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Hopefully my water is better now.... what next..?
Thanks for all your replies and help with diagnosing the problem with
my tank water. Here's where I've got to now.. (with a few questions, if anyone can lend a hand please..) I removed all plants and discarded all those that were not healthy or had algae (i.e. most of them). Pulled out the undergravel filters/powerheads. Hoovered all the gravel over the last 4 days causing a 25% water change/day (a bit drastic I know) and it looks pristine. One thing that crossed my mind - I've got on average about 2" gravel - is that about the right amount? Replanted, cleaned glass and flouro tubes and replaced mylar (posh baco foil) reflector on lid. I put all the driftwood & bark into a fairly strong bleach solution for a day then have left it on the shed roof to wash in our great British weather - can I re-use the bark/driftwood ?? It's been well washed over the last dew days! Today I installed an Eheim 2329 wet/dry (bio) filter (what fun that was! and why do they supply such short hoses? I had to spend £14 to buy new ones), the biggest surprise was how much the water level goes up and down as it 'breathes' - I'm hoping this, in conjunction with the Eheim 2217 and removal of the UGF's will keep my water sweet. I've ordered a pair of 150W metal halide lights that'll help with the plant growth. They're 2nd-hand and I'll have to replace the bulbs, does anyone know what I should be looking for in terms of K rating? - for freshwater tropical, so the MH is mainly there for the plant growth. Should I also continue to run the 3 x 36W Triton's in conjunction with the MH lamps for about 10hrs/day? At the time of writing the fish all seem very happy - such lovely smiles - and with all the manky plants gone, there's so much space! Thanks in advance for your continued help Pete |
#2
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Hopefully my water is better now.... what next..?
"Pete" wrote in message
news Thanks for all your replies and help with diagnosing the problem with my tank water. Here's where I've got to now.. (with a few questions, if anyone can lend a hand please..) I removed all plants and discarded all those that were not healthy or had algae (i.e. most of them). Pulled out the undergravel filters/powerheads. Hoovered all the gravel over the last 4 days causing a 25% water change/day (a bit drastic I know) and it looks pristine. One thing that crossed my mind - I've got on average about 2" gravel - is that about the right amount? I have 2-3" in my planted tanks. Actually I have mostly profile with a thin layer of gravel over. But I had a 10 gallon that was strictly gravel that managed to grow C. wendtii like weeds. Replanted, cleaned glass and flouro tubes and replaced mylar (posh baco foil) reflector on lid. I put all the driftwood & bark into a fairly strong bleach solution for a day then have left it on the shed roof to wash in our great British weather - can I re-use the bark/driftwood ?? It's been well washed over the last dew days! How strong a solution? I'd be tempted to soak it in water in a bucket until I could no longer smell any chlorine (sniffing the driftwood, not the water). Today I installed an Eheim 2329 wet/dry (bio) filter (what fun that was! and why do they supply such short hoses? I had to spend £14 to buy new ones), the biggest surprise was how much the water level goes up and down as it 'breathes' - I'm hoping this, in conjunction with the Eheim 2217 and removal of the UGF's will keep my water sweet. I've ordered a pair of 150W metal halide lights that'll help with the plant growth. They're 2nd-hand and I'll have to replace the bulbs, does anyone know what I should be looking for in terms of K rating? - for freshwater tropical, so the MH is mainly there for the plant growth. Should I also continue to run the 3 x 36W Triton's in conjunction with the MH lamps for about 10hrs/day? http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/ I'm pretty casual about lighting - using the hoods that came with the tanks (at least they're fluorescent!). My plants don't mind low light. I think the amount of light partly depends on the kind of plants. E.g., more colorful plants require more light. At the time of writing the fish all seem very happy - such lovely smiles - and with all the manky plants gone, there's so much space! Thanks in advance for your continued help Pete Good luck in your pursuit. Gail |
#3
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Hopefully my water is better now.... what next..?
On Thu, 25 May 2006 03:11:30 GMT, "Gail Futoran"
wrote: "Pete" wrote in message news Thanks for all your replies and help with diagnosing the problem with my tank water. Here's where I've got to now.. (with a few questions, if anyone can lend a hand please..) I removed all plants and discarded all those that were not healthy or had algae (i.e. most of them). Pulled out the undergravel filters/powerheads. Hoovered all the gravel over the last 4 days causing a 25% water change/day (a bit drastic I know) and it looks pristine. One thing that crossed my mind - I've got on average about 2" gravel - is that about the right amount? I have 2-3" in my planted tanks. Actually I have mostly profile with a thin layer of gravel over. But I had a 10 gallon that was strictly gravel that managed to grow C. wendtii like weeds. Replanted, cleaned glass and flouro tubes and replaced mylar (posh baco foil) reflector on lid. I put all the driftwood & bark into a fairly strong bleach solution for a day then have left it on the shed roof to wash in our great British weather - can I re-use the bark/driftwood ?? It's been well washed over the last dew days! How strong a solution? I'd be tempted to soak it in water in a bucket until I could no longer smell any chlorine (sniffing the driftwood, not the water). Today I installed an Eheim 2329 wet/dry (bio) filter (what fun that was! and why do they supply such short hoses? I had to spend £14 to buy new ones), the biggest surprise was how much the water level goes up and down as it 'breathes' - I'm hoping this, in conjunction with the Eheim 2217 and removal of the UGF's will keep my water sweet. I've ordered a pair of 150W metal halide lights that'll help with the plant growth. They're 2nd-hand and I'll have to replace the bulbs, does anyone know what I should be looking for in terms of K rating? - for freshwater tropical, so the MH is mainly there for the plant growth. Should I also continue to run the 3 x 36W Triton's in conjunction with the MH lamps for about 10hrs/day? http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/ I'm pretty casual about lighting - using the hoods that came with the tanks (at least they're fluorescent!). My plants don't mind low light. I think the amount of light partly depends on the kind of plants. E.g., more colorful plants require more light. At the time of writing the fish all seem very happy - such lovely smiles - and with all the manky plants gone, there's so much space! Thanks in advance for your continued help Pete Good luck in your pursuit. Gail Thanks Gail - interesting weblink. I was wondering which type of bulb to use in the MH setup and now I think I know. Thnaks again & best wishes Pete |
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