Jack's 140

[Jack L]

This is what I need for going from my living room to my basement to the sump. right now I have 5 elbows per outlet and inlet. Can this be used for the siphon line too or will it collapse.

It is thick walled, you should be fine. Also due to thicker wall and smooth wall it was quieter than the sump corrugated hose others use, but it is not as flexible as corrugated

[rickztahone]

Where can I find flexible pvc like that I see you guys use? Id like to get some for my outlets.

Here you go
http://www.marinedepot.com/Ultra_Fle...FTTUFP-vi.html

[Debow]

Thanks!! I want to over hall some crappy vinyl tubing and undersized pvc with countless bends. Just as long as it works for my over flow drain. The last time I tried to use vinyl tubing and it collapsed and was a waist of time .

[rickztahone]

Thanks!! I want to over hall some crappy vinyl tubing and undersized pvc with countless bends. Just as long as it works for my over flow drain. The last time I tried to use vinyl tubing and it collapsed and was a waist of time .

Flexible pvc is very rigid, so much so, that you do not want to put it on too much of a bend. It handles swooped angles better and would definitely be a great upgrade to your system

[Jack L]

november update
Val is getting very long, growing long more than it is creating new plants to make a natural background as planned.
the Sagittaria is showing two forms, low and light green, as well as taller w/ red. from what i read the plant can do both.
the Sagittaria is pushing out a lot of runners across the front and seeming to take the taller form, not ideal for the front.
the crypts are growing into clumps that looks like some are ready for some splitting and transplanting, the sag and crypts are competing for same space

20151123-1 (1280x720).jpg

[jmf3460]

Looking good Jack, you have a ton of BBA though. eventually the bba will outcompete the plants for nutrients and you will have a total meltdown. You should really try and figure out why you have all the bba.......lighting too strong?inconsistent levels of co2? lighting too close to top of tank?? nitrate levels too high??

[rickztahone]

Looking good Jack, you have a ton of BBA though. eventually the bba will outcompete the plants for nutrients and you will have a total meltdown. You should really try and figure out why you have all the bba.......lighting too strong?inconsistent levels of co2? lighting too close to top of tank?? nitrate levels too high??

agreed. that is a whole lot of algae. So much so, that if you do not start trying to dial in a solution, you will more than likely lose all your plants.

[Jack L]

Thanks!! I want to over hall some crappy vinyl tubing and undersized pvc with countless bends. Just as long as it works for my over flow drain. The last time I tried to use vinyl tubing and it collapsed and was a waist of time .

look at start of this thread, those bends in the flex pvc were hard to bend and hold, its putting a good bit of pressure on the sump hole. you can bend it more over distance fine, but in a tight space, this is about what i could do with it. the vinyl to the right has a bit of collapse to it, but its working. if i put flex pvc on those, it would be very hard to move around pump. but i've considered it as i wonder if i'm losing pressure from the vinyl hose losing shape

[Jack L]

Looking good Jack, you have a ton of BBA though. eventually the bba will outcompete the plants for nutrients and you will have a total meltdown. You should really try and figure out why you have all the bba.......lighting too strong?inconsistent levels of co2? lighting too close to top of tank?? nitrate levels too high??

yeah you are right, i've just rolled with it. you listed 4 possible causes, and cruising the web turns up a bunch more and a counter to every claim.

something has changed, but i don't know what. my inaccurate test kits are trending the same as always, but something is different. the sagittaria subulata took off recently as well, and i didn't change anything for that to happen either.

i remove the leaves that get completly covered.

there have been some other algeas that have come and from tanks in last 12 months. the ONLY one i could figure out was the green spot on the glass. if i added flourish it will create green spot on the glass over and over, so i stopped using it.

thanks for compliment and watching progress

[Jack L]

well the one upside to the bba covering the wood... i don't have to see the nerite eggs anymore, they never dissolved even after 6 months

i don't know what to change, i didn't change anything and it showed up. i shorted my photo period a by 1 hr on 11/2 based on a different thread, but that didn't do anything for it. hmm, i wonder if shorting the photo period by 1 hr spurred on the sagittaria subulata?

i actually don't mind the look of it, i see algea in nature all the time, as long as it doesn't overtake the tank, i'll just employ careful observation.

the Ds also eat it.

[jmf3460]

i would start with raising your lighting at least 6" from where it is and shortening your lighting by at least 4 hours. one thing you have to remember is that all your plants are low light plants, and you have a medium/high lighting on them. do you dose EI?? if so I would stop. get yourself some metricide x off amazon and dose everyday.

[Filip]

The tank looks very wild and natural to me,I like it.

As for algae, my first suspect in a disbalance of a discus tank would always be DOCs and nitrates.

We feed them large and messy meals several times a day and they eat like pigs.
With this amount of DOCs daily input in a tank with substrate and plants it's impossible to keep it clean.
Even the daily 90% Wcs with siphoning can not sufice.

[Jack L]

i would start with raising your lighting at least 6" from where it is and shortening your lighting by at least 4 hours. one thing you have to remember is that all your plants are low light plants, and you have a medium/high lighting on them. do you dose EI?? if so I would stop. get yourself some metricide x off amazon and dose everyday.

the angle of the light spread is meant to sit on top. i can figured out how to lower the brightness, but its not all that bright when seen in person. i bought the higher output version in order to penetrate through the taller than average water column based on light intensity issues i had with a taller tank before.

i don't dose anything, no. EI, are you referring to estimate index?

light only runs for 8 hrs now

thanks for ideas.

based on your reference to EI, i just read on that for a while. thinking lowering light will be a worthwhile experiment.

[Jack L]

The tank looks very wild and natural to me,I like it.

As for algae, my first suspect in a disbalance of a discus tank would always be DOCs and nitrates.

We feed them large and messy meals several times a day and they eat like pigs.
With this amount of DOCs daily input in a tank with substrate and plants it's impossible to keep it clean.
Even the daily 90% Wcs with siphoning can not sufice.

thanks for feedback, i concur that the algae on the wood is an aesthetic plus.

my hunch is that the the various algae that have come and gone are a result of the excess fuel in the water. and you are right about the messy food, my BH mix covers everything in a dusting of bits. my next batch i'll add things to keep it together better.

when i feed frozen, mysis, bloodworms, brine, etc, i can see the mess melting into the water. not only do i put a lot of food in the tank, the Ds create more and more excrement as they grow.

i am wondering if the poret foam addition is going to cause a spike until it colonizes to consume nitrates as advertised. but these test kits are SO variable, it is really hard to tell anymore what i'm seeing. the only nitrate kit that seems reliable is seachem, and that is only for comparison for multiple samples as same time., i can't match it to the card with any consistency.

i'm also thinking the algae is removing excess nutrients from the water. so as long as they don't turn the tank into a giant fuzzball, i'll leave them.

[Jack L]

reference pic from initial setup
june 2015, approx 12 weeks old
ds 6-2015.jpg