10 Gallon Planted Tank: The Journal

[Dyjital]

Yeah, but it's odd that I have went from 5ppm to zero.

That's the part that has me scratching my head.


I hope to make a DIY CO2 injection system here within the next few days for the 10g tank. I'm wanting luscious plant growth in that thing.

[Dyjital]

Created a self made CO2 injection system for this planted tank.



Each 2 liter bottle has a check valve, both go into a T that runs into the 20oz bottle for an air/gunk seperator then one line runs from the 20oz bottle into the tank to an airstone. There is a check valve between the 20oz bottle and the airstone.

Total cost: approx $15

Proof that it works: Priceless

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMpN6wjrzq0

I'm getting a LOT of air coming through the stone and into the tank. I picked up the finest airstone that they had @ the pet store.
The reason I ran two 2 liter bottles is because my first design was one 1 gallon milk jug and I didn't know if i had enough pressure to overcome the water that was sitting in my lines. After setting up the two 2 liter bottles with my new setup I realize I have more than enough.

Original design called for.
Milk jug with check valve leading into 20oz bottle, then going into the tank. There wasn't the series of extra valves to prevent water from coming into the 20oz bottle. I think that was my flaw. I will need to monitor the CO2 levels now because of this increase... don't want my fish to die and I can't put them in the other tank since that would blow my bioload way up there.

I will attempt to distill the mash that I'm creating when it's done fermenting. I'll do that for every batch. I'll keep distilling till it's near moonshine. I should have approx 10oz of some nice hard stuff. (I can heat water up to approx 180* and boil off only the alcohol and use some of my extra tubing to make it go through a cooling tank then down into a glass.) *Yes I'm a nerd and I love to experiment*... next time I buy yeast I'll get brewers yeast but this time I did Bakers yeast since it produces more CO2 but less alcohol.

[Dyjital]

Bronze water.


The elgeria densa in center of frame grew 1.5" last night.
Compare from 7 days ago:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XSI5ZPixSlg/TD-yi ... NY1811.JPG

Did two 50% changes today to clear it up.... still waiting on the Purigen...

[Dyjital]

I 'scored' one of these from ebay for $.99, and $3.99 for shipping from taiwan.

I saw it had 2 hours left with no bids and min bid was $.99 so I offered a dollar. Score. Should work a lot better as a CO2 diffusion than my airstone.


Now if it just doesn't take 5 years to get here.

[Dyjital]

5 days since last photo:



The plants on the right side of the tank are growing like weeds, I don't know what's up with the left side....
I have yet to figure that part out. I'm wondering if there is an uneven CO2 distribution going on but that seems highly unlikely with the amount of water movement that I have.

The red fin part of the tetras is starting to fade on one of them. I think that it's the one that's getting picked on all the time as the other three are still bright red on the fins.

I haven't had much of an issue with the tannins lately. It's taking longer for the tank to start to turn colors than it did before.
I can currently go 2-3 days without a change before the water starts to show color. I'm going one 50% water change every 2-3 days just to be on the safe side with the cycling and such.

I still have yet to use the Purigen as it's in the mail en-route right now. By the time it's here I doubt I'll need to use it.

Air stone still has some serious fungus growing on it which is to be expected with the DIY CO2 system from what I have read. It's actually doing some good though, it's kept the big bubbles from coming up and made it so there is two small streams of small bubbles that almost completely dissolve by the time they hit the surface. I can scrape the stuff off the airstone but within a day it's back to full force. Why bother, it's not hurting anything

[JohnL]

[k0y0te]

looking good.

[Dyjital]

Things have changed a LOT in the last 4-5 days. Not so much physically but the chemistry of the tank and the stability of it...



Tank stats:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: .5ppm
Nitrate: 5-10
ph: 7 (wohoo!!!)

I have removed the disposable filters from the pump(filter) and have tossed in a pad of filter floss?. Still running the crushed coral in the back of there. I believe that within a week or two I should be able to clean the filter out completely and let it just cycle water and hold the Purigen (which I haven't used yet.. and don't know if I need to anymore) and the coral.

I have since trimmed the Amazon Sword back and it's taking to that rather well. I'm considering putting one in my other tank as a center plant.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRSvQZLt-Xg

CO2 is still doing really well. My first batch of 2 liter bottles went kaput in 1 week. I had too much yeast. Though might I add I did do a little distillation... and I think I made 200 proof on my first try. It smelled like rubbing alcohol and it burned my nose and eyes when I smelled it. Was like smelling salts... total eye opener.

I have since cut back to one 2Liter bottle but the plumbing is still there for the second. I'll do them on a 1 week cycle. Every week I'll empty one or add one. If that makes sense. I have the check valves in place so it's still a closed system. I just have two hookups.

[Dyjital]

My CO2 diffuser bubbler piece came in today.

It's putting out some seriously small bubbles that are going crazy in the tank. It's such a fine mist I wasn't aware that bubbles could be so small.

[the grouch]

lookin up, thanks for posting so thoroughly it really interesting, so glad its turning round for you, that densa has such a healthy white stem

[Paul]

It's such a fine mist I wasn't aware that bubbles could be so small.

It's actually quite pretty when you see them swirling at that size. When we change our filters in the undersink kitchen filter it makes micro bubbles in the water.

Has the tannin slowed yet? I set up a 10 gallon planted tank a few weeks ago too and mines still leaching like crazy, and I have only been doing a half water change a week because I can't be bothered doing them more often since it doesn't bother the fish...When the plants in mine are better established I might pull it all down and try a different soil mix.

[amyabe2001]

Hi
The planted tank is very pretty! I like it.

[Dyjital]

The tannin leaching is slowing down a little. I did a 50% change last night just to clarify the water.

The tannins have stained my biowheel and coral that's in the filter.

[Dyjital]

Tannins are making some tea water again.

My PURIGEN FINALLY arrived!! WOHOO!!

Stuck it in the tank tonight and we'll see how much of a difference it makes in the morning.

Good thing is that it is reuseable in a 50:50 mix bleach:water for 24 hours, rinse and reuse. Since it absorbs all sorts of things I'm hoping it doesn't mess with the bio filter too much and just hits the tannins that have stained everything. My bio-wheel, crushed coral and it's even starting to stain the fish... ok, no so much on the fish but everything else.

[Riles]

haha ur fuunny tanks looks great dyj, wish i had the time and patience to grow real plants..