planted tank equipment

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hir0

hir0

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MFK Member
Oct 16, 2004
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Hey guys and gals. Here again with the planted tank questions. I've been sourcing out and buying a bunch of stuff, and everytime I order something I realize I forgot something and then it's back to ordering again. The shipping to Hawaii is starting to kill me, so I thought I'd ask for some help here. Am I missing anything here or will I have to order some more stuff? Here is what is already taken care of:

- substrate: silica sand / florabase
- co2 bottle (2.5 lb.)
- Milwaukee regulator with solenoid, bubble counter, needle valve
- Milwaukee PH Controller SMS 122
- co2-proof tubing (12 feet) and check valve
- ph calibration solution and bubble counter fluid
- JBJ Formosa lighting 65w x1 with legstands
- Potassium Sulfate 1 lb. K2SO4 (Greg Watson's)
- Potassium Nitrate 1 lb. KNO3 (Greg Watson's)
- Magnesium Sulfate 1 lb. (Greg Watson's)
- CSM+B Plantex 1 lb. (Greg Watson's)
- Mono Potassium Phosphate 1 lb. KH2PO4 (Greg Watson's)
- Twin Neck Plastic Bottle with separate dosing column - 4 ounces

I hope this is all I will need to get started. I still plan to order an Eheim ECCO 2231(maybe) and buy or build an inline co2 reactor. Of course I know that I will need plants ;). I'm going to wait a couple days before I put in another order, so please if I am forgetting something here do tell me.
 
hrm, interesting. 20 gallons = approximately 75 liters, so it appears i'm a bit shy of the 1w per liter mark. i was told 3w per gallon, hence the 65w for 20 gallon tank. of course, on the bright side a 20 gallon long tank is very low, just a tad taller than a 10 gallon tank. i think i'll get by with the lighting, or at least i better :) this is costing me too much $$ already.
 
I would ditch the following:

Milwaukee PH Controller SMS 122
ph calibration solution and bubble counter fluid

The SMS122 is nifty, but it really, really isn't required. I didn't believe in not having it, and now that I have it, I realize why people say you don't need them. I didn't order a second one for my other planted tank and it is doing just fine.
Which would then mean you don't need the calibration solution (And if you are getting it, only get the 7), and, don't order bubble counter fluid. Just use RO or cheap distilled water...it will be fine.
 
Really I am surprized. Others I have talked to swear by it. I have one and it's great at controlling the tank, dont need to turn off for the night, it's keeping PH w/in one point difference. Seems like a very logical solution.
 
paradise said:
Really I am surprized. Others I have talked to swear by it. I have one and it's great at controlling the tank, dont need to turn off for the night, it's keeping PH w/in one point difference. Seems like a very logical solution.
Click to expand...

The main reason I said this is that once you get your needle valve setup correctly, the need for the controller just isn't there. The reason I turm mine off (not the controller itself, just the connection between the solenoid and the controller) is to not blow co2 into the tank when nothing is using it, which, actually wound up being detrimental to my fish a while back.

I run a small airstone overnight, and my pH swing is only .2, and with the precision scale on the sms122, it is barely that. The fish seem much more perky with the extra o2 in the water, and no gasping fish around the top. If you don't run a covered tank, it is probably a lot less of an issue, but a few of my fish have aspirations of becoming stunt fish, namely my SAE and my shrimp want to become land based as well.
 
Looks like a good list. I'd consider about the silica sand in there. If you're gonna layer the silica sand on top of the florabase, over time, the sand will get sifted down to the bottom. Unless you layer a significant amount of silica over the florabase, I'd go with either one or the other.

Bubble counter fluid. Just use RO or drinking water instead. Ditto on the calibration fluid. Just pick up the pH 7.0 solution and call it a day.

Milwaukee SMS122 controller. For the convenience, I would pick this up. Does what it's designed for and if you truly want to have more autonomy with the system, it's a must.
 
thanks for all the replies. all the items on my list are either already here, or have already been shipped. the controller included. as for the silica sand, it was already in the tank from before and is now underneath the florabase. i was just too lazy to dig it out, and that's fine with me if it stays on the bottom. i just hope it doesn't compact too much so that the plants won't root. i have thought about running an airstone at night - still may do so, and no that tank is not going to be covered. another question. if i mix my micronutrients into a solution, should i use distilled water in that solution or just tap water?
 
hir0 said:
If i mix my micronutrients into a solution, should i use distilled water in that solution or just tap water?
Click to expand...

I use distilled water for my CSM+B mixes, the other stuff I dose dry. If you use tapwater, sure the amount would be minimal, but I wouldn't put untreated tapwater into my tank. And with the price of a gallon of distilled water around $.45, it is fine...besides, we use it in the iron because our water is pretty high on the GH ...
 
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