Complexity's 90g Planted Tank Journal

[aquabee]

I use 2-3 mL per gallon as my H2O2 dosing measurement. Seems to work pretty well provided I leave the filter on. I also spot-dose on top of that with the filter off.

[Complexity]

looking great vicki! are those a couple lifeguard intake kits linked together?

Good eyes! Yes, I'm using the Lifeguard Customflo kits. I modify them a little to make them go the way I want, but this is how I have them on every tank. There's another double long spray bar closer to the bottom on the back wall which is coming off the first canister. That one is doing the CO2. So the CO2 is being dosed all along the full length of the tank, from the back wall, directed forward. The second spray bar closer to the top helps with circulation. The way it's directed actually pulls the water downward a little from the surface. So the two serve to churn the water very well, mixing up the CO2 nicely, avoiding dead spots. I get a very strong current this way.

what is your rule of thumb for dosing H2O2 safely...you said both 50ml (0.2cup) and 1.5 cups (355ml) as full tank doses? i like your scheme there with the lights / circulation, i will try that if this hair algae doesnt die all the way out. your explanation of why staghorn shows up made sense to, the NH3 spike from a failed filter is likely what caused mine so perhaps the excel / amano combo isnt what cleared it up so quickly but rather my filter became reestablished

My previous post stating 50ml as a full tank dose was wrong. I have a spreadsheet that I created long ago to calculate the dosage for all my tanks of both, H2O2 and Excel. I accidentally read the Excel maximum dosage (50ml) for the 90g tank when I meant to read the H2O2 maximum dosage (1.5 cups). This is for a whopping 4ml per gal dosage which is extremely high. I've been pushing that limit up and up for a long time so I knew it would be safe. The highest I've ever seen anyone ever recommend has been 3ml/gal.

Here's my H2O2 chart for my 90g tank:

90g: 3/4 - 1-1/2 cups

R	G	ml	oz	ml - cups	oz - cups
2	90	180	6.09	0.76	0.76
3	90	270	9.13	1.14	1.14
4	90	360	12.17	1.52	1.52

The first column is the per gallon rate and the second column is the tank size (in this case, 90g). Then I calculate the ml and oz for each per gallon rate which I then convert over to cups which is easier to use with larger tanks.

I have a chart like this for every tank I have. I simply have to plug in the tank size, and the spreadsheet does the work for me. I have the same exact thing for dosing Excel which is how I got the two doses mixed up.

I did dose the maximum of Excel one time, but man, did it stink! That's a LOT of Excel for one tank! The smell really bothered me so I did a 50% water change a few hours later. Still, no harm to fish, inverts, or plants.

Oh, I forgot to add to the list of critters that survived the H2O2 and Excel treatment: Assassin snails. I have a bunch of baby assassin snails in the tank, and they're all doing great even with the very high levels of H2O2.

[Complexity]

I use 2-3 mL per gallon as my H2O2 dosing measurement. Seems to work pretty well provided I leave the filter on. I also spot-dose on top of that with the filter off.

I combine the two. I calculate the maximum dose for the full tank. Then I spot treat that full amount instead of just pouring it into the tank water. That way, I can hit a lot of the problem areas directly while still not overdosing the tank as a whole.

I leave the filters and lights off for the first 15 minutes to give the spot doses a chance to do their thing. Then I turn the filters on (leaving the lights off) so the H2O2 can circulate all through the water and filters, doing its thing everywhere. Then I turn the lights on (hey, I love to see the snowstorm of oxygen! ).

I used to do water changes after all that, but then I realized it was pointless since H2O2 breaks down into H2O and O—water and oxygen—both of which are perfectly safe for everything in the tank. So now I don't bother.

The only thing is that I'm careful to not add another dose while the first dose is still active for fear that the combination could result in a dangerous overdose. The way I look for the dose still being active is by the way the targeted areas throw off oxygen bubbles. Once that completely stops, then I know the H2O2 has broken down and it's safe to dose again.

[Totenkampf]

i am actually building a PVC kit where both filters will meet in a common spraybar across the top of my 75 gallon and then also have vertical spraybars in front of the corner intakes but i was concerned that the spraybar across the top would whip the vals and long stem plants around too much and block off the rest of the tank. i have even arranged the valving so that you can prime one canister with the other and so i wont have to wear out that stupid eheim priming bulb ever again lol. the bars will be adjustable too i can play with different flow patterns. i currently have a clockwise vortex going with the spraybars mounted vertically in the corners. i like the idea of the bottom bar for CO2, I am hoping to get the CO2 chopped up enough in my reactor that i can use just the top bar but maybe i will leave the design open for lower bars.

[Complexity]

I suggest that you consider your very same arrangement, but without having the two canisters connected. Or, at the very least, make sure your arrangement will work with one of the canisters disconnected. There will be a time when one of your canisters will fail. A broken part, a leaky gasket, a darn MTS snail caught in the impeller when you don't have time to clean it out... you will want to be sure your tank can continue to run with the single filter while the second filter is disconnected. It's happened to me a number of time. Sometimes only for an hour or two, but sometimes for a few days while I've waited for a part to come in. Filters do age, and over time, things do fail. Minor things, but they still happen.

You can keep your same design without having the canisters actually connected to each other. Just decide what parts of the plumbing each canister will handle. You can even butt up two spraybars to each other as if they were connected if you wanted.

What kind of reactor do you have? I highly recommend the Rex style PVC reactors. They're cheap to make and the CO2 is completely dissolved into the water before it enters the tank. No waste at all.

I prefer to dose the CO2 at the bottom of the tank since it naturally travels upward towards the surface. I don't know if it really matters, but it makes me believe it's getting to the base of the plants better than if I dosed it at the top of the tank. However, with as much flow as i have throughout the tank, it probably doesn't matter either way.

The bottom spray bar doesn't push the plants around as much as the top spray bar does. That's mostly because the tips of the plants are more prone to be pushed by the current than the base of the plants. It is a consideration to keep in mind. My plants are blown forward at the top. However, as they grow, they eventually fill in to the point they are able to resist the flow so it all evens out. If the flow is too strong, I can always adjust it to slow it down.

[eklikewhoa]

Really nice plant growth you have going on!

I agree, trying to work around a hardscape and have it grow in takes some work.

[Complexity]

Thanks, EK! The plants are finally beginning to take off. In fact, some are reaching the surface again which is becoming a problem because I don't want to do a trimming right now, but I think I'm going to be forced into one.

Working around hardscape isn't any extra work. it just gets buried and doesn't show. If the rock sticks up only 6" and the plants grow to 7", there goes the rock! So in the end, it just means there's that much less physical "floor" space in the tank to plant the plants with no aesthetic benefit.

[eklikewhoa]

I think with hardscape you have to plan around it and then the plants won't engulf the scape, then hopefully work in unison.

[Complexity]

Okay, then in that respect, then I'd agree with you. I'm not that good at preplanning my plant placements.

Here's pretty much how I go about it:

Let's see... tall plant so it has to go in the back. Can't put it next to another plant with similar texture or color. How about here? Nope, no room. Here? Nope, that other plant will shade it. Maybe here? Darn, that won't work either. Oh, here's a spot! PLOP! Planting done!

I'm not the greatest at planning out my plants. That might explain why I have a tank busting full of plants with two more shipments of plants still coming.

[Totenkampf]

The canisters are connected at either end or the tank and each has its own valve manifold. I can isolate each canister, run it in bypass / recirculation, balance flowrate, or route the output of one to the input of the other to force it to prime. The whole idea was to cause minimal disturbance during maintenance / failure. I will even be able to fill and drain the tank via these, after i make the carbon snake.

i have an aqua medic 1000 reactor which is probably the design the Rex copied when he didnt wanna drop a hundy on it. I got mine for the cost of PVC parts so I like it. I still want finer bubbles though so I am playing with designs which involve a needle wheel pump which will cause more turbulence and also recirculate any co2 that gets trapped in the headspace of the reactor via its venturi. With bubbles this fine it may not matter where the spraybar is but i will look at adding a lower one just in case, especially if the lower one disturbs the plants less as you say!

[Complexity]

Wow, your canister setup sounds very sophisticated! I'd love to see a picture of it. Sounds like you have all the bases covered and then some!

Why are you getting CO2 bubbles with a reactor? I'm not familiar with any of the commercial reactors so I don't know how they work. I know diffusers put out bubbles, but shouldn't a reactor dissolve the CO2 into the water before it's pushed into the tank? When I set up my original system, everyone suggested the Rex style reactor so that's what I got (a friend made mine for me). I've used them ever since and have been very satisfied. Never a bubble to be seen, but the CO2 is clearly making its way into the tanks.

If there's any CO2 or air trapped at the top, I can tell by the sound it makes. I just flip the reactor upside down, clear the trapped CO2 or air, and then things are fine again. I generally only have to do that when I service the filter and let air get into the line.

I won't say that the bottom spray bar doesn't blow the plants because it does. It has to in order to maintain good circulation at the bottom. It just doesn't do it as much at the base as the top. I think it also helps that the base of the plants have more plants in front of them which may give them a little added support. If you're ever down this way, let me know, and you can come see my setup so you can decide for yourself.

[Complexity]

Quick update on the algae. I am very happy to say that ALL of the algae is gone! The last H2O2 treatment did the trick. Even the dead algae has either been eaten or has melted away because there's no trace of it left. It's been a number of days and no algae appears to be coming back either. So it looks like the tank has now gone past the algae stage! Yay!

[SunnyHouTX]

Very good to hear V! Congrats

[aquabee]

Quick update on the algae. I am very happy to say that ALL of the algae is gone! The last H2O2 treatment did the trick. Even the dead algae has either been eaten or has melted away because there's no trace of it left. It's been a number of days and no algae appears to be coming back either. So it looks like the tank has now gone past the algae stage! Yay!

That is awesome. I'm going to have to do the same in my nano once this month is over and I actually have some free time, maybe. Congrats!

[Totenkampf]

i need to get around to taking some pics, but my phone doesnt cut it and the camera is on the fritz.

i think the bubbles that i do get are from trapped air being burped into the system. my reactor is exactly like the rex version in design. i do have an additional bleed port on the top tho, i will eventually get around to connecting that to a venturi or something similair so that i can draw it off and recirc the gas pocket through the system.

i am still getting green hair algae on a small scale and may try the H2O2 dosing on that. Do you have shrimp or vals in your aquarium? I have read that they may be sensitive to peroxide at some level.