom Barr]

It's no different than a cansiter filter if it's sealed.

What goes in, must come out.
Same with a canister.

It's sealed as well.
Rather simple concept

So if the dry section is sealed, why would it be any different than a canister?
If you measure the CO2 closely, it's not.
The loss is due to air exchange with an unsealed section, or due to over flow drops.

You can raise the overflow to the tank level and eliminate that as a possibility and then isolate and focus on the wet/dry section to see.

Once you have a good handle on the wet/dry section, then you go back and check the overflow response when you lower it 1", 2", 4" 12", 20" and so on.

You lose very little at 2-3", but it starts to lose CO2 at 4" or more inches depending on flow rates and mixing.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[2wheelsx2]

Is there any reduction in the efficiency of the "dry" section now, since it has limited air exchange? I am not sure how much O2 is needed for that process to be efficient, and it seems in a sealed area, you are limiting the air exchange and just making this a giant canister, so to speak. Would a traditional wet/dry have any advantages to this design, in terms of nitrifying?

If not, I guess the only disadvantage of this design is when it comes to cleaning the bio media (not as easy access) after a long period of time as gunk builds up?

 

[Tom Barr]

Namely with the exchange rate, the gas phase is a more rapid response than the liquid dissolved gas phase.

Same idea behind the CO2 mist effect.
O2 will degas in there like CO2, but then redissolve back into solution.

Every critter and plant must take a gas into the liquid phase for use.
So if the gas is close to the exchange site, say your lungs, or a fish's gills or a plant's stomata, or a algae's cell surface, then it'll happen faster vs a liquid which is a slower denser media than gas.
Once inside, then the critter/plant etc can use it in the liquid phase.

But the rate of getting it there, is much faster with a gas than a liquid as well as better mixing etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[2wheelsx2]

Cool. Thanks for the detail explanation, Tom. Wish you were my biology prof when I went to school, I probably would have taken more biology classes. But then we were both probably undergrads at the same time. (Graduated with a BASc in '87)

 

[dcheese44]

Are there bio balls in the wet/dry system?

 

[Tom Barr]

Yes, about 20 gallons of Bio balls or so.
There's also a 2250 Ehiem and another that's not been brought on line yet.

I suppose I'll fire it up soon.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[David Hui]

I use the durso pipes and found the air hole suck in a lot air.

 

[fresh_newby]

Tom:

The tank is glorious. I have a species question...the very first pic on this thread in the upper left background, you have a crpt of sorts, very green, slight undulation to the leaves but clearly not a balansae...can you tell me what that is? I have about 10 of them, and still don't know which spcies it is.

 

[Tom Barr]

Oh, that weed, C spiralis most likely. Very weedy plant.

I use Crypts in place of Vals etc and other grass like plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Well, I try to get the tank going, but the frigging fish mow the foreground every time.
Namely these guys and there are 4 of them and this is not the big one,

Pretty and interesting fish though.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[BHornsey]

I use the durso pipes and found the air hole suck in a lot air.

David, I found the same. Tom helped me with my sump. I couldn't keep CO2 at a reasonable level. I then sealed up the return area and it made a big improvement but still drew a lot of air in through the Durso.

After a bit of thought I decided to run a 3/4" pipe from the sealed chamber into the top of the Durso. This way, all that is being pulled down the standpipe is CO2 gassed off in the return chamber and it works a charm.