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im back baby! some of you may know i am notorious for making crazy plans and then dropping them well this time ive actually gotten somewhere. ive just ordered 2x55 watt kit and a 2x36 watt kit from AHsupply for my 55 gallon. right now, though i have nothing else planned except to bring my wisteria back. i plan to have lots of pics when i get them and set them up cause i know you guys love pics!

Hey let us know how you like the lights. I have been looking into that for my 20 long set up I have in the planning.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

will do, they are supposed to come tommorrow

got the lights wednesday everything is as it should be, protective coating on the reflectors. i dont have any pictures yet though because i got the wrong wood twice but im getting the good stuff to day. hopefully one will be done for tonight

well my hoods are finished and installed. i must say i really like these lights even if they were $200+ total. the kit came with anything you would ever need for anything you could ever do, which is nice but usually not neccasary and i found no problems what so ever with the equipment.

the hoods were built custom, modelled off one of the plans that came with the kits. i can upload it if anyone wants.

whole aquarium:
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6647/dscf2841pl7.jpg

hoods:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1053/1463825677_f52326f23c_b.jpg

inside hood on:
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7418/dscf2844ee3.jpg

inside hood off:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1425/1463797323_d14b89812a_b.jpg

Looks like you did a pretty nice job. At first I wondered why you didn't center the 32W bulb but then I realized that it was only one part of two over a 55G. What color bulbs did you go with?

Nice batch of rainbows too. I really miss mine.

What are your plans for this tank?

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Oh resle, very nice! I like that driftwood. Those rainbows are beautiful & you have black skirt long finned tetras just like me.

oooo comments! they are 6700k bulbs. i dont have any real plans except to pick up where i left off. and that drift wood (the one on the left) is actually two peices glued together from a completly different tree (i found all my drift wood in my backyard or local lake )

Making your own driftwood!

ooh boy its been a while! and i have a major update!

after getting the new lights i rearranged the tank some what and bought 16 new plants, i got a new ehiem 2213 classic canister filter and 3 otos.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/989/dscf2918wp4.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1924/dscf2924az1.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6893/dscf2925xj4.jpg

HC
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/3851/img2220nm2.jpg

should i split up my HC? i want to create a carpet affect but im afraid of killing it. right now i only have high light and flourish as supplement cause none of my lfs have flourish excel or the like. my ph is 7.5 and my kh is 5 i should have 4.7ppm of co2 in the tank which is only a third of what i need... perhaps i will make a diy co2 or maybe buy one. can i use paintball cylinders? i heard some people used plant spikes and fertilizer for their plants, should i try this since i dont have flourite or eco complete? any input would be helpful im very excited and have lots of questions.

some of the CO2 fizzing tbs could help.. if you wanted a temporary CO@, or you could use painball cylinders, but they wont last very long... and you would need alot of equipment for the CO2 disolving... maybe order the Flourish excel on rush delivery online?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Wow.......talk about a changed tank! I like this new look a lot better! The only way I knew it was the same tank was cause of the background. Great job! It looks more green & alive now.

also maybe try root tabs under those little plants to see if tht help you to give them anutrient rich substrate or nutrients in with the roots can tap into...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

i could try those root tabs to promote carpet growth but once theyve filled in i cant readily replace them is that alright? as far as co2 which method year by year is the cheapest?

PM littlefish or countryfish... (not exact names, but there might be spaces or something...) and ask them, they have logs about their new CO2 and their entire new tank set up...

they say 5 or 10 pound cylinders a PH regulator (or not preferably) and a Glass bubbler( sylenoid?)...

check out the logs and lok at old planted tank logs or search CO2 in the forum and see what comes up.. mighty helpful those oldies are...

sorry i couldnt beof much direct help...



\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

yeah, ive read their logs backwards and forwards. maybe they'll take a gander at my thread

Hi,
The decision to add CO2 should depend upon your "extra"
money, the amount of light on the tank (WPG), and the
types of plants in the tank.

DIY CO2 is "good" for tanks up to around 30 gallons.
After that, the larger tanks require more than two
generators, connected in series/parallel, and the whole
process becomes "WORK" to keep up with the cleaning, mixing,
and repairing of leaking connections.

The largest expense in injected CO2 is the purchase of
the necessary components. You would need, in no special
order, a tank, a dual stage regulator, a reactor or diffuser,
a bubble counter, and a one way check valve. On top of that
you will need some way to keep track of your pH and KH.
Many use a regular pH and KH test kit, while others use
an actual pH monitor such as the "Pin Point" brand.

If you are driving your plants with a WPG of around 3+
Watts Per Gallon then you must furnish the Carbon necessary
for plant growth. You can do that through the addition
of Carbon as a liquid (Flourish Excel, for instance) or you
can inject the CO2 through either DIY CO2 or Bottled CO2.

Over all, the Bottled system, after purchase, is the
least expensive. Where I live, I can get my 5 pound bottle
refilled at an expense of $10, every 6 months. Liquids
would be more expensive, and DIY in larger tanks, is an
unbelievable chore, that has to be done, without fail, on
a far to regular basis.

Low light plants such as Anubis, Crypts etc, will show
"some" increase when CO2 is added, but the medium and
high demand plants are the ones that will react more
aggressively to the addition of Carbon. They will nearly
grow out of the tank, when all things are stable and
favorable for plants.

If your WPG is 2 or less, don't bother. If you have only
low light plants in the tank, I would not bother. The fish
in the tank can take care of most of the nutrients necessary
for the plants, and they would require only a little
additional fertilization.
If your WPG is 2 or over and you have medium and high
demand plants, then by all means, supply the extra carbon
that will be necessary for the plants to thrive.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

after much pondering and research ive decided to buy a pressurized co2 system. ive contacted my local welding supply stores and their equipment prices are sky high so i must look online for a five pounder. is there a site that is by far cheapest/best to order from? ive looked around and most were in the $50+ range.